1.
Purpose:
The project will: 1) educate local land owners about Integrated Pest
Management
(IPM) through personal contacts, bio-agent releases and a local IPM
brochure,
2) mass rear biological control agents of spotted knapweed in
insectaries in
Whitehall, MT for distribution, 2) GPS/GIS map weeds as requested by
the
Jefferson County Weed Board, 3) monitor biological control agent
release sites
in Jefferson and Madison Counties, 3) collect, distribute and
redistribute
(augment) biological control agents, 4) educate and cooperate with all
private
and public area weed fighters, and 5) increase the number of other
similar
projects through classes, demonstrations, tours and other work shops
both on
and offsite.
2.
History:
This Project started in the early 1990's through the efforts of
then
Jefferson County Weed Supervisor Pat Kountz and Whitehall Science
Teacher Todd
Breitenfeldt and greatly expanded in 1999 under Weed District
Coordinator Dave
Burch. This successful cooperative
project has grown from a volunteer project with one small insectary, a
greenhouse, and a few release sites to a model
educational/demonstration project
including: 1) 2 teachers and 3 students in Whitehall, 2) 7 knapweed
insectaries, 3) over 130 landowners who have over 500 bioagent release
sites,
and 4) an educational weekly summer newspaper column about noxious
weeds and
the project in several local news papers.
The project has facilitated the start up and continuation of
over 10
other similar bio-control/mapping projects based at various
Importance: Education,
mapping and bio-control are three of the many tools in the IPM toolbox
and are
major components of the Montana State Noxious Weed Plan.
This project enhances these tools for
Jefferson and
3. Location of Project Area: Jefferson/Madison Counties and cooperators lands as requested.
1) Educational: We contact
landowners to educate them about IPM and to monitor and redistribute
their
biocontrol agents. We hold educational
tours and workshops, produce a weekly summer column (Whitehall Weed
Whackers)
about noxious weed control in several local papers featuring the
project and
selected articles from the mtwow.org web site written by WHS students. We will produce a locally focused IPM
brochure. Speak, teach and/or have
booths at many organization meetings.
And, tie all this activity into weed education at
2) Mapping: We will assist the
Jefferson County Weed
Board in weed mapping. We will provide
easy to locate records and photos of release sites in Jefferson and
3) Research: We will
set up several
long-term bio-agent efficacy studies in
4) Collection, Mass Rearing, and Redistribution of Biocontrol Agents: We will continue to pursue these activities as requested by the County, cooperators and landowners.
5) Establish New
Programs: We will
help similar new programs continue and start. We will hold a 3-day +2
summer
class in
[We will also hold a June, 2006 three-day
class in
Boise, ID for teachers through out the West in conjunction with (and
funded by)
the Forest Service. Contact Linda Reese,
USDA
1. Mapping: The Project area includes Jefferson/Madison Counties. Weeds (as requested) and bio-release sites will be mapped.
2. Control Measures: Include the biocontrol agents: 1) Aphthona spp., 2) Larinus minutus, 3) Oberea erythrocephala, 4) Cyphocleonus achates, 5) Agapeta zoegana, 6) Mecinus janthinus, and 7) others as available.
The
Project Sponsor
is Whitehall Biological Weed Control Project, Inc.
Todd Breitenfeldt WHS science teacher
directly supervises and works with a crew of another WHS teacher and 3
WHS
students. This crew is based out of the
Whitehall High School Science room and lab room at WHS and maintains
the
greenhouse and insectaries on WHS property.
The crews use their own vehicles for travel and are paid mileage. Communications are maintained between
Jefferson/Madison Counties,
3. Environmental Mitigation: N/A
4. Education Programs: A major focus of this project is educating local landowners about IPM. A locally orientated IPM brochure will be produced and distributed. Many tours, classes, public education days, booths and other educational efforts occur.
1.
2006
class description: The 2006 summer class
will occur July 11-15th. It
will consist of 3 days in
2. 2006 summer class budget:
Advertising = $1000
Hotel
for 10 (3 days) in
Travel for 10 (max $100.00/person) = $1,000
Sweep nets (10) = $500
Class supplies = $400 (for presenters and attendees)
Grassrange collection trip:
Hotel: 4 rooms @ $70 for one night = $280
Lewistown meals = $130
Total…………………………$5,000
Education programs will also include project tours, weekly area newspaper articles, speaking at organization meetings, booths at local fairs, and of course land owner education, education, education!
5. Data Analysis: The teachers and crew will organize the collection and release site data. Bio-agent efficacy research will be conducted.
C. Cooperative Agreements:
1. Jefferson/Madison Counties Weed District: The Whitehall Biological Weed Control Project, Inc., Whitehall Schools will work with the Jefferson/Madison Counties Weed Boards and Coordinators.
2.
3. Over 140 private landowners: Have come to rely on the services provided by the project.
4.
D. Evaluation: Success will be
measured by meeting or
surpassing the goals listed above with emphasis on education, mapping
and
bio-agents. Field collected insect
numbers will vary each year (depending on the weather, site history,
needs,
land management, etc.) and insectary numbers bounce up and down
depending on
how hard the plants have been impacted by the root borers each year. The
IV. Time Schedule:
A. Time Frames:
School Year: The Biology students will work on the mtwow.org web site (now self funded) and attend the MWCA annual convention. The Horticulture class will use the greenhouse 2nd semester. Advertise for summer class.
Late Winter: Interview and hire 3 Whitehall Students and an accountant.
Spring: Repair winter damage to insectaries and greenhouse. Prep beds for summer.
Late Spring: Fix/replace flashing and till and prepare insectary beds for transplanting. Transplant knapweed plants into the insectaries to replace those killed by the weevils and moths. Water, weed, and fertilize these plants until fall. Set up cages in insectaries and/or at field site releases.
Summer: Plan and hold summer class. Call all landowners with releases and ask them what they want done this year with their sites, and do so. Make a list of landowners who want biocontrol releases. Prioritize release sites monitoring schedule to: 1) meet land owners schedules, 2) increase probability of finding sites with high numbers of biocontrol agents for potential net (collection for redistribution) days, and 3) match times with insect life cycles and the effects of weather on biocontrol species. GPS map and maintain a database of all release sites. Train crews. Set up net days for public to collect excess biocontrol agents for redistribution. Collect and redistribute biocontrol agents as available [Oberea erythrocephala, Larinus minutus, Aphthona spp., Cyphocleonus achates, Agapeta zoegana, Sphenoptera jugoslavica, and Mecinus janthinus.] Map weeds and set up research sites. Plan release sites to maximize chances of biocontrol agent establishment and spread, as well as County wide coverage. Plan and lead tours, field trips and workshops about the project and weed control/IPM in general. Complete final preparation of insectaries for emergence of moths and weevils. Collect moths and weevils out of insectaries for distribution. Release insects received by the Counties from outside sources. Help with general County weed fighting activities as needed. Update maps.
Late Summer: Have classes of students help collect weevils from insectaries and help with redistribution. Finalize summer database and distribute to cooperators and schools. Take down insect cages.
Fall: WHS students collect and release weevils from insectaries. Winterize greenhouse. Present weed education workshop at Teacher Conventions in October including releases to teachers willing to use biocontrol agents in their educational curriculum. Winterize insectaries.
Winter: Plan for next year.
B. Long-Term Commitment: Continue to have well established and expanding bio-release sites in all large noxious weed patches and management areas within both Counties and to monitor these sites to take advantage of bursts of usable insects. To produce weed maps and continue research activities. To have an ever-expanding group of landowners well educated about IPM. To serve as a demonstration site and spring board for new and continuing projects of a similar nature. To enhance noxious weed control education and awareness. To meet the goals of the Montana State Noxious Weed Plan. To continue to increase funding from local sources.
VII. Supporting Documents:
-Bioagent Collection Numbers and Market Value of Bioagents Distributed in 2003-5
-Letters of support and cooperation.
Bioagent Collection Numbers History:
Oberea erythrocephala:
2000 = 250
2001 = 500
2002 = 1,567
(500 collected by public on net day)
2003 = 3,160 (over
800 collected by public on net days,
often mixed with flea beetles).
2004 = 2,778 (This
is probably a final number for the
summer. We held several public
collection days. Numbers were lower than
last year for 2 reasons: 1) a lack of spurge at our major collection
site, and
2) we did not emphasize collection of this bio-agent as much because Oberea
are becoming established through out much of our area and most of our
local
flea beetle collections include a number of Oberea. The Oberea collected along with flea
beetles are not included in the 2004 Oberea total.)
2005 = 2,485 (We
collected less because they are fairly
well established on all spurge patches within the County)
Larinus minutus:
2002 = 7,840 (2,400 collected by public on net day)
2003 = 17,468 (3,000
collected by public on net day, APHIS collected with us and shipped
weevils to
28 MT counties and
2004 = 22,360 (we held
several public collection days and we are still collecting these)
2005 = 23,695 (We
collected less because they are fairly
well established through out the County)
Aphthona spp.:
2002 = 535,000 (over
half collected on a Grassrange trip of which 234,000 were released into
Jefferson and Madison Counties in about 78 releases/augments of 3,000
flea
beetles each. The remaining flea beetles
went to the BLM, and the three new programs like ours in
2003 = 252,000 (We did not
go to Grassrange to collect however, 108,000 of these were brought to
our net
day by ARS. Therefore, 144,000 were
collected locally, many by the public at net collection days. Several of our A. lacertosa sites are
just ready to really take off and produce large numbers in 2004/5. We have a collection trip planned with Dillon
BLM to the Grassrange area for 2004.)
2004 = 1,827,500. (We
collected 1,600,000 at Grassrange, the
rest locally, mostly A. lacertosa.
Of which 400,000 went to Dillon BLM & 200,000 to
2005 = 1,611,000 (We collected 1,500,000 at Grassrange this year with the help of the teachers and students from the summer class and several BLM employees, the rest locally)
Cyphocleonus
achates:
2001 = 3,381
2002
= 1,011
2003 = 2,272
(expanded and replanted insectaries should produce more in the
next 2
yrs.)
2004 = 2,431
2005 = 2,721 (we are doing more field
collecting
from well established sites)
Agapeta zoegana:
2001 = 500
2002
= 500
2003 = 700 (these numbers
seem to hold quite steady, all collected out of the insectaries).
2004 = 605
2005 = 1,604 (We used our
new insect vacuums from Jefferson Co. to field collect more)
Mecinus janthinus:
2003 = 500 (received from
2004 = 800 (these were
received by
2005 = 1,000 received by
Jefferson and
Market Value of Bioagents Distributed in 2003:
Aphthona spp.: 252,000/500 = 504 releases of 500 @ $50 = $25,200
Oberea erythrocephala: 3160/110 = 29 releases of 110 @ $225 = $6,525
Larinus minutus: 17,468/105 = 166 releases of 110 @ $100 = $16,600
Cyphocleonus achates: 2,272/105 = 22 releases of 105 @ $105 = $2,310
Agapeta zoegana: 700/105 = 6 releases of 105 @ $200 = $1,200
Total……………………………………………………….. $51,835
Market Value of Bioagents Distributed in 2004:
Aphthona spp.: 1,827,500/500 = 3,655 releases of 500 @ $50 = $182,750 (We released in units of 3,000 or 7,500 however, many of the larger releases were divided into multiple releases by the land owners).
Oberea erythrocephala: 2,778/110 = 25 releases of 110 @ $225 = $5,625
Larinus minutus: 22,360/105 = 212 releases of 110 @ $100 = $21,200
Cyphocleonus achates: 0/105 = 22 releases of 105 @ $105 = $0.0
Agapeta zoegana: 315/105 = 3 releases of 105 @ $200 = $600
Total……………………………………………………….. $210,175
Market Value of Bioagents Collected/Distributed
by WHE
Project in 2005:
Aphthona spp.: 1,611,500/500 = 3,223 releases of 500 @ $50 = $161,150
[1,500,000 collected on Grassrange trip with BLM and Teachers attending Whitehall Project summer class. BLM and teachers took many releases (about 1/3) to their lands and counties for their programs. The rest were released locally by many happy landowners.]
Oberea erythrocephala: 2,485/110 = 22 releases of 110 @ $225 = $4,950