Sep 25 National Public Lands Day in RFL!

Forest Mgmt
USFS_RFL_eventSep2010
click image for flyer

8/18/2010 From Ellen: I got this information recently from Reghan Cloudman of the USDA Forest Service …sounds fun and convenient! Click here for details on their website.

“Attached is a flyer announcing our National Public Lands Day event on the Canyon Lakes Ranger District in Red Feather Lakes, Colo. We are trying to get the word out to as many folks as we can. If you could forward this on to anyone who might be interested and/or hang the flyer where your folks could see it, we would greatly appreciate it.

Reghan Cloudman, Public Affairs Specialist
Canyon Lakes Ranger District
Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
& Pawnee National Grassland 970-295-6770”

Filing 8 Mystery Weed

Wildflowers, Yellow
Mountain Tansymustard, photo by LGB
Mountain Tansymustard, photo by LGB

7/26/2010 Email from Linda B: “Hello all, I was weeding in the greenbelt between Mt. Harvard and LaPlatta this morning (filing 8) and came across this plant. This is a new one for me. I couldn’t find a positive ID in my copy of Weeds of the West or in the various materials from the weed district or the state.

It is hairy on the stem, has leaves almost like a potentila, the flower on close inspection is more like a pea than a mustard. If anything, on first glance, to looked to me like a close relative of flixweed (a mustard) but the flowers occur on the tip end of the branches. I counted +/- 5 on one bracket, but they are teeny-tiny. The stem is round and the seed pods look like miniature pea pods….

I will keep this one around in some water for a while if anyone wants to inspect it further. Stop by. I’ll keep it on under my large covered front deck …. My yard of wildflowers is at peak just now too if anyone wants to drive past.”

7/26/2010 Email from Linda B with Renee P’s identification: “Hi all, Renee keyed this out; it is a variety of Descurainia (like flixweed) after all. Here is what she wrote… Interesting isn’t it? Cheers. Linda”

Renee wrote: “For me the odd one keys to Descurainia incana http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=109671

This links shows where it has been reported in co http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/list.php?type=1&taxa=Descurainia+incana&country=&state=colorado&county=&local=&upperlat=&upperlat_NS=N&bottomlat=&bottomlat_NS=N&leftlong=&leftlong_EW=W&rightlong=&rightlong_EW=W&pointlat=&pointlat_NS=N&pointlong=&pointlong_EW=W&radiustemp=&radiusunits=mi&radius=&collector=&collnum=&resetrecordcnt=1&display2.x=33&display2.y=18 ”

Descurainia incana by Mary Ellen Harte
Descurainia incana by Mary Ellen Harte

7/29/2010 Notes from Ellen: Here is another link with lots of images from “Forestry Images” website (Forestry Images is a joint project of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, USDA Forest Service and International Society of Arboriculture. The University of Georgia – Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences) http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/subthumb.cfm?sub=12525.

I’ve inserted one here showing flowers and fruits. Descuraina incana is not on our GVM plant list so I will add it. Thanks Renee and Linda!! Has anyone else come across this one?

Crellin Meadow Weed Update

Noxious Weeds

7/23/2010 Note from Ellen: Today I received an email from Renee P. following up on her 2009 weed management project in the Crellin Meadow. This meadow is located in the drainage area just north of Crellin Lake and is contiguous with the restoration area that the Ecology Committee and GVM Office staff have working on doing the last three seasons. Please click this link to read about Renee’s weed strategy. https://gvmecology.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/new-strategy-for-attacking-canada-thistle-in-crellin-meadow/ Thanks Renee!

“Hi Everyone, I was just out in Crellin Meadow and want to share how amazed I am at how good it looks sans thistles. The grasses are chest high. There’s Phalaris, Glyceria, Poas, and possibly Luzula (!) thriving in there with all the usual sedges, willows and orchids.. It’s literally been ‘released”.

Do yourselves a favor and take an outing to see what can be done in the course of one year (1.5 seasons). This is not to toot my horn. I am just amazed and enjoying it thistle free for the first time in the 11 yrs we have been here. I can host you or not – it’s worth seeing if you remember previous years. I’d like to release more wet meadows in GVM.”

GVM Trail Maintenance 2010

Hiking Trails

6/28/2010 Email from Odell: “Last week after working on the Maroon Bells/Crellin Canyon intersection we decided to establish a regular schedule for working on GVM trails.

Beginning this week we will work on a trail every Thursday afternoon beginning at 3:00 … We will also begin marking trails [where needed] using orange paint. I have the paint and throw away brushes. The old blue plastic ribbon fades into invisibility, rots, falls on the ground, and probably leaves plastic in the ground for 10,000 years. Paint lasts longer on the trees and rocks, is a lot more visible, and when it washes away is less damaging. Last week I got orange paint on my good hiking boots so wear cheap boots!

This Thursday we will continue with work on the Maroon Bells trails. This will require chain saws, loppers, and other cutting grasses and limbs tools. I don’t think we’ll need weed eaters. I’ll bring my chain saw, Kevlar safety chaps [I highly recommend ALWAYS wearing chaps when using a chain saw–I didn’t ONE time only and yes cut my leg], and loppers. We’ll meet at the Crellin Canyon Trail head on Green Mountain. Let me know if you can come.

Below is my guessed at schedule. If you know of things that need doing we’ll do them even if we need to change the schedule. The Porter Trail has effectively disappeared! The trail head signs are there but no evidence of a trail so that will mean a lot of work! I’m going to work on that on my own time as well.

July 1 — Maroon Bells
July 8 — Sloan
July 15 — Asbury
July 22 — Mt. Moriah & Batterson Loop
July 29 — Porter

Also, if you know of someone who should be on my mailing list let me know.

6/29/2010 Email response from Linda B: “This is a great start Odell! I tried to clean up the grasses along the trail on the Sloan and Mt. Moriah trails the other day with my grass whip, and that was hopeless. Also, I kept hitting rock — which dulls the scythe and might create sparks. So loppers are a better choice, but back-breaking. I’ll try to help on the trails here — whenever I am able.

How are you going to mark the trails where there are no trees and just low-laying rocks? Maybe a few orange painted wood markers, similar to the ones painted blue up the Mt. Moriah trail, would be helpful. T-posts are too obtrusive but there are long stretches where paint just won’t work.”