|
Welcome
to the IECWMA-CIPM Web-Based
Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) Control Process!
Developed in response to the continued spread of Eurasian
watermilfoil (EWM) in Idaho’s waterbodies, particularly those
waterbodies in Kootenai, Benewah and Shoshone Counties, this
process is designed to aid County Weed Department staff and
others in mapping and planning control treatments. What you
will find on these web pages is considered the initial
development of this process, a process which is considered to
have State-wide relevance. The output of the decision matrix
(described below) takes the form of a list of treatment options
with associated cost estimates. However, the matrix does not
consider all possible factors which ultimately need to be
considered in implementing an EWM control program, especially if
it involves the use of herbicides. There is still a need for
treatment planners to develop a thorough understanding of
treatment limitations (such as would be described on an
herbicide label. However, the current decision matrix as a
decision support tool does consider the key factors that
influence the selection of a control treatment and, thus,
provides pertinent guidance in this.
Funding for
this initial development is gratefully acknowledged from the
Center for Invasive Plant Management at Montana State University
– Bozeman (http://www.weedcenter.org/index.html).
The CIPM is a self-funded, educational-nonprofit organization.
The CIPM promotes ecologically sound
management of invasive plants by facilitating collaboration and
partnerships among scientists, educators, and land managers.
Their mission is achieved, in part, by providing grants for
research and program development, in this case specifically for
invasive plant prevention and early detection efforts in
Cooperative Weed Management Areas.
This EWM
control process was conceived and developed by IECWMA members
Nina Eckberg and Dave Lamb. Ms. Eckberg is the current IECWMA
Chair and Weed Superintendent for Kootenai County. Mr. Lamb is
a Lake Ecologist with the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Both Ms. Eckberg
and Mr. Lamb are actively involved with EWM controls in
waterways within the IECWMA. The mapping component of this
process was prepared by Frank Roberts and Bernie Jackson of the
Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Geographic Information Systems Program.
The Decision Matrix was prepared by Mr. Tim Prather, Associate
Professor of Weed Ecology with the Plant, Soil and Entomological
Sciences Department at the University of Idaho. The web pages
and associated links were set up by Ms. Kathy Dingman.
|
