In 2019, we built a native demonstration garden.
In 2021, we welcomed a new resident to Crail Gardens. Click on image to see who it was!
Pretty Wildflowers?
Think again!
Oxeye Daisey is an invasive plant.
"Invasive plants are ecological tumors that will leave your yard."
- Dr. Doug Tallamy
Noxious Weeds...
Are invasive plant species that are able to establish easily, grow quickly, and spread to the point of disrupting biological communities or ecosystems.
Habitat Transformers
Noxious weeds are known as "habitat transformers" because they change the physical structure and forage availability in habitats, eventually pushing resident wildlife out.
Biodiversity Threat
Invasive alien species are among the most serious threats to biodiversity, and have a potentially devastating impact on our food security, health and economies.
Invasive Species...
Replace native plant communities
Accelerate soil erosion
Degrade water quality
Damage fish & wildlife habitat
Decrease the value of land
Reduce recreation opportunities
Increase trail maintenance costs
The Gallatin Invasive Species Alliance is a 501c3 non-profit organization
working to protect natural resources from the threats of invasive species.
Help us conserve the places we love!
Noxious Weeds Have Widespread Impacts
Wildlife
Noxious Weeds...
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Reduce forage - spotted knapweed has reduced available winter forage for elk by 50-90%
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Alter thermal and escape cover
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Change water flow and availability to wildlife
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May reduce territorial space necessary for wildlife survival
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Disrupt seasonal distribution patterns
Water & Fish
Noxious Weeds...
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Increase soil erosion, thus decreasing water holding capacity and storage
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Alter hydrologic cycles in riparian areas, lower the water table, and affect flooding cycles
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Increase sedimentation of streams, impacting spawning grounds and food sources
In areas dominated by spotted knapweed, runoff is 1.5 times higher and sediment yield was found to be 3 times higher (Lacey, et all. 1989)
Native Plants
Noxious Weeds...
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Reduce biodiversity
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Replace complex communities with simple communities
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Displace rare plant species
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Serve as reservoirs of plant pathogens
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Compete for pollinators
Landowner & Community
Noxious Weeds...
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Reduce the value of land
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Require resources (time and money) to manage
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Impact neighborly relations, as inaction by one landowner negatively affects others
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Degrade aesthetic values
Recreation & Hunting
Noxious Weeds...
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Reduce recreation & hunting access on private lands
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Alter habitat for game animals and fish
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Decrease success of hunters and anglers
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Increase cost to manage trail systems
Ecosystem
Noxious Weeds...
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Alter fire intensity and frequency
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Modify successional pathways
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Act as alternate hosts for insects an diseases
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Initiates a process that many scientists believe is the beginning of desertification