In late May, the Noxious Weed Program spearheaded a collaborative effort to treat Mediterranean sage, a high-priority noxious weed in Colorado.
Mediterranean Sage spreads rapidly to surrounding lands, displacing native vegetation and reducing forage for wildlife. One mature plant is capable of producing as many as 100,000 seeds. The plant is unpalatable to animals and is capable of quickly forming dense monocultures. It is estimated that the seed viability for Mediterranean sage is ten years.
CDA's Conservation Services Division has been organizing field days as a way to highlight the variety of work done by CDA's programs. The Noxious Weed Program was the first to organize an event and staff from across Colorado was joined by employees of the City of Boulder and Boulder County to work together and learn from each other.
The day kicked off with insightful speeches, from presenters who included:
- Conservation Division Director Evanne Caviness and Noxious Weed program manager Patty York.
- Kelly Uhing, Vegetation Stewardship Manager with the City of Boulder's Open Space and Mountain Parks discussed the history of weed management in Colorado and the importance of the Noxious Weed Management Fund.
- Joe Swanson, Senior Weed Specialist with Boulder County told the group about the history and acquisition of the site we'd be working on.
- Emily McGrath, CDA's EDRR Specialist, talked about the role of the EDRR Field Crew and gave clear instructions on how to identify and kill Mediterranean sage, avoid look-alikes, and stay safe.
After the presentations, our group of 38 set out to hike across a newly acquired Boulder County property. We formed a long line and systematically moved through several fields, diligently searching for the invasive plant. The first Mediterranean sage plant was quickly spotted, allowing everyone to get a close look at the real thing.
Our approach to managing the plants varied based on their growth stage. For rosettes or non-flowering plants, we carefully dug them up, making sure to remove all roots. These were then left root-side up to dry out. For flowering plants, we meticulously cut off the stalks and sealed them in plastic bags to prevent any seed dispersal.
In just under two hours, our team of 38 successfully located and eliminated an impressive 308 Mediterranean sage plants. This incredible achievement truly showcased the power of collective effort, with everyone getting to dig at least one plant.
You can find a full list of noxious weeds in Colorado on the Noxious Weed Species ID page. For help eradicating any noxious weeds on your property, please contact the CSU Extension Office in your county.
