Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Invasive ...

<strong>Proceedings</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Third</strong> <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Invasive SpartinaChapter 4: Spartina Control and ManagementFig. 6. Tracked amphibious machine with ground broadcast herbicide applicationequipment, Willapa Bay, Washington, USA.Fig. 7. Airboat with high-pressure spray equipment, Willapa Bay, Washington,USA.continued overall decline <strong>of</strong> Washington’s Spartinainfestation.Many things have contributed to <strong>the</strong> current success <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> program. Consistent control made possible with adequatefunding led to effective treatment. Washington’smanagement plans called for a multi-year commitment totreatment sites, controlling a site until eradication has beenachieved. Permitting consolidation also contributed to <strong>the</strong>program’s success. WSDA is granted an National PollutantDischarge Elimination System (NPDES) permit that allowsfor <strong>the</strong> chemical treatment <strong>of</strong> Spartina. As <strong>the</strong> permit holder,WSDA extends coverage to o<strong>the</strong>r entities to treat Spartinainfestations, while WSDA retains <strong>the</strong> responsibily formonitoring and reporting. This allows <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r entities t<strong>of</strong>ocus <strong>the</strong>ir resources towards on-<strong>the</strong>-ground control, ra<strong>the</strong>rthan on manuevering through <strong>the</strong> bureaucratic permittingprocess.Finally, through a long and painful learning curve,managers and field coordinators have discovered what worksbest to control Spartina infestations within a complicated,and sometimes controversial, environmental, social andpolitical context. Garnering public support, havinglegislation in place to provide incentive and funding,working collaboratively with o<strong>the</strong>r agencies, having accessto a wide breadth <strong>of</strong> tools, and knowing where and how tobest use those tools have all contributed to <strong>the</strong> currentsuccess <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> program. While <strong>the</strong>re is still much progress tobe made, <strong>the</strong> partners involved are confident that <strong>the</strong>ireradication goal will be achieved. The effort in Washingtonwill continue searching for better tools and equipment toincrease efficacy and efficiency, while minimizing costs.2010 UPDATEAt <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> this article’s publication, <strong>the</strong> cooperativeSpartina eradication effort in Washington State hascontinued to yield great success in effectively reducing <strong>the</strong>infestation statewide. During 2009 <strong>the</strong> partners involved in<strong>the</strong> eradication effort treated approximately 110 solid acres<strong>of</strong> Spartina. WSDA now estimates that, as a result <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>2009 effort, <strong>the</strong> infestation statewide has been reduced toonly 40 solid acres (Phillips pers. com. 2010). Thisrepresents a 99.5% overall reduction from <strong>the</strong> historic high<strong>of</strong> 9,260 solid acres estimated in 2003.This continued success provides evidence that <strong>the</strong>management effort, originally detailed in this article in 2004,was and continues to be an effective approach. Since <strong>the</strong>2004 <strong>International</strong> Invasive Spartina <strong>Conference</strong>, <strong>the</strong> effortin Washington has continued to seek improvements in <strong>the</strong>tools and approaches used to eradicate Spartina. Imazapyr,first aerially applied to 2000 solid acres during <strong>the</strong> 2004season (Murphy 2005), proved to be a huge success and abig reason for <strong>the</strong> success <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> overall Washington Stateeffort. Ano<strong>the</strong>r obvious reason for this success was <strong>the</strong>continued program support and funding.As major reductions were made in <strong>the</strong> overall size <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>infestation, <strong>the</strong> remaining Spartina was scattered throughouta large area. This required <strong>the</strong> partners to modify <strong>the</strong> on-<strong>the</strong>groundapproach. The effort went from focusing on largescaleaerial and ground broadcast applications, to smallscale,targeted treatments <strong>of</strong> scattered infestations. Thishighlights <strong>the</strong> need to constantly re-evaluate <strong>the</strong> program toensure that <strong>the</strong> most effective and efficient tools andapproaches are used to continue <strong>the</strong> success <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>cooperative Spartina eradication effort.REFERENCESBritish Columbia Ministry <strong>of</strong> Forests & Range. 2008. Definitions<strong>of</strong> Adaptive Management. Posted athttp://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/amhome/Admin/index.htm.- 227 -