COMMISSION

spanned approximately 1,000 acres. An invasive management plan was put together to
combat this exotic species in 2005, and Dalmatian toadflax has been contained in the
NGMA of the park. Eradication began with spraying
herbicide from an ATV. This work can be done now
by spot spraying the area. The infestation has been
greatly reduced and the area is monitored due to the
15-year viability of the seed in the ground.
In 2008, the California Department of Food and
Agriculture (CDFA) contacted the park about a
biological release and test plot in the park. With a
permit from the EPA, Hungry Valley SVRA began a
test plot using the Mecinus janthinus (MEJA) weevil
on toadflax. The plot was originally started by CDFA,
Dalmatian toadflax - Hungry Valley SVRA
but has since been transferred to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The
MEJA weevil is a stem boring weevil that eventually reduces the toadflax to a non-flowering
plant. Initial results showed the weevil had spread throughout the toadflax infestation and
reductions in size of plants had been noted.
In May of 2013, the Grand Fire burned approximately 850 acres inside Hungry Valley
SVRA. Unfortunately, it burned over the MEJA release site, test plots, and weather
collection equipment set in place for the CDFA study. In spring of 2014, USDA determined
the pilot test was important and started the project again with new weevils and test plots.
They enlarged the test area by two release sites in hopes the weevil would expand their
boundaries. In 2015, monitoring of the weevil showed low incidence of feeding on the
stems of Dalmatian toadflax. As of July 2016, the collection of stems shows much more
widespread incidence of weevil than the previous year.
In 2015, Hungry Valley SVRA added the perennial pepperweed to the eradication program.
The SVRA’s resource team worked approximately 500 hours in 2015 to eradicate both
the toadflax and the pepperweed. With the drought conditions and continuous eradication
efforts, the resource crew saw a marked reduction of Dalmatian toadflax. Pepperweed;
however, continued to subsist due to late season rains in 2015.
Oceano Dunes SVRA
Oceano Dunes SVRA lies at the north end of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes complex,
an approximately 20,000-acre coastal dune and dune scrub ecosystem that stretches for
18 miles along the central coast. Of the 3,600 acres within the SVRA, approximately 2,100
acres are managed as native habitat.
2017 Program Report 103