Lake WMA

Outreach Summary

Brochures

• Invasive Weeds of Lake County pamphlet

Events

In January of 2003, an Invasive Plant School was held, with nearly 100 attendees. In 2005, the WMA led an invasive weed driving tour, and the event will be repeated in 2007. In addition, talks are given as needed for local organizations like watershed groups.

Media coverage

For Invasive Weed Awareness Week, Lake WMA members go before the County Board of Supervisors to receive a proclamation paralleling the state legislature’s proclamation, an event that is aired on local television. Also, articles about the Lake County biocontrol program have appeared in a local paper and in a Farm Bureau publication.

Project Highlights

Lake County arundo mapping and treatment

GPS technology was used to survey and create GIS maps for arundo and tamarisk species over 70-75% of Lake County. Of the mapped area, 60 % has been treated for arundo using two forms of chemical treatment. Most plants were originally treated using the cut-and-daub method, and then any re-growth was treated a second time by bending the plant down and spraying it with a dilute herbicide. Project partners included the East Lake and West Lake Resource Conservation Districts, Lake County Public Works, and the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.

Broom grazing at the Robinson Rancheria

Broom species were grazed by goats on 1.5 acres at the Robinson Rancheria in Nice, on the northern end of Clear Lake. A follow-up treatment with clove oil on new shoots and re-growth during intense summer heat was very effective.

Primary Organizations on WMA’s MOU

East Lake Resource Conservation District
Lake County Department of Agriculture
Lake County Public Works
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service
West Lake Resource Conservation District

Other Regular Participants

Bureau of Land Management
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
California State Parks
Cow Mountain Kiko Goats
Mendocino National Forest