Starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis)
We Need Your Help!
Volunteers are invited to participate in a Starthistle Control Project at the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument on National Public Lands Day - September 9, 2017. Since 1994 National Public Lands Day promotes volunteer service for conservation on public lands. Register to volunteer for this project.
Starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) is a pernicious and persistent invasive weed of a number of grassland and oak woodland areas within the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument (CSNM). Starthistle is an important and balanced part of the ecosystems in Eurasia, where it is kept in check by an assortment of natural enemies and plants that have co-evolved with it in its native habitat. Unfortunately, these natural enemies are not present in other areas of the world where it has been accidentally introduced in Australia, Argentina, Chile, and the USA.
In many of these regions it has become an invasive species and noxious weed and has altered the native ecology of the areas. It is a deep concern for land managers.
Project Description There is an area with a large infestation of starthistle along the Green Springs Loop Trail within the CSNM. We will manually control starthistle in this area using gloves and large heavy-duty plastic garbage bags. We will need to be careful not to spread the seed by bagging primarily the flower and seed head of the plant. The plant can be yanked out of the ground by hand or the seed heads cut with a knife or pruner. Since it is an annual plant it will not regrow after simple cutting of the plant.
Project duration: We will work for 4-6, hours starting at 9am at the Green Springs Loop Trailhead. A bag lunch will be provided at the trailhead.
Level: Easy walk, with ability to bend and weed pull, along gradual slope. Children (aged 12+), accompanied and supervised by parent or guardian are welcome. Appropriate for family or group service in outdoors.
Sign-up for this FREE event: Register at Eventbrite and indicate your name(s) and sandwich preference.
Directions to the Green Springs Trailhead: From I-5 Exit 14 to Hwy 66 (Green Springs Hwy) to Little Hyatt Prairie Road (14.6 miles), on left. Follow Little Hyatt Prairie Road (.7 mile) to the first left-hand road (39-3E-32). Follow this road to the Green Springs Trailhead parking area. Look for NPLD signage.
What to bring: Leather gloves, pruners or knife, hat, water, and sunblock.
BLM will provide plastic garbage bags.
For more information:
Contact Charlie Schelz, BLM Monument Ecologist
Tel: 541-618-2244
Email: cschelz@blm.gov