[PCA] Roadside refugia of Utah, 273 more miles of the 1997 Megatransect

[Harper-Lore, Bonnie]

FYI:  The current transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU) passed in August of 2005.  It was 2-3 years late.
Another transportation bill will not occur until 2010.

In the meantime, SAFETA-LU did have a relevant paragraph in Section 6006, 329.
The Control of Noxious Weeds and the Establishment of Native Plants.
No new money, but it opens the door to the eligibility of these issues for use of federal-aid dollars.
In our guidance (interpretation of the bill) we listed five activities that are eligible for that use.
The #1 eligible activity is inventory/mapping of all right-of-way vegetation.
Just a little hope for this discussion. 


Bonnie L. Harper-Lore
Restoration Ecologist
Office of Environment, HEPN-30
Federal Highway Administration
360 Jackson Street, Ste. 500
St. Paul, MN  55101
651-291-6104


-----Original Message-----
From: native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org [mailto:native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On Behalf Of Craig Dremann
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 6:46 PM
To: Lewis_Gorman at fws.gov
Cc: apwg at lists.plantconservation.org; native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org; native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org; rwg at lists.plantconservation.org
Subject: [PCA] Roadside refugia of Utah,273 more miles of the 1997 Megatransect

Dear Lew and All,

Thanks for your email.  

You wrote, 

"Now, how to design a national policy/program to deal with this?  Or is it on a state by state basis?  IN has received $350,000 to plant native grasses on their interstate highway, reducing cost and creating habitat.
Lew" 

==========================

One possible answer to your question---Federal funds for every State DOT, whenever the Federal Transportation bill is renewed, to start Iowa-type Native Roadside Vegetation "Ecotype Projects" in each of the 50 States. 
See http://www.uni.edu/ecotype/

Funds are needed to do at least four things:

1.) Map the remaining roadside native understory vegetation, 2.) Do genetic studies, to develop seed-transfer zones of the native roadside species within a State.
3.) Get local native "ecotype" seeds hand-harvested, and then commercially reproduced in bulk.

And probably most importantly... 

4.) Invent methods and equipment to get the native grasses/native plants successfully, rapidly and permanently established in a 99+% weed-free condition.

REGARDING THE MEGATRANSECT: I compiled the UTAH data of my 3,400 roadside vegetation Megatransect this afternoon (Hwy 21 to I-15 to I-70 to Colo. border, 8-24-97):

273 total miles through Utah ---

186 miles, no native grasses seen: (68%) --Ag fields = 41 (15%) --Canyons = 6 (2%) --Crested wheat sown within R/W = 27 (10%) --Cheatgrass present= 12 (4%) --Desert, no vegetation either native or weeds = 6 (2%) --Junipers, weed-free and native grass-free = 36 (13%)

87 miles with native grasses: (32%)
--Natives thin, infested with cheatgrass = 10 (3.6%) --Oryzopsis pristine = 10 (3.6%) --Oryzopsis thin or only in R/W = 37 (13.5%) --Stipa comata thin = 5 (1.8%) --Stipa pristine = 8 (2.9%)

So out of 273 miles, 18 miles are pristine, or about 6.5% of the total Utah Megatransect section, which is a higher percentage than Nevada's Megatransect (2.8%).  

Utah in 1997 had a lower percentage of Cheatgrass compared to Nevada (4% vs.8.3%); but nearly double the Crested Wheatgrass sown by the DOT in the R/W (10% Utah vs 5.8% NV).

The Utah stretch of the Megatransect, shows how cheatgrass was only able to get established where the native grasses are completely absent, or whenever the native grass cover was too thin, where there are empty spaces in the ecosystem for the weeds to get established.  

I call the cheatgrass a "default-weed", because it is there by default, only getting established when there has been damage to the native
ecosystem's perennial grass cover.   

Fortunately, if properly replanted, the local perennial native grass species easily crowd out the cheatgrass, as you can see in the pictures at http://www.ecoseeds.com/greatbasin.html --there's not a cheatgrass plant to be seen.

In science, that effect is called "allelopathy." (See the Journal of Chemical Ecology, for example, especially Dr. Liu's pioneering barley studies in 1994 and 1995). 

I personally know, after 35 years of Ecological Restoration studies, that allelopathy is an unopened treasure-trove--one of the most important future tools, that could help us convert millions of weedy acres back to solid local natives, including tens of thousands of miles of weed-infested roadsides--if there is a desire to do so.

Sincerely,  Craig Dremann (650) 325-7333

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