February 25, 2016 | 3:30 PM
Goal: This session will provide land managers and others with an introduction to invasive annual grasses other than cheatgrass that may impact sagebrush communities.
Background: There are other invasive annual grasses that are invading cheatgrass dominated sagebrush communities. Ventenata and medusahead have been present in the US for decades but concern increased recently because they have shown potential to displace cheatgrass in sagebrush rangelands. Managers across the west are becoming increasingly concerned about these new invaders d has no forage or habitat value to wildlife or livestock.
Session Leads: Eric Thacker and Ken Mayer
Eric Thacker, Utah State University Range Extension Specialist, Wildland Resources Dept., 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5230; Phone: 435-797-7874; eric.thacker@usu.edu
Ken Mayer, WAFWA, P.O. Box 9891, Reno, NV 89507; Phone 775-626-6373; ken.e.mayer@gmail.com
Speakers Include:
Another annual grass, Ventenata dubia, expands into sage steppe with potential to reduce forage production and species diversity.
Dr. Tim Prather, Professor Department of Plant, Soils and Entomological Sciences, University of Idaho tprather@uidaho.edu
Tim is engaged in research and teaching on invasive plant biology, management and impacts as well as restoration with special attention to an endangered prairie, the Palouse Prairie.
Management of Medusahead in the Great Basin
Dr. Corey Ransom, Assistant Professor of Weed Science, Utah State University, Plants, Soils and Climate Dept., 4820 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-4820; corey.ransom@usu.edu
Corey's research program is to improve weed management approaches to improve agriculture economic viability and to protect natural areas in Utah and the Western U.S.
Grazing as a tool to control medusahead: Does it work?
Dr. Juan Villalba, Assistant Professor of Range Science, Utah State University, Wildland Resources Dept., 5230 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322-5230; juan.villalba@usu.edu
Dr. Juan J. Villalba is an Associate Professor in the Department of Wildland Resources, Quinney College of Natural Resources. His research focuses on understanding mechanisms influencing food selection and intake by herbivores, in order to create more efficient alternatives for managing animals and the landscapes they inhabit.