Day 2: Huerfano River Field Sites- East and West sides of I-25- October 6th, 12:30-4PM.

Hosts: Becky Maune, Tony Arnhold, Katy Fitzgerald, Jim Hriber, Rich Rhoades, Kelsey Ridennoure

East Side Field Site –Tony Arnhold & Katy Fitzgerald (& Becky Maune & Erik Skeie)

Huerfano River is a tribute to the Arkansas with headwaters by Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Near Pond

  • Becky Maune, landowner gives history of land
  • Purchased in 1970’s: river was wider, Russian Olive and Tamarisk were taking over, &
  • Irrigation pond was formerly a gravel pit mine
  • Treatment (2011-2013)
  • Mechanical thinning then spot spraying
  • Using EQUIP funds
  • Fecon Head followed by drum grinder
  • Depend on passive recruitment
  • Follow-up
  • Spot treatment and fall Foliar application to protect investment

Cottonwood Gallery

  • Hand treatment
  • Did not want to disturb Cottonwood gallery
  • Cut & spray stumps
  • Costly hand treatment: $1000/acre, hard on equipment
  • Some areal herbicide spraying outside of the Cottonwood gallery
  • Pilot ultimately dictates the effectiveness (variation)
  • Chemical takes 3 years to work
  • Follow-up is key
  • Recruitment in this stand is all secondary/passive
  • Post treatment slash
  • Difficult for cattle drivers
  • Difficult for eventual retreatment
  • Use a grinder if you will need to move through the area in the future

Riverbank area

  • About the area:
  • Well-defined channel with vegetated side banks
  • Perennial drainage, spring flooding, monsoon flooding
  • Treatment
  • Sprayed, Fecon Head to remove Tamarisk and Russian Olive
  • Flood regime has moved past treatment/slash
  • Next steps: active revegetation

Invasive Phreatophyte Control Program (IPCP) Erik Skeie- Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB)

  • $2 million available for Colorado projects, up to $300,000 per project
  • Need ≥ 5 years of monitoring
  • Can’t fund federal government, but can fund partners
  • November 13 = application due date
  • Tamarisk Coalition is offering application assistance

West Side Field Site –Rich Rhoades, Tony Arnhold, Kelsey Ridennoure, Jim Hriber

Site Overview

  • Landowner: Jim Hriber
  • Treatments supported by NRCS WHIP program

Treatment

  • Machinery: bulldozers, backhoes, excavators
  • In wet areas: used a dozer and a cable to pull out Russian Olive
  • Used Aerial spraying to treat resprouts
  • Broadcast seeding of native grasses (with limited success)
  • Used hydro axe to mix seed into soil
  • Burned the slash pilesgrasses slowly coming back into these sites
  • Cut-stump treatment
  • Follow by treating re-growth the next growing season to stay ahead of it
  • Habitat/Polaris herbicide

Research

  • Scott Nissen (CSU) did chemical trials with ARKWIPP
  • Reduces costs to pair with University-research ($250/acre to $80/acre)

Equipment Demo

  • Grass drill, double disc opener, multiple seed boxes
  • ATV Broadcast seeder
  • Nail & hose clamp: common modification to improve the agitator

Willow Planting Demonstration

  • Cut whips(smaller)/poles(larger) in the spring before they break dormancy
  • Soak for 2 weeks-1 month until the root buds (soak in the same water they will be planted in)
  • Cut the stem at an angle
  • Plant whips or pole bundles
  • Chose poles/whips with slick bark (rough bark not as effective in transplant)
  • Can plant vertical or horizontal
  • Be sure to hit the water table to know planting depth
  • Bundling willows created inner burm and can be used to stabilize and create intentional channel dynamics