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A little background information
Invasive Weed Control On
Annette Island, Alaska Metlakatla is the only community
on Annette Island with 1493 residents as of our last census.
Metlakatla Indian Community is the Governing Body of Annette Island, it is the only Federal Reserve in the State of Alaska, as such, we have a unique opportunity to control weeds and other invasive species in our community.
In 2003 we first became aware of invasive plants and in 2005 Council approved Res. 05-43 supporting work on 7 species of concern. This was reinforced by another Resolution 09-36 restating our commitment to invasive weed prevention and control.
Since that time we have had an active weed control and prevention program.
It is the southern most community in Southeast Alaska, 6 hours by Ferry from Prince Rupert B.C., and two and a half hours from Seattle by commercial jet.
As an island community we have limited entry vectors for weeds and other invasive species.
Materials and products are shipped to our island community by float plane, passenger vehicle, personal and commercial fishing vessels or the barge system. There is limited road access.
These factors provide for a unique opportunity in the prevention and control of invasive species as we are able to control entry of these problems into or onto the island.
• Weeds and invasive species of all taxahave the potential to negatively impact the subsistence lifestyle that is integral to survival in Southeast Alaska.
Invasive weeds do out compete important subsistence foods such as –Salmonberries, Thimbleberries, Huckleberries and Laughing Berry.
Toxic weeds pose a risk to humans and animal populations alike, of local concern is the Sitka Blacktail Deer population which are impacted by weeds outcompeting native food sources.
Image by “humanhabitatrestoration.com”
The potential negative impact on our vital fishing industry is a major concern.
Studies have been conducted in Washington to determine how weed leaf debris changes the available diet for insects, the primary food source of salmon.
This is in addition to the threat of erosion and degradation of stream beds caused by the physical presence of weeds and weedy debris.
Gillnetting for Salmon
Our Fishing Industry
Spot Prawns harvested for personal use.
The Fish and Wildlife Department is working to establish an Early Detection and Reporting System for marine invaders such as Atlantic Salmon, European Green Crab, Tunicates, seaweeds and other threats that could be introduced to our island ecosystem.
Gillnet fishery for herring
The result will be an informed and aware fishing fleet able to communicate the presence of suspected invasive species in and around the island.
The following weeds exist on Annette Island and are undergoing treatment using manual control.
Japanese Knotweed (polygonum cuspidatum)
Himalayan Knotweed (polygonum polystichyum)
Canada Thistle (cirsiumarvense)
Bull Thistle (cirsium vulgare) Sow Thistle (sonchus arvensis
and S. oleraceus) Orange Hawkweed (hieracium
aurantiacum) Tansy Ragwort (senecio
jacobaea)
Other Invasive Species
We are aware of the presence of Botrillyd Tunicates in our waters as well as the occasional Atlantic Salmon. We are on the watch for other types of invasive species, such as marine, insects, birds and more, in addition to the wide variety of invasive plants that are potential invaders.
Image by Gary Freitag
Historically, berries are harvested each summer by young and old alike.
Salmon, Halibut, Herring, Shrimp and Crab as well as clams, cockles and other beach edibles are harvested both commercially and for personal use.
Other medicinally or culturally important plants include Devils Club, Maidenhair Fern, Labrador tea and Fireweed and others whose habitats are at risk.
We have a systematic manual removal program for our target species that takes place every summer.
The Fish and Wildlife Dept. communicates with the fishing fleet to report any unusual catches or sightings during the course of the fishing season as well as sport fishing year round.
Routine surveys of the road system within city limits and in all outlying areas help us to keep track of known infestations and to catch any new invaders swiftly.
Subsistence Factors VS Measures we are taking to protect subsistence sources.
Image from “tinathetechwriter.blogspot.com”
Image from “calfloranursery.com”
My youngest son with a small Dungeness Crab
Out of respect for our cultural values and the harvesting of subsistence foods we are focusing on manual control methods only.
This is much more labor intensive and it takes a longer time to control any given weed.
However, it is effective. We have had excellent success in controlling Bull Thistle, Tansy Ragwort, Japanese Knotweed and Sow Thistle using manual only control.
The most beneficial side effect of hiring local labor to conduct weed pulls is that the employees walk away with a strong sense of stewardship! They now have an eye trained to be on the watch for invasive species.
In addition, we make use of opportunities to use volunteers, especially the youth in weed pull activities.
Each year in Alaska since 2006, the Governor has declared the last week in June to be Alaska Invasive Weeds Awareness Week.
We use this as an opportunity to engage the youth in a hands-on project, pulling weeds and learning about why they should care. They are especially passionate about the potential negative effect on the berry bushes as this affects their everyday lives.
They are taught how to report invasive weeds to us so that they can be properly disposed of.
We are appreciative of the cooperation of the Boys and Girls Club of Metlakatla for their wholehearted support of this program, providing a place to reach the youth and to have some fun doing it.
Other Outreach Projects we participate in•We attend the local health fair, answer questions and hand out pamphlets on invasive species of all kinds. We post signs and material whenever appropriate to help spread the word.•We act as mentors to the Seniors at the High School on the topic of invasive species each year.•We submit an annual report to the Mayor, Executives and Council on the work we have accomplished and yet plan to do.
We monitor the entry vectors that bring these invaders in. The Ferry Terminal can bring invaders from nearby Ketchikan and all the way from B.C. road system via AK Marine Hwy.
The Barge system, Fuel Barge Site, Airport, Breakwaters and roads are surveyed regularly.
In addition, we have the power to make and enforce local ordinances to prevent the importation of invasive materials, plants or animals.
We are considering enforcing all vehicles coming onto the island to undergo an undercarriage wash to prevent accidental weed seed introduction.
The small size of our community allows us to communicate with our local garden supplier and keep them as team players in avoiding the importation of known or potential invasive plants.
We arm the public and vendors with knowledge to prevent unintentionally bringing in invasive plants
A key to our prevention and control program is our annual island wide survey of the road system. This has been conducted systematically since 2006.
We share the results with our partners in this effort, the BIA, MIC and the public.
We are working hard to develop a Cooperative Weed Management Area in our community
This will help us to overcome the challenges of boundaries whether private lands, public, federal or others to work on weeds together, as we all know, weeds and other invasive species know no borders.
As a Tribal Community we can protect our Natural Resources. We will collaborate with other Tribes to see what works for them. We will continue to educate ourselves about known and potential invasive species and to participate in discussions with invasive species specialists in Alaska and the rest of the United States and Canada.
It is our goal to be leaders for others in how to take action against invasive species. We are optimistic about our efforts and the benefits we will see from working hard to prevent new infestations while controlling existing ones.We look forward to the future generations learning from our example and caring for our lands and resources.
We deeply treasure our beautiful island, as a community we are committed to protecting our home from further harm from invasive species. We are taking active measures to survey for new invaders, assess the impacts of existing invasive species, remove as many invaders as possible and build a proactive community who are partners in reporting and control work. We all have a role to play in protecting our vital natural resources from invasive species.
In Conclusion
Lauren Urgenson, University of Washington, College of Forest Resources, UW Botanic Gardens, S6. Ecological consequences of giant knotweed (Polygonum sachalinense) invasion into Pacific Northwest riparian forests. Lauren Urgenson and Sarah Reichard. University of Washington, College of Forest Resources, UW Botanic Gardens, Box 354115, Seattle, WA 98195-4115. [email protected]
http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/invasive-knotweeds.aspx
http://your.kingcounty.gov/dnrp/library/water-and-land/weeds/Brochures/himalayan_knotweed.pdf
Non-herbicidal treatments of Japanese and Himalayan knotweed on the Queen Charlotte Islands, BC.Mike Cheney, Northwest Invasive Plant Council, Box 556, Masset, BC V0T 1M0, Canada [email protected]
The Nature Conservancy’s Sandy River watershed knotweed control program: lessons from six years of landscape scale control. Jonathan Soll, Willamette Basin Conservation Director, The Nature Conservancy, 821 Se 14th Ave, Portland, OR 97214 [email protected]
Linda R. Shaw, NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service- 2010 Finding of Didemnum vexillum in Sitka
Tunicate: Northward spread, diversity, source, and impact of non-native tunicates in Alaska: Establishing a monitoring and education network PIs Sarah Cohen, Greg Ruiz Associated key personnel: Dr. Chela Zabin, Karen Alroy, Verena Wang Final Report Submitted to: National Sea Grant Program & Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’
Advisory Council September 2008 For more information on Botryllid tunicate in Southeast Alaska, contact Gary Freitag
All photos by Genelle Winter unless otherwise noted
Who we are and how to reach us
Genelle Winter Landscape and Maintenance DirectorMetlakatla Indian Community, Box 8 Metlakatla, AK [email protected]
Thank you
