weeds

• houndstongue_02.jpg

  Houndstongue. Photo courtesy Missoula County Weed District and MSU Extension Office.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/houndstongue_02.jpg

• bull_thistle_04.jpg

  Bull Thistle. Photo courtesy Invasive.org.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/bull_thistle_04.jpg

• canada_thistle_04.jpg

  Canada Thistle. Photo Courtesy Colorado State University Extension.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/canada_thistle_04.jpg

• dalmatian_toadflax_09.jpg

  Dalmation Toadflax. Photo courtesy Abundant Adventures.com.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/dalmatian_toadflax_09.jpg

• houndstongue_05.jpg

  Houndstongue. Photo courtesy Colorado Wildflowers.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/houndstongue_05.jpg

• leafy_spurge_11.jpg

  Leafy Spurge. Photo courtesy Colorado Wildflowers.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/leafy_spurge_11.jpg

• oxeye_daisy_06.jpg

  Oxeye Daisy. Photo courtesy Wallpaperpimper.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/oxeye_daisy_06.jpg

• spotted_knapweed_07.jpg

  Spotted Knapweed. Photo courtesy Montana Weed Control Assocaition.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/spotted_knapweed_07.jpg

• wooly_mullein_01.jpg

  Wooly Mullein. Photo courtesy Crooked River Weed Management Area, Oregon.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/wooly_mullein_01.jpg

• yellow_toadflax_01.jpg

  Yellow Toadflax. Photo courtesy Montana Weed Control Association.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/yellow_toadflax_01.jpg

• yellow_toadflax_02.jpg

  Yellow Toadflax. Photo courtesy Colorado Wildflowers.

  http://www.abwilderness.org/images/stories/weeds/yellow_toadflax_02.jpg

All visitors to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness can prevent the spread of weeds.

Use mulch and forage products (such as hay, cubes, pellets, grain concentrates, or straw) that are free of noxious weed seeds.  Following are programs that provide standards for certified noxious weed seed free forage and mulch.

• North American Weed Management Association (NAWMA) Weed Seed Free Forage
• Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) Noxious Weed Free Forage and Straw Certification Program
• Montana Noxious Weed Seed Free Forage (NWSFF) Program
• University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Weed Free Forage/Hay List

You can also adopt the following practices [courtesy Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee]:

• Learn how to identify noxious weeds that may be in or near your favorite Wilderness areas.
• Check for weed seeds that may be attached to your camping gear and clothing, especially socks and hiking boot tread, and even the family dog!
• Place seeds in a plastic bag and dispose in a trash can.
• Examine your mountain bike tires and chain, or your ATV/ORV tires and undercarriage for weed seeds and plant parts.
• Boaters and kayakers can easily spread noxious weeds from river to river if failing to take proper precautions such as washing boats between trips.
• Noxious weeds can become more easily established on sites where vegetation is trampled or burned so please stay on designated trails.

Volunteer for the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Foundation. A multi-year, multi-location project to treat and monitor invasive plant species started in the summer of 2011.