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Welcome to the second issue of State of Invasives—the quarterly enewsletter of the Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP). Thank you for subscribing.

Summer is upon us, and significant portions of the state are experiencing abnormal to severe drought conditions. Many plants undergo "reprogramming" during dry spells, which means that herbicide applied to invasive plant foliage may not be spread through plant tissues as effectively as in non-drought conditions. While foliage spray can still be effective in droughts, several applications may be necessary. Cut stump treatment, however, is an alternative for many woody species. Dry, hard ground makes pulling plants in small areas difficult or impossible. Spot-treating with herbicide, or cutting and disposing of flowers or seed heads before seeds shatter, will reduce future infestations via seed. Scroll below for ID and treatment information for several species to treat in summer. And, if you missed it in May, you can watch a recording of a webinar presented by MoIP Council Member Valarie Kurre on invasive plant ID and control here.

Many thanks to all who submitted nominations for MoIP's 2023 Invasive Plant Action Awards. The MoIP Awards Committee is in the process of selecting awardees, with award recipients to be announced later this summer.

We hope you find the information in this issue useful:

—MoDOT launches statewide invasive plant control

—MoIP Receives $100,000 Richard King Mellon Foundation Grant

—MoIP at Missouri State Fair, Missouri Municipal League Conference, and Missouri Association of Counties Conference in 2023

—MoIP’s Cease-the-Sale Idea: Survey Results in Process

—Missourians Making a Difference: Interview with Angela Sokolowski

—Invasives to treat in summer: sericea lespedeza, spotted knapweed, burning bush, and Johnson grass

Thank you for your interest in taking action to control invasive plants!

Carol Davit, MoIP Chair

Matt Arndt, MoIP Vice Chair

Pictured above are several members of the MoIP Council and of the MoDOT Southeast District Strike Team at the July 18, 2023 MoIP Council meeting, hosted by Hamilton's Native Outpost near Houston, Missouri. Photo by Hamilton's Native Outpost.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT), Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and Missouri Prairie Foundation (MPF) have joined forces to control invasive plants along the state roadways overseen by MoDOT.

“This partnership is important as some of the treated acres on MoDOT right of way are located adjacent to land managed by MDC, MPF, and many citizens, businesses, and communities across Missouri,” said Natalie Roark, MoDOT state maintenance director. “Gaining control of invasive species benefits both departments, MPF, and the entire state.”

Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) spraying units have been a part of MoDOT’s herbicide application operations in some test regions in recent years. This spring, MoDOT is taking the new UTV spraying operation statewide to strategically target specific harmful vegetation while limiting collateral impact to desirable roadside vegetation. The new partnership includes funding, training, and shared resources between the three organizations to support MoDOT’s crews applying the treatments.

Support vehicles will be working behind the UTVs to provide materials and a water

source as well as back-up safety to the spraying crews. Typically, spraying operations should have little impact on traffic flow on state roadways as the work is done from the shoulder and side slopes of the roadside. Motorists are urged to use caution and slow down if they see an invasive species spraying operation at work.

If citizens have concerns, questions, or comments about invasive plants along MoDOT rights of way, they can call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1 (888) 275-6636) or use the online form at https://www.modot.org/contact-us.

Photo of one of 18 trailers being used statewide to transport equipment for the targeted invasive plant control efforts launched this year. Photo by Julie Norris.

In May, the Missouri Prairie Foundation, which administers MoIP, received a $100,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to increase invasive plant education and outreach, to conduct invasive plant surveys in the Ozark Highlands and southeastern Missouri, and to support MoIP project coordination, through October 2024. The overall goals of the grant project are to increase knowledge of invasive plants in key areas of the state, inspire and measure invasive plant action by citizens, and ensure effective MoIP Council activity and governance.

Some of the many increased outreach efforts the grant will support are increased distribution of MoIP materials, trainings for citizens and professionals on invasive plant ID and control, use of EDDMAPs, video productions on controlling invasives, and a presence at various conferences/tradeshows to reach municipal professionals, planners, and other new audiences.

Previous to the award, the sole funding for MoIP, used to cover expenses for contract coordination, was provided by the Missouri Prairie Foundation's Grow Native! budget. MoIP is extremely grateful to the Richard King Mellon Foundation for this funding.

As in past years, MoIP will have a presence at Invasive Species Day at the Missouri State Fair, this year on August 11. Stop by and say hello at our booth, where we will share information on invasive plant ID and control as well as resources for landscaping with native plants.

In an effort to reach new audiences and develop collaborations with Missouri communities, MoIP will exhibit at the Missouri Municipal League Conference September 10-13, 2023 in Kansas City and at the Missouri Association of Counties Conference November 18-21 in Osage Beach. At both events, MoIP will reach hundreds of professionals working for municipalities and counties statewide, emphasizing the urgent need for early detection and control of invasive plants, with resources to share with them.

In 2022, Missouri Prairie Foundation Board Member Jane Haslag, in blue, volunteered at the State Fair, sharing invasive and native plant information with fairgoers, along with MPF Board President David Young. Photo by David Young.

To help prevent further invasive plant challenges on the landscape, MoIP has put forth the idea of ceasing the sale of some invasive plants via state legislation that would ban their sale, propagation, and intentional distribution.

In late 2020 and early 2021, MoIP invited input on this idea from more than 90 groups in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, and conservation, and from the input received—from 23 of those 90+ groups—MoIP developed a list of plant species for which there was strong organizational support for ceasing their sale, a list for which there was strong organizational opposition for ceasing their sale, and a third list needing additional input.

In April, MoIP invited members of the 90+ groups, as well as any member of the public, to provide input on this third list. A total of 84 people responded by the extended deadline of June 15. These individuals learned about the opportunity to provide input through conservation, horticulture, agriculture, and other groups and self-identified as horticulturists, farmers, biologists, citizens, outdoors people, planners, and others. MoIP Vice Chair Matt Arndt is in the process of analyzing survey data received. Watch for final results in the fall issue of State of Invasives and at the

MoIP Cease the Sale webpage.

Throughout Missouri there are many individuals making significant progress in the early detection and control of invasive plants. MoIP is pleased to highlight their work! 

Angela Sokolowski, Invasive Species Coordinator, Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), and MoIP Council member, took time out of her busy schedule to describe her work. Enjoy!

—Carol Davit, MoIP Chair

How long have you been in this position with MDC? What is your professional background?

I started in this position in May 2022. My background is primarily in terrestrial plants, including botanical surveys, invasive plant control, and wildland/prescribed fire. I have a B.S. degree in Animal Ecology from Iowa State University. During college I worked at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa, where I carried out native plant propagation, invasive plant control, and prescribed fire on reconstructed prairie. After college, I enjoyed working all over the country for several years as a seasonal employee with the National Park Service. I worked summers on fire effects crews, monitoring native vegetation in prescribed burn units, and winters on the Lake Mead Exotic Plant Management Team, serving National Parks in the Desert Southwest. I came to Missouri in 2009 to work at Ozark National Scenic Riverways as part of the Fire Effects Crew. Most recently, I worked for several years on the Mark Twain National Forest as the Zone 3 Plant Specialist, focused on invasive plant management planning and implementation. 

Please give us a summary of the invasive species work you coordinate for MDC.

My position involves state-wide coordination for all invasive species: terrestrial and aquatic plants, animals, and insects. My coordination work is at the broader organizational level, focusing on strategies, connections, and information sharing, while the operational day-to-day invasive species management activities are coordinated by MDC staff at the regional and district levels. My work includes providing guidance on invasives-related strategy and policy within MDC, coordinating with our species and habitat specialists, working with partnerships, and assisting with communication staff within the agency and for the public. 

How is MDC managing invasive species on its lands?

MDC’s land managers are managing invasives across the state using a variety of tools, techniques, and approaches. Our regional resources staff and technicians treat invasives mechanically and chemically in a wide variety of habitat types across our conservation areas. For some projects, our managers have contracted specialized equipment including aquatic vegetation harvesters, as well as helicopters and drones for aerial spraying of bush honeysuckle. We employ several specialized crews including the Central Region’s Invasive Plant Crew, which treats terrestrial plants in conservation areas, and the Southwest Region’s Hydrilla Crew is dedicated to surveying and treating infestations of the aquatic invasive plant hydrilla in public and private water bodies. 

Read more

Not all invasive plants are most effectively treated at the same time of year. Here, we highlight several species to treat in summer. You can find treatment guidelines for many invasive plants at moinvasives.org. Note: Treatment methods may differ considerably if invasives are found in otherwise intact, highly biologically diverse areas or in disturbed areas/altered landscapes, and if invasives are found in or near water. When using chemicals to treat invasives, always read label instructions. In addition to the resources linked below, you may also find this table of invasive plant treatment methods for grasslands, from the Missouri Prairie Foundation, helpful.

State of Invasives aims to:

• Provide useful information to you/the leaders of your organization, agency, or business to help you recognize and control invasive plants and reduce their negative impacts, introduce you to our work, explain the challenges of invasive plants, and make the case for bold action and how this will benefit Missouri and Missourians. 

• Share talking points that you can use when communicating about invasive plant detection and control within your agency, business, or organization, and to your customers or stakeholders. 

• Empower you and your audiences to recognize invasive plants and take action—around your office building, behind your parking lot, on your back 40, right of way, back yard, around your crop field, or on any other land you or your group owns or manages.

We hope the information in this enewsletter is helpful, and we’d like to hear from you. What questions or ideas do you have? Would you like to share the invasive plant action you or your organization or business are taking with us? If so, contact us at [email protected].