Every year, the Skagit Fisheries Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) crew jumps into the Sauk River as part of the Upper Skagit Knotweed Program to prevent the spread of knotweed in the Upper Skagit watershed. This could be quite literally on the off-time during our multi-day rafting trip, or to cool off after a scorching Skagit summer day. Most often though, this refers to actively working to eradicate knotweed around the river. Knotweed is a particularly nasty invasive plant species that is known to choke out neighboring plant species, inhibiting them from thriving and providing riparian benefits to their ecosystems. Skagit Fisheries is concerned with controlling knotweed as it harms habitat that is crucial for salmon, both by limiting space and nutrients available for helpful native plants and contributing to bank erosion along streams and rivers.

Prior to heading out for a day of work in the field, the crew packs up all necessary personal, surveying, and herbicide gear to go out for the day. On our trips, we would carry these packs of personal equipment, surveying equipment, and herbicide gear on a hike to our desired survey areas, where we would then spread out perpendicular to the river to survey the floodplain. 

Contents of a knotweed warrior’s backpack

Surveying areas that receive inundation regularly are important as knotweed is primarily spread through breakage, as pieces as little as a quarter inch of the stem can break from the plant, travel in water, be deposited, and then root to create a new plant. Armed with multiple methods of data collection (journals, iPads, GPS, maps, and cameras) each knotweed patch, when located by the crew in a spread out survey line, is given a unique identifier and documented in multiple ways. Data such as these unique identifiers, the number of stems on the plant, the general patch area, herbicide amounts applied and their formulation, and its newly identified location are documented. The crew uses GPS to record the location of the patch, as well. It is then marked with blue and white striped flagging labeled with the unique identifier which helps with locating and figuring which point it is from for continued monitoring in future years. Knotweed has been known to resprout sometimes after 9 years of appearing dormant or dead. Herbicide is applied with the hopes of killing the plant before continuing the surveying line. Should someone encounter the surveying crew, they may hear ‘Marco’ or ‘Polo’ calls to help with triangulating members and maintaining the survey spread, or very clear ‘knotweed’ or ‘flag’ as communications for points that need a pause and special attention, documentation, or additional resources. More specific information is relayed on radios.

Through this exhausting work, on hot days, and extremely uneven terrain, stress can be high at times and can be uncomfortable either due to heat or encounters with unfriendly stinging insects. As such, the crew maintains open communication and first aid supplies and utilizes the river, as needed, to dunk clothing to stay cool, or to cool a sting. It is through these challenges that memories are formed, and the crew learns to appreciate the uniquely intimate relationship that they have and are developing with the Sauk River, where most of the season is spent. 

Our season of knotweed conquering includes a four-day rafting trip down the river to get to less/non-accessible patches of the invasive plant. This provides a special opportunity to see the river sequentially and completely, but also an incredible opportunity to see just how dynamic the Upper Sauk is! Often this includes experiences like seeing swathes of forest just decimated within a year as the river decided to change course, and leaving the old channel dry, or nearly dry, and bare. Within a few years, it starts getting brushy with young vegetation growing in. This land will then mature, in time to become forested floodplains. Seeing the diversity and natural succession of the area truly is a demonstration of how dynamic the river is. It isn’t just that, as these changes force the knotweed program and surveying crew to become dynamic and adjust to the conditions. Through the experiences and meeting these challenges and demands, Skagit Fisheries’ knotweed program creates a positive impact not only on the immediate area, but on everything downstream in the system, including the program’s participants as they carry on the knowledge, lessons, and memories learned from working in the field.