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Notorious Knotweed on the Skagit

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On Saturday August 3rd and small but dedicated contingent of folks from the Phillips 66 refinery in Ferndale rafted along the Skagit River. The group was hosted by the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group and the purpose of the trip was to learn about about the invasive knotweed species (Polygonum spp.) along the Skagit River.  This trip was made possible because SFEG received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, to which Phillips 66 had made a donation, with the caveat that it be used near one of their refineries. It just so happens that the nearest refinery to the Skagit is in Ferndale, just north of Bellingham.

At the beginning of this leisurely float down the river Philips 66 volunteers enjoyed the majestic scenery, while learning about how knotweed impacts the local ecosystem.

Knotweed is bad for in riparian areas because it impacts the local biota. Studies have shown that on streams with large knotweed infestation there are up to 40% fewer macro-invertebrates. These little water dwelling critters are the main food source for juvenile salmon;  fewer  bugs means fewer juvenile salmon. Large knotweed infestations also impact local vegetation. Knotweed grows in the understory and forms a monoculture, excluding native species that local fauna have evolved to depend on.  The patches are so dense that no light reaches the ground so nothing grows under a knotweed infestation. Typical stream side trees are alders and cottonwoods, which are relatively short lived. The problem is that once these alders and cottonwoods die of old age there is nothing but knotweed left. Knotweed does not provide the inputs to the stream that salmon depend on.  Typically you would have a second generation of trees particularly cedars that would thrive once the alders and cottonwoods die, but they are not able to survive in competition with knotweed.

It was initially hard to impress upon the Phillips 66 folks how knotweed was impacting the local system because we started the rafting trip at Sutter Creek (mile post 100 on highway 20).  This area has been under the scope of the Upper Skagit Knotweed Control Program since 2010 so there was no knotweed present. In fact SFEG has been controlling knotweed down to Rockport since 2010, so we saw no evidence of this pesky plant until we floated past Howard Miller Steelhead Park.  

Once we floated past the project boundary knotweed began to show up in force.  The Phillips 66 volunteers were furiously tapping points into the GPS so that SFEG could import those points onto a map in order to prioritize treatment in the coming years. Even though we were busy working hard there was still time to appreciate the qualities that make the Skagit a designated Wild and Scenic River.

Patience, Awareness, and Grit

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by WCC Crewmember Tessa Perler

Our Washington Conservation Corps crew has been fortunate this summer to work with Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group to survey the Sauk and Skagit riverside. We are in search of one insidious ecological tyrant: knotweed. Knotweed spreads primarily through fragmentation from disturbances due to human activity, storms or flooding, and through underground root systems known as rhizomes. Even just a small half-inch root fragment that detaches from the plant can result in a new colony. Pretty gross, right? Makes me sick. Knotweed shoots up stalks in the spring time as tall as twelve feet. In late July and August, the plant begins to channel its energy back downward into its roots so that it can regrow again next spring. It is most effective to treat knotweed at this time so that the herbicide can flow down the stalk and into its root system. We give it the spritz, mark the patch location on our GPS so it can be monitored next year, flag the location in a nearby tree, take a picture, and the survey continues.

Constant communication is integral to our knotweed surveys. In order to ensure that a section of a riverside has been checked for knotweed, we keep around twenty feet between each of us and move together in a horizontal line. We indicate a general direction to head in, briefly discuss the plan, line up, and the survey is on. The first survey of the season, I got completely lost. I felt like I was walking aimlessly in circles. Within a week I learned to use the sounds my crewmates make (often, boisterous bird calls) to orient myself and stay in an adequate position in the line. If someone is stuck in a log jam or held up in a patch of dubious devils club, we can walkie our crew and ask everyone to wait up.

I have found it important to cultivate patience, awareness, and grit. We have to watch each other’s backs, stay in communication, and keep each other safe. Bucking up the motivation to trudge through thick brush, rotten logs and fallen limbs is a challenge each day. Some days we have full sun exposure, steep slopes, swarms of mosquitoes, and the threat of a hidden wasp hive around every corner.  Yet, most days, I’ll happen upon a peaceful shady pond surrounded by lush mossy rocks and inhabited by dozens of precious tadpoles or baby fish. One day I unexpectedly encountered an expansive young grand fir grove in the middle of a forest near the Sauk River. I was in awe. I have found peace in taking in the small worlds within the woods that I otherwise wouldn’t get the opportunity to see.

It’s not really goodbye!

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Somehow, it is already July, and my Americorps term with SFEG is coming to an end. This last ten months has been a whirlwind of new experiences for me. As Community Outreach Associate I got to wear many hats and explore the inner workings of the non-profit and restoration world, and get a feel for the different paths I may want to take for the future. 

With SFEG I got to explore every corner of Skagit Valley from wading a raging winter creek in search of spawning salmon, to helping host a film festival in the historic Lincoln Theatre, to spending my summer Fridays on Deception Pass beaches. I got to do all this and more while meeting and interacting with Skagit community members from all walks of life.  Working with SFEG allowed me to take part in many various types of projects and work settings and solidify that conservation is the right field for me, and helped me narrow down the ideal role I would like to serve within this field.

I worked hard trying to instill in everyone a sense of pride in the salmon species with which we share a home, hoping that maybe that pride will manifest in actions that could help aid salmon recovery. I can’t speak for the community at large, but I know that what I have seen and learned about salmon and the Skagit has inspired in me a burning desire to protect the legacy of our salmon and river. 

So hopefully I’ll see you all around, out on the water or a trail, sharing the magic and passion we all feel here in Skagit.