Weed warriors chase Lake Chelan invader

CHELAN — Shoulder to shoulder, step by step, their weapons clutched in their hands, Dave Coffey and his crew are waging a battle in the national forest.

They set out under sunny blue skies Tuesday from the Lakeshore Trail, about 45 miles up Lake Chelan, in search of their target.

They got just a few steps before one of them dropped to his knees and began searching through the tall grass. He was quickly joined by others, forming a tight circle, their yellow hard hats nearly touching.

Before long, they were plunging their weed tools into the ground, pulling up tiny, two-leafed plants. The delicate-looking plants were pulled up roots and all, then dumped into plastic bags hanging from crew members belts. Then the crew was back on its feet and heading out in a line in search of more.

This is the crupina crew. It’s a band of weed warriors searching a square-mile section of the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest each spring for one of the most reviled weeds found in Washington.

Crupina vulgaris, or common crupina, is a Class A noxious weed in Washington. State law requires that all efforts be taken to rid the state of them.

A quarantine bans the introduction of the plant into the state. It is also on the federal government’s list of the worst weeds.

The only place it is found in Washington is scattered across 600 acres of remote national forest and private land along the north shore of Lake Chelan.

The area is accessible only by boat or hiking, and is a couple of days walk from Stehekin, the nearest community. The plant was first discovered here in 1988 by a backpacker.

State weed officials were so worried about a potential infestation that crews were sent to pull the weeds each spring before they went to seed. But the hardy annual, a native of southern Europe, persisted.

It is among the first to sprout in the spring and can take over vast areas, choking out all other vegetation. It steals the spring moisture from other plants, said Brigitte Ranne, a botanist for the Lake Chelan Ranger District who oversees the eradication program.

Crupina infestations have devastated grazing areas in Idaho and decreased private property values in Montana. According to the Federal Highway Administration, which tackles weed problems along highways, crupina has already caused more than $19 million in grazing losses.

“There is potential for major economic impact if it spreads around the state,” Ranne said. So far, it appears to have stayed put. Ranne said it is not in danger of spreading by itself beyond the 600 acres where it is now found.

Since the plant likes open, grassy areas, it is hemmed in by forests and rocky outcroppings. But Ranne said the fear is that seeds will be spread by hikers. So signs ask hikers not to leave the Lakeshore Trail and hike cross country in areas where the weeds grow.

Ranne said experts are unsure how the plant got to the lake’s north shore in the first place. It may have been carried in by a hiker or by sheep.

The weed is typically found in sheep-grazing areas. She said the plant is thought to have been carried to the U.S. by a sheepherder in the late 1960s, when it was found growing in Idaho.

The Forest Service stepped up its efforts to fight the weed after the 2001 Rex Creek Fire on the north shore of Lake Chelan, which stimulated the plants’ growth.

“We went up there the next spring and in a lot of places there was just black ground and little crupina seedlings,” Ranne said. “It loves fire.”

That’s when the Forest Service began contracting with the Washington Conservation Corps, a division of the state Department of Ecology, in an effort to pull every plant.

Coffey led the first WCC crew there in the spring of 2002. He’s been back every year since. Taking a break along the trail, looking out of Lake Chelan and snow-capped peaks, Coffey said, “This is God’s country.”

He said the first year he came, “I just knew I was coming to pull weeds.” The scenery and crew camaraderie keep him coming back.

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest now spends about $200,000 a year on this four-week effort. Much of the money comes from grants. Ranne said they are making some progress.

When they first started the WCC effort eight years ago, they pulled 900 pounds of weeds. In the last couple of years, that’s been closer to 150 to 200 pounds.

Tuesday, she walked through areas once infested and couldn’t find a single plant. But much work remains, she said. “If we miss one plant, next year it could be 25,” she said.

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