Education

Noxious Weeds in the Classroom!

Weeds are an interesting way to expose kids to the life sciences, mathematics, english, and even history. An activity that combines hands-on fieldwork with biology, creative writing, and mathematics might be something like this:

Introduce the concept of noxious weeds, discussing the effects of weeds on the environment, habitat, and land uses.

HABITAT DESTRUCTION — Noxious weeds are invaders that have few or no redeeming qualities. When Knapweeds become established in the mountains of Idaho, they displace the forbs and grasses used by elk and deer. Big game animals won’t eat these plants, and as they spread, their old stalks build up the available fuel load that leads to the hot, widespread fires that plague our forests.

THEY ATTACK OUR AGRICULTURE - Noxious weeds invade our fields and pastures. They can decrease yields, complicate harvesting operations, or they can contaminate our food and seeds. Our economic lively hood depends on our ability to keep these weeds under control, and out of our commodities.

POISONOUS PLANTS- Some noxious weeds have sap that can cause blindness, or severe rashes that leave permanent scaring. Poison hemlock can cause fatalities even in very small amounts, when eaten by livestock, or when mistaken by people for wild parsley or dill.

LOWER LAND VALUES- Some weeds are so difficult to remove, and interfere with expected and normal uses of the land that property values are adversely affected. Deep-rooted perennials are very difficult, and expensive to control.

INTERFERE WITH IRRIGATION, POWER GENERATION AND RECREATION - Eurasian Watermilfoil has the potential to plug intake pipes of power plants, canals, and factories. This plant can get so dense that boating is not possible in lakes it has invaded. Fish can be killed by the effect Eurasian Watermilfoil can have on the temperature, PH, and gas content of the water. Other plants like Purple Loosestrife can change the velocities of streams and ponds, adversely affecting the habitat of birds, fish and wildlife.

Kids eleven and older; Field Trips and Investigation!
Go to a weed filled site, such as an abandoned gravel pit, untended lots, or pastures and collect a few weed specimens. Kids can take notes about where weeds grow and why they might have infested the site. Are weeds just starting to move in, or have they taken over? Make a note of how high is the density of the plants, measured in plants per square meter. Try to guess how long the weeds have been growing at the site (approximately, by looking at the amount of vegetation from previous years), and any other pertinent information about the site or the type and amount of weeds at the site.

Have the kids try to identify the plants they have collected. They can use books such as Weeds of the West, published by Western Society of Weed Science and the Western United States Land Grant Universities, to identify the family, scientific name and common name of the plants they have found. Use a taxonomic key to explore the different plant structures that are used to classify plants into different families. Alternatively, Ada County Weed Control or the county cooperative extension agent can be called upon to assist, or to verify the results of the identification of the plants. Have the students discuss (written or oral) the implications of the land use or treatment that has led to the current level of infestation. Noxious weeds, by definition, produce large quantities of seeds, based on the most common weed in your survey area, how many weed seeds will be grown there in a year? This can be calculated by taking the average number of plants in a square meter, multiplied by the number of seeds per plant. You can use an average of seed production from research materials in the case of very small seeded weeds, or if seeds are not yet developed on your specimens. Estimate the number of weeds that could grow there if all the seeds germinated. If appropriate, estimate the number of square meters that could become infested with these seeds at different densities. This is a great way to introduce real world mathematics, some writing skills, self-guided research efforts, and higher reasoning to middle school students.

For younger kids, a simpler plan is in order. They can learn to collect samples, record measurements, and make observations about the environment in which weeds are found. Teaching kids how weeds grow, reproduce, and increase the area that they affect, all give kids a chance to use reasoning, math, and writing skills. Making predictions about what a weedy site will look like next year allows kids to use observation, and reasoning, to draw a conclusion. A coloring book is available in a printable form from the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.  The Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board,  This is an excellent site, and contains many other ideas for teacher curriculum aides.

Leafy spurge invading a hillside. photo by: William M. Ciesla Forest Health Management International www.invasive.org	Spiny yellow Star Thistle is no fun to walk through! These are needle sharp! Peggy Greb USDA ARS www.invasive.org	Dalmation Toadflax is not something deer and elk want to eat! Here it is invading prime habitat. Bob Nowierski. Montana St. University, www.invasives.org

Idaho Weed Awareness Campaign

Ada County Noxious Weed control is happy to help support the Idaho Weed Awareness Campaign. The Awareness campaign is making a big difference in noxious weed control by informing people that these invasive plants are a serious problem to all Idahoans. Since its inception, in January of 2002, the Weed Awareness campaign has collected or created a multitude of educational materials. These programs are aimed at several age groups and objectives related to noxious weed control. The materials they provide are the work of a great many individuals who want to protect our resources and our environment. The web-site also has links to the universities and government organizations working to control noxious weeds.

The Idaho Weed Awareness Campaign offers the following information and activities:

The Noxious Weeds Toolkit:

Contains materials intended for Elementary, Middle grades or High School/Adult information.

An assortment of Noxious Weed Damages posters. (produced by several government land managing organizations)

• The Growing Pains weed fact sheet. (produced by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)
• The Non Native Plant Control Guide (produced by the USDA)
• Idahos Noxious Weeds booklets. (produced by the University of Idaho)
• Idahos Strategic Plan for Managing Noxious Weeds. (produced by the Idaho State Dept of Agriculture)
• The fifth grade Aquatic Weeds coloring and activity workbook.

To reach the Idaho Weed Awareness Campaign, follow this link to their website.
www.idahoweedawareness.org