MAPPING WEEDS ON ANCESTRAL LANDS: A COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROGRAM ENGAGING NAVAJO AND HOPI YOUNG ADULTS

Transcription

1 MAPPING WEEDS ON ANCESTRAL LANDS: A COLLABORATIVE PILOT PROGRAM ENGAGING NAVAJO AND HOPI YOUNG ADULTS Natalie Pyrooz June 28, 2016 Presented at the 13 th Biennial Conference of Science and Management on the Colorado Plateau and Southwest Region

2 Mission: To empower individuals to positively impact their lives, their communities and their environment.

3 Southwest Conservation Corps: Ancestral Lands Program Began in 2008 Served 118 youth in 2015, and projected to serve 150 youth in 2016 Projects include: Traditional farm program Hiking Club (Acoma) Invasive species management Historic preservation Fencing Trail maintenance/construction Tree planting and seedling Roving + Place Based Crews

4 Navajo BIA Needs: Weeds Mapping 10,698,258 acres 9796 grazing permits (2010) Most recent data on invasive species from 2009 Southwest Biological Science Center, USGS Broader scale Wants: Treatments effective? Early detection Finer scale Lack of resources/personnel/funding

5 Social Benefits to the Navajo Nation (Photo: Wolfgang Staudt/flickr/cc)

6 Project Scope: 3 Project Areas - Western Navajo Agency District 5 - Navajo Partitioned Lands (within Chinle Agency) - Kinlichee Chapter (within Ft. Defiance) 50 Targeted Species Roadsides/rights of way, stream corridors, rangelands

7 Methods Recruitment: local youth Training: Basic botany/plant ID Field ID of target species Use of tablets, basic GIS editing Attributes collected: % cover area phenology Acroptilon repens Common name: Russian knapweed Family: Asteraceae Life Cycle: Perennial Flowering Period: Late spring to early summer Description: Shoots are erect, branched and are typically 1 to 3 feet tall when mature. Leaves on the lower portion of the stem are 2 to 4 inches long and deeply lobed, while upper leaves are smaller and less lobed with smooth margins. Dense grey hairs cover the surface of both shoots and leaves. Flower heads occur on shoot tips, and are urn-shaped, generally 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter with smooth papery bracts. Flower color can range from pink to lavender or white. Seeds are covered with many fine hairs and have a pappus on the apex. Roots grow vertically and horizontally in the soil and have a brown to black scaly appearance, especially near the soil surface. These black roots can be used to distinguish Russian knapweed from other closely related highly invasive knapweeds.

8 Methods: Materials Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Garmin GLO GPS receiver MapItFast app ArcGIS Collector ArcGIS

9 Results Total Species Detected (24) Total Area Surveyed Acroptilon repens Bassia scoparia Bromus japonicus Bromus rubens Bromus tectorum Carduus nutans Centaurea diffusa Cirsium arvense Cirsium vulgare Convolvulus arvensis Elaeagnus angustifolia Erodium cicutarium Grindelia squarrosa Halogeton glomeratus Linaria dalmatica Marrubium vulgare Onopordum acanthium Salsola kali Solanum elaeagnifolium Tamarix spp. Tribulus terrestris Ulmus pumila Unknown Xanthium strumarium miles (roadsides and washes) acres (rangelands)

10

11 Acroptilon repens Bassia scoparia Bromus japonicus Bromus rubens Bromus tectorum Carduus nutans Centaurea diffusa Cirsium arvense Cirsium vulgare Convolvulus arvensis Elaeagnus angustifolia Erodium cicutarium Grindelia squarrosa Halogeton glomeratus Marrubium vulgare Onopordum acanthium Salsola kali Solanum elaeagnifolium Tamarix spp. Tribulus terrestris Ulmus pumila Xanthium strumarium Total Infestations and Acres Mapped per Species, Navajo Partitioned Lands Acres # of Infestations

12 Total Infestations and Acres Mapped per Species, Kinlichee Chapter Bromus tectorum Carduus nutans Cirsium vulgare Convolvulus arvensis Elaeagnus angustifolia 1 Onopordum acanthium Salsola kali Tamarix spp. 0 Acres # of Infestations

13 What did you most enjoy: Looking at these different kinds of invasive species. Getting to know how these plants look like in different times of the season. The botany training, identifying plant species. Using technology, survey methods. Traveling and seeing different landscapes. Camping and being outside. Just to know the plants where I live on the Rez. And what harm they do to livestock. And talking to people in Navajo was tough but they know the plants that get their livestock sick and I m glad to tell them the names of the plants in Navajo.

14 How did your experience help you to grow? To learn how to get through technical difficulties... This project brought peace within myself and to encourage other such as youth, friends, and family, about my travels and line of work. This helped to let people know what grows the land is most important to the Navajo and whats growing on their lands. So speaking Navajo is important to know. With the program it helped me grow a lot in my technical capabilities how to gather information and edit if needed. I feel I grew from new knowledge and I ve gained experience.

15 Lessons Learned: Places to Improve Emphasis on accuracy/precision; discussion of those words Improve attention to detail

16 Lessons Learned: Places to Improve Emphasis on % cover estimates, calibration between crews Streamline data management Improve QC process Internet accessibility difficult: changed service providers Distance: Difficulty with offices/work spread out all over Recruitment: consider targeting youth that will benefit more/have more experience

17 Lessons Learned: What worked well Having one crew train another, supported by tech coordinator Training weeks covered the gamut of skills required Botanist (NAU) in field to introduce field ID of plants Plenty of face-time in field to answer questions Giving them freedom to work things out on their own Focusing on 1-2 problem areas at a time to help them improve their work Introducing them to ArcGIS during the field season so that they can learn QC procedures, improve data collection techniques Both apps used (mapitfast, collector) were easily picked up by field crews 8-day hitches maximize time in field when there is significant travel time; non-camping crews efficiency is also high due to going home at night, less field prep, when travel time close

18 Moving forward Special thanks to the Navajo BIA personnel and to Americorps for funding these opportunities to young adults, and to the participants for their hard work all season.