October 25, 2004
Hart Prairie-Fern Mountain Weeding
The Nature Conservancy held both a major work day and Open House on the 17th of October. Master Naturalist(03) Ron Bauman, working for TNC this summer, organized the work project list and all Nature Conservancy work parties "below 8000 ft". Master Naturalist(03) Scott Harger led the NAU Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) crew and the Shonto Prep High School crew in a weed assault above 8000ft.
Students(of Environmental Science)and staff travelled from Shonto Prep on the Navajo Nation south of Page to join students and staff of NAU's ITEP/EEOP (Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals/Environmental Education Outreach Program) for a targeted weed assault on Fern Mountain. This project, part of the TNC work day program, was coordinated by TNC staff with the Coconino Nat'l Forest Weed Biologist. This was the first ever attack on the surprisingly dense stand of Flannel Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) on top the mountain.
Weeders only bagged maybe 10% of this year's seed stalks, but pushed them back nearly 100 meters to the south along a line whose upper and lower extremes are nearly 220 meters apart in elevation! It was alot of climbing! Rosettes of this biennial were only lightly touched, so progress will be lost unless removal is repeated and expanded next year. All staff involved seemed eager to do just that.