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ECOLOGY Crater Lake eyes plan for plant invaders By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Feb. 8, 2016 @ 12:01 am By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Feb. 8, 2016 @ 12:01 am --> Public comments sought Crater Lake National Park is taking comments about what the public would like to see in its upcoming Invasive Vegetation Management Plan used to guide the park's... » Read more X Public comments sought Crater Lake National Park is taking comments about what the public would like to see in its upcoming Invasive Vegetation Management Plan used to guide the park's handling of non-native plants. The comment period runs through March 9, and people can offer comments online, by mail or email. The park's preferred method is through its Planning, Environment and Public Comment website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/IVMP . Click on the “Open for Comment” link to comment. Mailed comments should be sent to Invasive Vegetation Management Plan c/o Superintendent, Crater Lake National Park, P.O. Box 7, Crater Lake, Oregon, 97604. Emailed comments can be sent to [email protected] . — Mark Freeman » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Among the 182,000 visitors who roll through the gates to Crater Lake National Park are a handful of not-so-welcomed bullies that stick around, to Jen Beck's chagrin. Klamath weed, bullthistle, spotted napweed and even Canada thistle are some of the invasive plant species that have found their way into the park, often on the boots or bumpers of unwitting park visitors who deposit seeds or spores along roadways. "No matter what, weeds keep coming in," says Beck, a National Park Service botanist. Now, the park service plans to strike back, but with more than a pair of gloves and a shovel. Crater Lake officials are launching a new Invasive Vegetation Management Plan to guide how park officials deal with the invaders there and how they will protect native plants and their ecosystem from new invaders. "We're looking to put ourselves in a proactive position," Beck said. That approach has begun with a public "scoping" period in which Beck has asked for the public and other governmental agencies to weigh in on what they would like to see studied as part of the plan, as well as environmental issues that need to be addressed and possible alternatives to be considered. The scoping period will run through March 9 and lay the framework for an upcoming environmental assessment that will study and lay out the future strategies. Protecting native plants from non-native invaders is a countrywide struggle, often because factors that limit these weeds' in their native habitats aren't present here. Weeds are spread in many ways, and eventually take hold, Beck said. In the park, those include seeds hitchhiking on vehicles, seeds blown in from land-management activities outside of park boundaries and even elk herds carrying non-native seeds into riparian areas, she said. "If you're coming to the park, please wash the dirt off your boots and wash the mud off your car," Beck said. "We can all do our part." The plan will also offer a roadmap for handling weed infestations amid climate change, including the possibility of climate change affecting the snowpack and, thus, the longer growing season within the park, Beck said. "Snow has been a protective blanket," she said. "But with the drought last year, I was pulling weeds in April instead of June." Reach Mail Tribune reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Feb. 8, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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