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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Gold Hill approves legal expenditure "to protect" city manager Ashland boy dies after long battle with cancer Peavine Creek Fire fully lined 10 things to know for Thursday Emergency services Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Peavine Creek Fire fully lined Emergency services Appeals court rules against Central Point schools on bus outsourcing East Medford burglar pleads guilty Peavine Creek fire north of Glendale grows to 120 acres Politics and Elections Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Freddie Gray's death Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Education Appeals court rules against Central Point schools on bus outsourcing Hedrick principal to take helm at North Medford High School More kindergartners vaccinated in 2015 Elementary students honor local police officers Levy backers eye final push Environment State waives college placement tests for students who hit high marks Stopping fire in its tracks Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline opponents rally in Medford Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Residents say armed mine supporters sully Josephine County's reputation State News Obama's trade trip to Oregon highlights D.C. divisions Lack of snow nixes ski portion of popular Central Oregon race Police video bills approved by Oregon House ACLU touts video app for people recording police Volunteers battle invasive plant in Southern Oregon Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Helen Nadine Sankey Dickie Miles Hayes Nita Day Layne Alan Battenfield Gene Fredric Wolf Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Many happy returns for Singler Pirates strong at North Valley meet Rockets survive Clippers, even series Singler open to remaining in OKC SOU ready to defend home track Varsity 541 College Sports SOU ready to defend home track Beavers score early, roll over Ducks, 10-2 Craig, Randall earn conference honors Spring has sprung, but work isn't done Raiders' Abbott breaks 22-year-old record Pro Sports Many happy returns for Singler Rockets survive Clippers, even series Singler open to remaining in OKC Harper's three homers, five RBIs lift Nationals Probe: Pats personnel probably deflated balls Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Rogue Valley Mall filling out with new stores, expansions and moves Haggen prepares to replace Safeway in Ashland on Sunday Single-family home sales take off Blog: Feeling like a few days in Italy? Medford/Jackson County Chamber has trip planned just for you Cars We Remember: Car enthusiast wishes new model designs were ‘more different’ Real Estate News Single-family home sales take off Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house People In Business Transportation Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Opinion Latest Dianne Williamson: Let’s end the marathon bomber saga Our View: Cheers and jeers Letters to the Editor, May 7 George Will: A patrician blacksmith for president? Dana Milbank: Huckabee's ill-fated quest Editorials Our View: Cheers and jeers Our View: Set firm deadlines on blighted houses Our View: Oregon's full of givers, and can use more Our View: Our picks for Medford School Board Other Views: Gun-bill recalls misguided, futile Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 7 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Letters to the Editor, May 5 Letters to the Editor, May 4 Letters to the Editor, May 3 Columns George Will: A patrician blacksmith for president? Dana Milbank: Huckabee's ill-fated quest Kathleen Parker: Matters of perception Michael Gerson: The intricate knot of urban poverty Kathleen Parker: Wife of the party Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Animal-killing program pulls wool over taxpayers' eyes Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Lifestyle Latest stories Celebrating our feathered friends Blog: Sorcerer-historians and hunted boats Antionette Kerr: Mother’s Day founder challenged commercialism Breathe easier with whole-house air purification Religion News: Vatican newspaper denounces Muhammad cartoons Food Community blog: Teatime is anytime when recipes brew new dishes Eat your greens (tea, that is) Season Stepp: Make some cheesecake mousse-filled strawberries Page H. Onorato: Baked potato soup is comfort in a bowl Page H. Onorato: Grandma Jane comes a-calling Home and Garden Breathe easier with whole-house air purification Dear Monty: Water rights of property owners Paul Rogers: ‘Living’ mulches a healthy alternative to bark Heirloom tomatoes bring ageless flavor Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Health New cardiac rehab center opens at Asante RRMC Community blog: You and Me at 83... Search on for new medical provider for Butte Falls, Prospect clinics Dr. Murray Feingold: Turn down that noise Health Watch: Pack your pantry with healthy items Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Milestones and Achievements Drones helping create unique wedding photos Pick your favorite wedding flowers The ring’s the thing Chic brides are choosing a range of complementary colors for their celebration Registries: ‘Year of the groom’ Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Dancing People Company presents 'Salon Series' Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest Tina Malia at SOU Music Hall in Ashland Los Lonely Boys and Lucas Nelson at the Rogue Theatre Page Hamilton comes home Theater REVIEW: Randall Theatre's 'Little Shop of Horrors' a rollicking good time REVIEW: Carson, Patton shine in 'Arsenic and Old Lace' Some Oregon Shakespeare Festival crew members seek to unionize Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Music Peter Rowan, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys at Rootsfest The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Tina Malia at SOU Music Hall in Ashland Earthquake benefit for Nepal Los Lonely Boys and Lucas Nelson at the Rogue Theatre Community Events Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic at OSF's Black Swan in Ashland Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Movies Victor D. Infante: ‘Avengers’ begs the questions, ‘Why superheroes, and why now?’ Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ has a lot going on Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ knows how to party Catching up with the Avengers Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Dining Trium is a classic example of a boutique winery Restaurant inspections, May 3, 2015 Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Restaurant inspections: April 26, 2015 Island Grindz serves up Hawaiian specialties Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Many happy returns for Singler ... Ashland boy dies after long battle with cancer ... Peavine Creek Fire fully lined ... Many happy returns for Singler ... Ashland boy dies after long battle with cancer ... Peavine Creek Fire fully lined ... CAVE JUNCTION Volunteers battle invasive plant in Southern Oregon Comment By Ruth Longoria Kingsland Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Ruth Longoria Kingsland Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 5, 2015 at 4:47 PM Updated May 5, 2015 at 4:48 PM By Ruth Longoria Kingsland Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 5, 2015 at 4:47 PM Updated May 5, 2015 at 4:48 PM » Social News CAVE JUNCTION  — More than 20 years ago, it was touted as a miracle plant — a "hyperaccumulator" able to pull heavy metals, such as nickel, out of the area's serpentine soil and store it in its leaves. At least that's what was told to then-county commissioners who approved planting of yellow-tuft alyssum on eight plots, totaling more than 50 acres in the Illinois Valley. Now, the flowering invasive weed has traveled up and down the Illinois River and is considered a menace that's keeping local volunteers on their toes trying to control and eradicate the invasive, self-pollinating, perennial plant. Volunteers Gordon Lyford, Scott Taylor and Wes Brown recently received the Oregon Invasive Species Council's Ten Fingers in the Dike award for their efforts to coordinate the Alyssum Eradication Task Force and keep the plant at bay. The three regularly pull and destroy alyssum plants that grow at the Illinois Valley Airport and other locations in southwest Josephine County. The area is known for its bounty of beautiful native wildflowers, many of which are endangered by the invasive alyssum. "I like wildflowers, but the alyssum crowds them out," Taylor said, between pulling clumps of alyssum with Lyford on a recent afternoon trek through the airport grounds. In addition to being a co-owner of Taylor's Sausage in Cave Junction, Taylor is a private pilot and spends a lot of time at the airport. Much of that time is taken up with noxious weed eradication efforts, since alyssum grows and seeds throughout the year. Some plants are a few inches tall, others nearly three feet tall. Lyford said there are many reasons to get rid of the plant. "It's a non-native, opportunist plant and will take over, not to mention, it is toxic to livestock. I've heard two bulls died from eating it," he said. The plants' variation of heights when ready to drop seeds is one reason it is difficult to harvest or eradicate alyssum, said Larry Graves, Josephine County airport manager. Alyssum is a member of the mustard family and native to Turkey and elsewhere along the Mediterranean coast. It was brought to Oregon by a company called Viridian Resources, which later declared bankruptcy and left the area, according to?Graves. Although many objected to the county's decision to plant alyssum, a previous airport manager OK'd the plan, Lyford said. Graves has been the county's airport manager for the past four years, and inherited the "unfortunate situation," he said. When he came on board, there were piles of the pulled plants stacked in an area at the airport, which, according to Lyford, had sat there for 8 to 10 years. Lyford tells a tale of how difficult it is to destroy the plants. "We burned (the stacked plants) four years ago in October. In the spring, there were alyssum germinated in the black ashes. They survived the fire," he said. The county isn't on its own, however, to eradicate alyssum. The Oregon Department of Agriculture has taken the lead, coordinating the task force and performing helicopter surveys to locate patches and escapees, single plants that have strayed to neighboring locations, said Carri Pirosko, the region's noxious weed coordinator for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Although it may seem difficult at first glance to distinguish the weed from other yellow wild flowers, the structure of the plant, which has a more rigid stem so it doesn't sway in the wind like many other flowering plants, makes it fairly easy to spot from the air, Pirosko explained. An upcoming helicopter survey is planned in the Illinois Valley on June 16. Pirosko said her department uses two methods to eradicate alyssum — manual volunteer efforts and with chemicals. Manually pulling and destroying the plants is the preferred method, she said. She calls Taylor, Lyford and Brown some of the "extraordinary volunteers" involved in the eradication effort. But, there are several other local volunteers also involved. Pirosko said an alyssum pulling party last week on private property near the airport yielded more than 600 of the plants. Two species of alyssum were planted in the Illinois Valley, murale and corsicum. Both are difficult to destroy, but they are also listed as A-level noxious weeds because there is a chance of eradicating them, with enough effort. The common name "yellow tuft" refers to two both Alyssum murale and A. corsicum. Originally from eastern Europe, these two mustards were planted in the Illinois Valley for phytomining -- a process in which plants that accumulate high amounts of metals are used to extract these materials from the soil. The major difference in the look of the two weeds is the stem. Murale has a red, speckled stem, and corsicum has a carrot-like corkscrew root, Lyford described, as he held out two of the plants, being careful so as not to allow the gentle breeze at the airport carry away any of the tops of the plants. Volunteers pulling the plants generally change shoes or boots upon entering and leaving the sites where alyssum grows, so as not to transport parts of the plants on their feet. That was especially important in recent years, when a fence was built around the airport, since it would have been easy to transport seeds from the Illinois Valley to elsewhere across the state, had officials not had contractors decontaminate heavy equipment on a daily basis, Graves said. Though it is a daily struggle to destroy the weed, the escapees are the biggest problem, according to Lyford. "The goal is to not have any seeds in the ground, but they just keep coming," Lyford said. "It's like a big metal spring, we've pushed that spring down, but we can't let it back up. We'll declare it eradicated five years after you don't find one plant. But, that five years hasn't started yet," he said. By Ruth Longoria Kingsland Grants Pass Daily Courier MailTribune.com By Ruth Longoria Kingsland Grants Pass Daily Courier Posted May. 5, 2015 at 4:47 PM Updated May 5, 2015 at 4:48 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » 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 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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