Noxious Weed Coordination and Plant Protection Act
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
Hearing - Nampa, ID May 8, 1999
Testimony from Pamela J.S. Hutchinson, Ph.D.
American Cyanamid Company
Field Research Agriculturist
Idaho, Montana, Utah
Mr. Chairman:
I am pleased to be here today to tell you my experiences with noxious weeds and the development of noxious weed control products from an industry and personal viewpoint.
I have been working in agriculture and product development for almost 20 years, the last seven out here in the Northwest, and I see the establishment of noxious weeds and invasive plants as one of the biggest problems to impact not only agriculture but the general public, as well. I'd like to tell you first about some successful cooperative projects, then talk briefly on the development and registration atmosphere we exist in today.
Cooperative Projects
My company has been developing a number of products for weed control, restoration and revegetation and has been heavily involved in "partnership" projects for noxious and invasive weed control. The majority of these projects started as small plot cooperative research projects, an element of my job as a field researcher. Successful small-plot treatments were then tried on a operational scale. Joint tours, or government agency tours of successful operational projects further educated those with similar problems on successful invasive weed control practices and the word and work spread.
A majority of contacts for cooperative weed control projects have come through recommendations from the Federal Interagency Committee on the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds (FICMNEW) - American Cyanamid Co. is involved with and supports this group, involvement with state and county Weed Teams, Audobon Society, Nature Conservancy, Pheasants Forever, Quail Unlimited, University researchers and previous Cyanamid agricultural partners. Here are some partnership success stories:
Mud Lake Wildlife Refuge, Idaho
Russian knapweed control plots established through cooperative work between the refuge, American Cyanamid and Wilbur Ellis Co. may lead to adding Russian knapweed to the PLATEAUâ label and can aid in habitat protection for many birds and other wildlife in the area.
Ada County Weed Control, Idaho
Hoary cress (Whitetop) and Russian skeletonweed control plots have been recently initiated through efforts by Ada County Weed Control. Information from these plots will be used to expand the PLATEAU label and aid in foothills restoration and county weed control efforts.
Leafy spurge control with PLATEAU with University of Idaho Cooperative Extension, Butte County, Idaho, Boise National Forest, Idaho, Utah State University
PLATEAU test plots established in Idaho, Utah and Colorado have enabled researchers to determine effectiveness of PLATEAU for leafy spurge control in arid areas in the West compared to the Midwest higher-rainfall areas.
Yellow starthistle control and native grass re-establishment - University of Idaho
American Cyanamid Co. is assisting in a Ph.D. graduate student's research in Yellow starthistle control with PLATEAU and native grass tolerance.
Leafy spurge control with PLATEAU with USDA/ARS
Plot tours led to demonstration plots at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and a possible Section 18 for several Midwest/Western States for leafy spurge control in diverse species rangeland and pasture including tree and riparian areas.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Dakota
Demonstration plots here have led to leafy spurge control projects at Wind Caves, Devils Tower and Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and a cooperative project in Vermejio, NM between the Ted Turner Ranch, US Forest Service and New Mexico Game and Fish.
South Florida Water Management District
Maleleuca control with ARSENALâ has been possible because of cooperative efforts in this district to test rates and application methods such as cut stump, hand spray-gun and aerial applications. Appropriately applied ARSENAL has led to the eradication of Maleleuca in some areas.
Through the ARSENAL Aquatic EUP (emergency use permit) program, the Audobon Society, the Nature Conservancy, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress Nature Preserve and many other groups have had great success with ARSENAL control of Maleleuca.
Quail Habitat Research Center - Ames Plantation, Tennessee
Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) control demonstration plots at the Ames Plantation led to Japanese stiltgrass control projects involving the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee and Quail Unlimited, Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, Colorado
Cheat grass control with PLATEAU in this refuge has been successful.
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Salt cedar control with ARSENAL in New Mexico and education via demonstration area tours have lead to Salt cedar control opportunities with ARSENAL in other parts of New Mexico and also in Wyoming, Colorado and Texas.
APHIS, Wyoming Weed Team, Sweetwater County Weed and Pest
Perennial (yellow) bedstraw control with PLATEAU has been successful through the cooperative efforts of these groups and American Cyanamid Co.
Fort Bend County Drainage District, Texas
This county and several others in Texas have used PLATEAU to control Johnsongrass and other noxious weeds on road shoulders and in drainage ditches. A three-year program has eliminated perennial Johnsongrass, now roadsides only have to be maintained with a low rate of PLATEAU for seedling Johnsongrass control.
Army Corp of Engineers Research and the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation, Vicksburg, Mississippi
Giant salvania control with ARSENAL has been possible through cooperative work done by these two groups and American Cyanamid Co.
Future Projects
· Biocontrol/herbicide/re-establishment joint projects with USDA/ARS
· Birds of Prey Wildlife Refuge, Idaho - cheatgrass control
· Montana Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - noxious weed control demonstration plots
· Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation noxious weed control demonstration plots
· Foundation of North American Sheep noxious weed control demonstration plots
My point of telling you about these successful projects and about ongoing and future cooperative work is threefold.
· First of all, industry - companies like American Cyanamid - does not operate in a void
when it comes to developing control products. There are so many weeds and invasive
plants out there that we need to work on a cooperative basis to get the best
information on how to attack the problems that lay before us. I've cited past success
stories about cooperation between Federal, State, County and Private concerns to tell
you what kind of an impact we can have if we all work together.
· Secondly, the products that I help develop are tools to put in the noxious weed and
invasive plant control tool box along with other revegetation/restoration and
biocontrol tools. What better way to figure out how to get the most out of that tool
box than through cooperative work with the experts in all of these areas.
· Third, but not least importantly, these stories are success stories because we've been
able to take information from test plots and demonstration areas to educate ourselves
and others, and in a very short time, we've been able to control or start to contain
noxious weeds and invasive plants in large areas, some of which are highly sensitive.
Native plants and wildlife have had a chance because we've actually been able to do
something on-the-ground.
Let me elaborate on that further. As you know, the state of Idaho has developed a strategic noxious weed management plan. Many counties also have noxious weed and invasive plant strategic plans. When I visited with the people at Ada County Weed Control, recently, I was quite impressed with the comprehensive plan that they have developed and are constantly working on for weed control in Ada county. They were able to show me the weed infested areas they'd mapped, which weeds are priorities for control, containment and/or detection as new or possible invaders of the county and what they've been able to do on a mile-by-mile basis across the county. I was told that the state plan would work if it helped overcome the barriers they come up against at borders that weeds don't recognize when invading across private property, county and state lines and across public lands, too. I was also told that any plan coming from the federal level would be great if did the same thing on a larger scale plus helped get funding for actual on-the-ground weed control efforts.
The people at Ada County Weed Control and elsewhere in Idaho know how valuable a comprehensive weed control plan can be if knowledge from all the experts is pooled quickly so we can keep the new invaders from getting to be a problem in the first place, eradicate noxious weeds and invasive plants when possible, contain other problem species as well as possible and have the wisdom to know what to do with the rest of the noxious weeds and invasive plants causing problems for now until more control tools are developed. Just think what we could have done with the brain-trust cooperation, people-power and funding that this legislation offers if we had it even a few years ago to stop any one of the noxious weeds from coming into Idaho in the first place and are now deemed almost uncontrollable and we are barely able to contain. Time/quick action is of the essence when it comes to noxious weed control.
If the Noxious Weed Coordination and Plant Protection Act can help cooperative efforts between all the stakeholders learn about all the tools available now and in development for future use and get on-the-ground work started quickly, I am all for this legislation.
Product Development
As you know, the hurdles that companies like mine face for registration of new products seemingly loom large in this present-day atmosphere of EPA's interpretation of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA). The good news is that end-users have been able to get Section 18's and EUP's along with non-grazing use labels for various products such as PLATEAU and ARSENAL, developed by American Cyanamid and other companies' products. As I mentioned, many diverse interest groups such as the Audobon Society, Nature Conservancy, Quails Unlimited, Federal, State and County agencies and concerned private citizens recognize the huge challenges we face for noxious weed and invasive plant control. They know that weeds encroach on two-thirds of the habitat of Threatened and Endangered species in the United States and also threaten agriculture, biological diversity, urban spaces and natural areas, so when we lose these areas to these invaders, we are actually losing a part of our national heritage. Development of noxious weed and invasive plant control products ultimately takes as much time, effort and money as do crop control products. Of course, environmental and wildlife impact studies are done, but feeding tolerances often have to be established to get a full use label because of the chance that these areas will be grazed. Meanwhile, the weeds are spreading. I propose that noxious weed and invasive plant control products be examined just as carefully as any other product before being granted full registration but under a "fast track" designation.
I am proud to be involved in the development of products like PLATEAU and ARSENAL because of the effective low use rate and safety they offer. While I think these products are on American Cyanamid's "Top 10" priority development list, I can say that they probably aren't on the top five list. The main emphasis of my research efforts center around crop protection product development. My company has allowed me to take a personal initiative to work on noxious weed control and American Cyanamid Co. and other companies have divisions devoted to non-crop products. I personally believe that if even more cooperative work between all the concerned groups and companies like mine can be encouraged with this legislation, if industry representatives/experts can be included in the Invasive Species Council and advisory committees, and the public and private awareness of the noxious weed problem rises to new levels, you'll see more noxious weed control products gain higher development priority status.
Conclusion
I've spoken today of successful cooperative projects involving companies like American Cyanamid Co. and a wide variety of interest groups recognizing the impact of noxious weeds and invasive plants and my hopes that this legislation can take this cooperation to a new level. I feel that the primary objective to all this cooperation should be on-the-ground noxious weed and invasive plant detection, control and containment. I've also tried to emphasize for you today, that safe and effective products in development now and in the future need to be quickly added to the tool box for dealing with noxious weeds or we will all lose.
As an industry representative, a weed scientist and a concerned Idaho citizen, I appreciate the invitation to speak with you today about my views on the noxious weeds and invasive plants problem and how I think the Noxious Weed Coordination and Plant Protection Act can help with this very serious problem. When I tell people I'm a weed scientist, they usually ask me what to do about the weeds in their yard. I hope that this legislation can further the cooperative on-the-ground work necessary to do something about noxious weeds and invasive plants. I hope that what we do here today and what you do back in Washington D.C., at the very least, results in a heightened awareness of the noxious weed problem, so that people will start asking me what to do about the weeds in places other than their lawns. I know, that by rolling up our sleeves and working together, we can save our lands from noxious weeds and invasive plants.
Thank-you very much for your time today and your support and recognition of the noxious weed and invasive plant problems we all face.