This aerial view of a landscape in Sheridan County shows the right side (dark
grass) has been treated with an herbicide to control invasive grasses. UW’s Institute
for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems will host a free virtual workshop
Wednesday, April 3, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The workshop will cover the current invasive
grass landscape in the West and give participants strategies and resources for proactive
management. (Jaycie Arndt Photo)
The University of Wyoming’s Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural
Ecosystems (IMAGINE) will host a free virtual workshop Wednesday, April 3, from 9
a.m.-4 p.m.
The workshop, titled “Defending and Growing the Core by Breaking the Cycle of Annual
Grass Invasion,” will cover the current invasive grass landscape in the West and give
participants strategies and resources for proactive management.
“This workshop sets the stage for success with strategy and tools anchored to high-value
sagebrush areas,” says Lindy Garner, invasive species coordinator with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. “Its focus is on protecting and expanding intact native plant
communities rather than starting with the most degraded areas.”
Speakers at the workshop represent a breadth of expertise from Wyoming, Colorado,
Montana, Nevada and Oregon. They include Brian Mealor, director of IMAGINE, Jaycie
Arndt, Chad Boyd, Erika Fitzpatrick, Reese Irvine, Jeremy Maestas, Paul Meiman, Andrew
Olsen, Petar Simic and Claire Visconti. To participate in the event, attendees must
register online at www.invasivegrasses.com/events before Wednesday, March 27.
The Invasive Annual Grass Tech Transfer Partnership is led by UW’s IMAGINE with collaboration
from core partners in land management organizations across the West, including the
U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Working
Lands for Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Intermountain
West Joint Venture, National Park Service, Montana State University and University
of Nevada-Reno Extension.
“This event is timely and desperately needed to get communities talking about how
they can be part of the solution to annual grass invasion,” says Maestas, national
sagebrush ecosystem specialist with NRCS. “We have a generational opportunity to act
now to save the sagebrush biome before it’s too late.”
The free workshop has only 1,000 slots, but recordings will be available to the public
after the event. IMAGINE also plans to host additional workshops to empower land managers
with scientific knowledge.
Future workshops will offer hands-on experience in invasive annual grass management
plans, including examples of the results of different management treatments. Other
workshops will help local working groups examine their specific landscapes and define
their core native plant ecosystems.
“I find meeting with local working groups and seeing them use a combination of the
tools that we have provided them, as well as bringing their own local knowledge to
start creating a management plan, is very rewarding,” says Visconti, outreach program
coordinator for IMAGINE.
For questions about IMAGINE or the virtual workshop, email Visconti at cviscont@uwyo.edu.
About University of Wyoming Extension
Since 1914, UW Extension has provided lifelong learning opportunities to Wyoming citizens
across the state. With roots in agricultural education, UW Extension supports rural
communities facing contemporary challenges and changes. UW Extension brings the university’s
resources to each of the state’s 23 counties and the Wind River Indian Reservation.
To learn more about UW Extension, visit www.uwyo.edu/uwe or call (307) 766-5124.
