Whitehall Project Gears Up for Summer of 2019

After a decade of being a not-for-profit organization, we are back under the auspices of the Jefferson County Weed Board and Jefferson County. We are pleased to be working under the direction of Jefferson County Weed Coordinator Jill Allen. We received a Noxious Weed Trust Fund grant as usual and are receiving monies/voluntary donations from the Montana Department of Transportation, State DNRC, other counties and agencies and of course, the numerous wonderful landowners to whom we provide releases of noxious weed eating insects. We hired: Alycia Loomis, Ryan Murphy, Connor Johnson, and Madison Loomis. We are discussing hiring another Whitehall High School student soon if money is available in the grant funds.

Here is a list of some of our activities:

-We do or will have insects for: spotted/diffuse knapweed, Russian knapweed, leafy spurge, and yellow/Dalmatian toadflax. Feel free to call during normal business hours to get on our list.

-We are seeking several good Canada thistle release sites in moist areas to release the rust fungus on this fall. Please contact: Alycia 406-565-3995 or Todd 406-498-5236 if you feel you might have such a site.

-We had to purchase a new rototiller for the insectary at the school, as the old one was completely worn out. In the insectary we are mass rearing insects for: spotted knapweed (1), Russian knapweed (2), and yellow toadflax (1 + a new one). The insectary always needs much work at the start of the season.

-We went with Jill Allen to an educational and insect collection workshop in Helena. We collected about 600 Dalmatian toadflax insects and gave them out to a landowner on the way home. We are collecting these insects now so call if you want a release.

-We have a Facebook page, feel free to like it to keep informed.

-We are working with a researcher out of U of M and Melissa Maggio the Montana State Biocontrol Coord. to set up some long-term research plots on flea beetles/leafy spurge. We will be calling some of you who have older spurge release sites seeking these. The researcher has $2,000 for our travel/setup expenses.

-We are working with Charlene Sing of the Forest Service to set up insect cages, transplant yellow toadflax, and start mass rearing a new stem galling insect. We will be one of the first places in Montana to rear this new bio-agent.

-We also hope to work with Charlene Sing and others to educate/help set up salt cedar insectaries along the Mussel Shell, Yellowstone, Bighorn and Missouri Rivers (High Schools in those areas).

-We are going to add a summer class to next year’s grant - for teachers and others who want to set up similar programs. We have done these classes many times in the past.

-With Melissa Maggio Todd plans to write a grant to update and reprint the bio-control field guide that Mike Battaiola and he wrote several years ago. The State has run out of copies.

-Sorry, we do not yet have insects for whitetop or houndstongue.