By Laurelle Walsh
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) invites community members to participate in a survey of noxious weeds on WDFW wildlife areas affected by the Carlton Complex Fire.
Members of the Mule Deer Foundation and other interested volunteers will meet at 8 a.m. on Saturday (Aug. 1) for an orientation which will include weed identification, survey locations and GPS use. After going over procedures, pairs or small groups will disperse to various parts of the burned area to conduct the survey.
Volunteers should expect to hike in flat to steep terrain, some of it off trail, and be out for 6 to 8 hours, according to WDFW project coordinator Anna Sample. No prior plant identification knowledge is required, but volunteers should be ready to learn and be able to observe the landscape carefully, Sample said.
“The goal of the survey is to survey and document previously existing and new establishments of noxious weeds in areas affected by the Carlton Complex Fire on WDFW wildlife areas,” Sample said. “After obtaining known locations of weeds, WDFW staff will work to eradicate the weed infestations.”
To find out the meeting location, please sign up for the survey by emailing Sample at annamarie.sample@dfw.wa.gov or calling (509) 429-2624.
Interested individuals not able to attend Saturday’s event may contact Sample to arrange another time to help out with the survey, she said.
