GOALS AND OBJECTIVES of MNWAG

• Develop education programs for all partners and agencies
• Develop needs assessment for the river valley
• Coordinate resources with all agencies and partners involved
• Incorporating biological control methods
• Monitoring / Research to determine best control methods

WEEDS OF CONCERN

(all of which are Noxious weeds in Nebraska)

• Purple Loosestrife
• Leafy Spurge
• Canada Thistle

MNWAG will administer a cooperative weed management effort within the 76 mile Niobrara National Scenic River corridor, an ecologically diverse area in north central Nebraska to preserve the rich biodiversity and critical wildlife habitat in the valley.

To help with this effort, MNWAG applied for and received a grant in the amount of $57,750 from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in the form of a Pulling Together Iniative ( PTI ) grant. MNWAG has recently been recognized as the seventh national pilot project under the "Early Detection and Rapid Response" program through the United States Geological Survey National Institute of Invasive Species Science.

Part of the need for and creation of MNWAG and its associated cooperative weed management area was based on the following facts:
-- There are over 200 landowners and nine agencies involved in weed management within the MNWAG area with little or minimal coordination of activities to deal with the nature of cross boundary management. --Federally designated critical habitat for the piping plover occurs on approximately 40 miles of the Niobrara NSR and MNWAG cooperative Weed Management Area. Purple Loosestrife, a noxious weed in Nebraska, has significantly degraded and diminished available habitat for the federally threatened piping plover and endangered interior least tern. MNWAG has adopted and will work with the following priorities:

1. Implement the "Early Detection Rapid Response" program by developing a cost-share program for landowners to eradicate small weed infestations.
2. Increase public / landowner awareness of exotic species and their impact on riparian areas.
3. Finish Site Weed Management Plan for the MNWAG.
4. Determine the best management practices for invasive weed species with monitoring and research.
5. Collection of information on noxious weed populations to compile into a main database, accessible to all entities.

MNWAG appreciates the input from all landowners involved in the corridor. Over the past several months there have been numerous informational sessions held in which landowners had the opportunity to express concerns.

MNWAG feels that by reducing and or eliminating invasive weeds such as Purple Loosestrife, Canada Thistle and or Leafy Spurge, all of which are non-native to the United States, native plants will be able to better reestablish themselves thus increasing the positive impact on native flora.

MNWAG will continue to work hard on establishing biological control insectaries for all noxious weeds in the corridor. There are currently several biological releases on Purple Loosestrife in and along the Niobrara River with more releases every year.