Wyoming’s healthy, productive rangelands underpin our state’s ranching operations, hunting, recreation and cultural heritage.
However, many may not realize the extent to which Wyoming’s rangelands are under threat from the spread of invasive annual grasses, such as cheatgrass, medusahead and ventenata– and the danger these fast-growing grasses pose to our wildlife habitats, landscapes and communities.
Invasive annual grasses outcompete native grasses and shrubs, dry out early in the summer, and become highly flammable – capable of carrying fast, hot wildfires in the late summer and fall.
After fires, invasive annual grasses establish even more aggressively. Nearly half of the West's sagebrush rangelands are dominated by cheatgrass and are locked in a virtually impossible-to-break cycle of wildfire and cheatgrass establishment.
Currently, an average of 1.3 million acres of rangeland is burning each year across the West – for context, this is an area more than half the size of Yellowstone National Park. Wildfires jeopardize our homes, towns and energy-producing infrastructure. Further, invasive annual grasses are devastating to livestock and wildlife alike because they dramatically reduce the quality and quantity of forage and habitat available.
These grasses have been slower to take hold in Wyoming because of our cooler climate; and thanks to proactive treatments and coordination, medusahead and ventenata are, for now, contained within the northeast corner of the state. However, cheatgrass is now present through much of the Cowboy State and is an increasing threat. It is estimated that 80% of the state is vulnerable to cheatgrass.
But it is not too late to defend our rangelands and prevent Wyoming from the devastating impacts that are occurring in our neighboring states.
They say that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – and this is true in spades when it comes to invasive annual grasses.
Early-invasion treatments, before native grasses are gone, have been found to be 82% effective, whereas effectiveness is near 0% in late-stage, heavily invaded areas with little to no native grasses.
It is in our economic best interests to treat invasive annual grasses in Wyoming now, before they become an even greater problem.
If unchecked, these grasses threaten to cost $140 million per year in Wyoming in agricultural losses alone – not considering the additional costs of annual-grass-fueled wildfires to infrastructure and losses of wildlife. The House Draw fire, which was at least partly fueled by invasive grasses, illustrates the enormous losses that fires can incur. That fire alone has cost an estimated $25 million in losses so far, and the total economic impact is likely to grow.
The Wyoming Legislature can continue their efforts to get ahead of invasive annual grasses this session. The governor has recommended that $11 million be given to the Wyoming Wildlife and Nature Resource Trust Fund (WWNRT) for preventative treatments to keep these grasses from spreading across Wyoming’s landscapes.
Last year, the legislature provided $9 million out of a $20 million request, which was used in 14 counties and leveraged additional local, federal and private funding. The second installment of $11 million would fulfill the original request.
Additionally, given the unprecedented scale of the wildfires this year, and the impact on private landowners, particularly in the northeastern portion of the state, the Governor has also proposed $130 million for a Wildfire Recovery Program through WWNRT.
This money would help those affected by recent wildfires by restoring native grass and vegetation destroyed by wildfires and thwarting the establishment of invasive grass outbreaks post-fire.
WWNRT is the right agency to deploy these funds given their established process in granting funds and their existing relationships with landowners, weed & pest districts, and conservation districts.
In his State of the State address, Gov. Gordon called cheatgrass “as flammable as gasoline.” Last summer’s wildfires in Wyoming have proven how accurate that description is.
By fully funding the Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust Fund for necessary, thoughtful treatments of invasive grasses on Wyoming landscapes, our legislature can help ranchers and wildlife thrive, guard against devastating wildfires, and uphold our rural communities and local economies.
The time to act is now - before Wyoming becomes the next casualty in the fight against invasive grasses.
If protecting rangelands, wildlife and our communities is as important to you as it is to us, please contact your legislators today and ask them to support funding for these vital programs. Your perspectives will be critically important to them.
Signed,
The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming
Wyoming Stock Growers Association
Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation
Wyoming Association of Conservation Districts
Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Wyoming Wool Growers Association
Bowhunters of Wyoming
Rocky Mountain Farmers Union
