Coarsegold Resource Conservation District

YELLOW STARTHISTLE ERADICATION AND CONTROL PROGRAM

COARSEGOLD RESOURCE CONSERVATION DISTRICT
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR PROPERTY OWNERS WITH YELLOW STARTHISTLE 

Dear Eastern Madera County Property Owner: 

Madera County and the Coarsegold RCD have recently been mapping the extent of yellow starthistle, a noxious weed, along Madera County roads and community service areas (under no circumstances have our mapping staff entered private property without permission).  Our maps indicate that yellow starthistle has been observed on your property, or on that of one of your neighbors. 

Yellow starthistle is a noxious weed that reduces the value of real estate, degrades recreational areas, and replaces desirable plants used by livestock and wildlife, rendering land useless for forage and habitat.  This weed is also highly toxic to horses, causing a fatal nervous system disease when large quantities are ingested.  Although other areas of California are infested with yellow starthistle so badly that its eradication is impossible, our mountain area is still in the initial stages of infestation, and we feel that with prompt action, we can keep this pest from impacting private and public lands in eastern Madera County.   

The Coarsegold RCD is sponsoring a cooperative approach to controlling this weed, whereby the cost of treatment is shared with property owners.  The program requires the landowner to commit to three consecutive years of treatment; because the seed of yellow starthistle is viable for at least 3 years as CRCD grant funds permit, and then to commit to follow up by pulling any stragglers that emerge in subsequent years (the objective is to prevent seed production until the plants are gone from the site).  The cost share program involves the landowner paying 50 % and the RCD paying 50 %.   

We are working to make eradication of yellow starthistle in Madera County a community-wide effort, and encourage you to join with your neighbors in eliminating this noxious pest.  The method of controlling yellow starthistle is to use an integrated management approach, combining several different control methods as dictated by the conditions at the site.   Table 1 shows the options available. 

If you’d like to participate in the program, complete the accompanying participation agreement and call the number given to get a free estimate of the cost.  

Please feel free to call me at 877-3774 if you have questions about the program. 

Sincerely,
 

Judy Johnson, Project Manager 
Eastern Madera County Noxious Weed Project
Coarsegold Resource Conservation District

METHODS COMMONLY USED TO CONTROL YELLOW STARTHISTLE

HAND PULLING:  For small infestations – up to a thousand plants and less than ½ an acre for example – hand pulling is desirable and very effective.  Yellow starthistle must be pulled before flowering if plants are to be left on site to decompose and recycle into the soil.  If flowers are visible, plants need to be bagged in heavy duty plastic garbage bags (4 ml thickness), tightly sealed, and placed in the garbage.  Hand pulling while infestations are still small is preferable because if treated promptly, yellow starthistle can be effectively eradicated without herbicides. 

WEED WHACKING OR MOWING:  Must be done when 2-5% of the spiny heads are showing yellow flowers.  This minimizes the chance of seeds forming while also minimizing resprouting.  Should be followed up with hand-pulling or another treatment 3-4 weeks later. 

HERBICIDE:  If your infestation is too large to apply the above methods practically, herbicides may be necessary in addition to hand and mechanical methods.  CRCD is recommending a low toxicity, highly selective herbicide called Transline for most applications.   Transline has both post emergent and pre emergent activity so one application per year is usually sufficient.  This material is in the most benign category of pesticides, requires no permit, and has no grazing restrictions.  It is selective, affecting a few plant families, but sparing many others, including grasses and California poppies.  

Based on research at UC Davis, two to three consecutive years of spraying with Transline combined with persistent manual removal of any plants that might escape spraying will eliminate any source of new seed.  After that, manual removal of the few plants that emerge from seeds in the soil should be adequate for complete control. 

CATTLE, SHEEP AND GOATS:  Consult with your local Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor on timing livestock grazing to minimize yellow starthistle.  Grazing will need to be combined with other methods to eliminate stragglers.  

It is crucial to realize that some follow up will be necessary for several years after the primary treatments.  Allowing even one large plant to set seed can set back our efforts dramatically (1 large plant produces tens of thousands of seeds!).

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PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT 

Participant Name _________________________________________________Phone_________________ 

Property Address________________________________________________________________________ 

Mail Address____________________________________________________________________________ 

Job Location____________________________________________________________________________ 

Type of control treatment__________________________________________________________________ 

Size of area to be treated                   ________________ square feet or            ______________ acres. 

(43,560 Sq Ft = 1 Acre) 

Coarsegold RCD is offering to enter into a cost-share agreement with landowners in the mountain area of eastern Madera County whereby the RCD will arrange for a licensed vegetation control contractor to treat your yellow starthistle infestation in 2004, and the RCD will pay half the cost, while you pay the other half.  If funding is available for 2005 and 2006, property owners agree to participate by paying for half of another treatment at that time. The need for treatment in 2005 will be evaluated in 2004, it is likely that hand-pulling will be adequate the third year.  This is because yellow starthistle control must be done for a minimum of 3 years to be effective.      

To get a FREE estimate of the acreage on your land, call Judy Johnson at 559/877-3774. 

Estimated Number of Acres to be Treated __________            Estimated By: __________________ 

Permission is hereby granted to the Coarsegold Resource Conservation District (Coarsegold RCD) and to a licensed contractor hired by Coarsegold RCD to enter my property to treat noxious weeds by the methods described above.  I agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless the Coarsegold RCD, its officers, agents, employees and volunteers from all claims, expenses, causes of action, liability, loss or injury regardless of their nature or character relating to or arising from the activities performed pursuant to this agreement, unless such claim results from intentional wrongdoing.  

I agree to participate in this program for 3 years if funding is available, and to pay half the cost of weed treatments for at least the first 2 years, as CRCD grant funds permit. This is important in order to protect the investment of the RCD and ensure success of the cooperative noxious weed control effort in Eastern Madera County.

Signature______________________________________________            Date____________________ 

A trained operator will perform the work on a best effort basis, but no warranty as to its effectiveness is given or implied.  If for any reason the Coarsegold RCD’s contractor is unable to perform the work, the payment will be refunded in full.   

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Please return completed form to:

Judy Johnson, Fire Safe Council Office, P.O. 747, North Fork, CA  93643.
For more information call Judy Johnson at 559/877-3774.