Weeds

This photo of the North Hills during the 1970s shows what these grasslands
looked like before weeds and before subdivision (Tony Hoyt photo).

Weeds have taken over many of the grassy hillsides where elk winter on the outskirts of Missoula.

Because the native bunchgrasses that elk prefer are less abundant, elk have to work harder to make a living.

The Missoula County Weed District provides assistance to landowners who are attempting to manage their weeds.

In the North Hills, volunteers have written grant applications to help landowners pay the costs of managing weeds on their property—potentially benefiting not just the landowner, but also elk, native plants, and in some cases, livestock.

Volunteers have also helped pull some weeds by hand, particularly houndstongue, which has sticky triangular seeds that catch on your clothes or animals’ coats. Volunteers also pulled toadflax, which is just getting established in the North Hills, to keep it from spreading by seed. Toadflax can spread by its roots as well, so pulling isn’t the complete answer to stopping it.

During 2006, more than 20 volunteers contributed 190 volunteer hours pulling weeds in the North Hills.