Bugs With An Attitude, 2006

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Bugs With An Attitude, 2006
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Adding Invasive Species/noxious Weeds to Your
Curriculum and the State Content Standards
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Outline
-Define invasive species/noxious weeds -Why
weeds are bad -IPM (Integrated Pest
Management) -Examples of inserting (NOT adding!)
noxious weeds to your curriculum mine
yours! -Adding noxious weeds to the State
Content Standards -Sources of weed curriculum
ideas.
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Invasive Species/noxious Weeds
Invasive Species Animals, plants, and pathogens
non-native to a country or region that threaten
native forms of life in that region.lib.colostat
e.edu/research/agnic/glossary.html
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An Invasive Species?
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Noxious Weeds
Weed A plant out of place / Any plant that
occurs where you dont want it
Noxious Weed Montana - Category 1 noxious weeds
are weeds that are currently established and
generally widespread in many counties of the
state.  Management criteria includes awareness
and education, containment and suppression of
existing infestations and prevention of new
infestations.  These weeds are capable of rapid
spread and render land unfit or greatly limit
beneficial uses.
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How many different kinds of plants do you see?
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Why Are Noxious Weeds Bad?
-decreased grazing for wildlife and
livestock -decreased diversity therefore,
decreased stability -Increased soil
erosion -decreased water quality and fish
habitat -decreased amt. of food we can
produce! -decreased tourism.
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IPM (Integrated Pest Management)
-The idea using all possible weed control
measures together where they best fit
Prevention- Keeping weeds out in the first
place. Chemical- Using chemicals such as
herbicides. Biological Control- Beneficial
creatures that damage weeds. Cultural Mechanica
l- Tilling (plowing) or hand pulling the
weeds. Controlled Burning- Safely burning the
weeds. Grazing Using sheep or goats, etc. that
will eat the weeds. Revegetation- reseeding a
disturbed site to block or choke out the weeds.
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Examples of Inserting (NOT Adding!) Weeds to Your
CurriculumMine Yours!
-How might a noxious weed infestation affect a
food chain? Energy pyramid? Food web? The web
of life??
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How might weeds show exponential growth?
Knapweed spread 1920, 1940, 1980 1982.
-Math, populations, graphing, geography.
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Art
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Poetry
The Pretty Little FlowerThere once was a
beautiful flowera splendid, native flowerthe
beautiful little flowermade it's home in a
little meadoweveryone loved this little
floweruntil one terrible daywhen a weed came
upto spoil her playthe little flower tried to
be niceeven shared her little homeand offered
the weed to use her phonethe weed wasn't so
nicehe was filled with morbid delightsthe poor
flower didn't see it cominguntil the weeds were
interwoventhey had taken up her homeand now she
is forboddenThis is the story of the little
flowerwhose life was ruinedby a stupid weed
By WHS student
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Insect Life Cycles
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-Weeds Decrease Biodiversity-Weed Laws
(civics)-Flower Parts (elem. sci.)
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Your Ideas?
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Adding Noxious Weeds to the State Content
Standards
-A group of teachers and weed fighters came
together and made a rough draft of 8 items they
feel Montana 12th graders should have been
exposed to at some point in their K-12 years.
-This would eventually filter up into State
standardized tests
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• The students will be able to identify the major
  plant habitats in Montana. list these
• The students will be able to describe the
  ecological and economic impacts of noxious
  weeds/invasive species in Montana.
• 3. The students will be able to describe the
  importance of native communities. could combine
  with 1
• 4. The students will be able to describe
  Integrated Pest (weed) Management tools and
  methods (IPM).

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5. The students will be able to identify the
State tree, grass, flower and 3 important noxious
weeds. spotted knapweed, leafy spurge, Dalmatian
toadflax - or region specific 6. The students
will be able to explain why weeds happen and how
they spread. 7. The students will be able to
describe noxious weed State law and the political
and social implications of these laws. 8. The
students will be able to describe the State
Noxious Weed Plan.