These funds will be used to actively manage invasive species on public and private land in wyoming

The U.S. Forest Service, through its Forest Health Protection program (CFDA 10.680), awarded a $119,999.34 project grant to Carbon County Weed and Pest Control District on September 15, 2025, with completion targeted for September 14, 2030. The award funds expansion of the Institute for Managing Annual Grasses Invading Natural Ecosystems Monitoring Network across twelve Wyoming counties, with emphasis on early detection and rapid response efforts targeting invasive annual grasses, including ventenata and medusahead. The monitoring network, originally established in 2020 to track invasive species in Sheridan County, has evolved into a collaborative multi-county initiative that provides critical data on treatment impacts and informs landscape-scale invasive species management strategies on both public and private lands throughout Wyoming.

The deliverables include enhanced monitoring capabilities across the expanded geographic footprint, continued detection and documentation of invasive annual grass populations, and research support that enables federal and state land managers to respond rapidly to invasive species threats. This grant award builds upon the awardee's established expertise in invasive species management and represents a continuation of successful collaborative efforts in the region, supporting the Forest Service's mission to protect and manage forest and tree resources from invasive plants and other forest health threats.

The institute for managing annual grasses invading natural ecosystems monitoring network is expanding our monitoring efforts of invasive annual grasses throughout wyoming with an emphasis on early detection and rapid response in southwest wyoming. The monitoring network was created in 2020 to help detect the spread of invasive annual grasses throughout sheridan county, WY. During that time, ventenata (ventenata dubia) and medusahead (taeniatherum caput-medusa) were discovered in the area and the monitoring network has been a key component of understanding treatment impacts and informing landscape-scale management. Since then, the monitoring network has expanded beyond sheridan county to include collaborative partnerships in 12 wyoming counties.