At the latest Skagway assembly meeting, the local governing body learned about invasive plants and how the community is uniquely positioned to control the spread. 

 

The July 18 Skagway Borough Assembly meeting was brief, with scientists addressing the dais during Citizens Present. They spoke about invasive plant species, and Skagway’s rare ability to solve the problem.

Reuben Cash is the environmental coordinator for Skagway Traditional Council. He explained why invasive species can mean trouble for the environment.

“They grow vigorously throughout the long summer days, and they enjoy an ecosystem where there are few checks and balances against them,” Cash says. “And therein lies the problem. With no natural competitors, aggressive plants can completely take over patches of the landscape and form what we call a monoculture. Dense hedges of just one single species. A plant community that is varied and made up of many different families makes for a stable ecosystem resilient to change. A monoculture, on the other hand, can only truly function in a very narrow set of conditions.”

Invasive species can quickly clog up waterways, causing problems for salmon and other wildlife. Emily Reed from Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition, was visiting from Juneau. She is hopeful after surveying Skagway.

“So, over the past three months, I have visited communities throughout southeast Alaska to see for myself and discuss invasive plants,” Reed says. “And I can say from experience, Skagway is in a unique position. Compared with many of these other communities, the window of opportunity to eradicate some of these species before they become well established and have major impacts is right now. We don’t want them to become overly difficult to control and Skagway could be successful with modest effort in getting rid of some of the most highly invasive plants in the area.”

Reed says Skagway has the invasive species Himalayan Balsam, what she describes as an extremely aggressive wetland invader. But it was found in only one location. Himalayan Balsam is biennial, meaning it has a two-year lifecycle. It can be eradicated by hand pulling when abundance is low. Other invasive plants found in Skagway include Sweet Clover and Reed Canary Grass.

Skagway Traditional Council, the U.S. Forest Service, Southeast Alaska Watershed Coalition and Skagway Development Corporation hosted a community weed pull on July 18. Reuben Cash invited the assembly to find ways to further the effort.

And in other outdoor news, after some residents were disappointed there is no host overseeing the Dyea Flats Campground, a compromise has appeared. A seasonal firefighter has agreed to station at the empty host cabin. When not on duty in Skagway, he will make rounds with a brush truck, a truck that has the capacity to put out small fires. Collecting fees and cleaning remains the responsibility of Public Works. 

Borough Manager Brad Ryan says there is no extra cost for the firefighter’s presence.

“There’s no budget amendment or cost associated with that. So it sounds like a pretty good fit.”

The next assembly meeting is Aug. 1.