Position Title: North Coast Invasive Plant Management Advisor
Position: The programmatic focus of this Advisor position is invasive weed ecology and
management, providing leadership in research and extension for invasive weed management in
natural areas, pastures, and rangelands in the North Coast region of California. The weed ecology
program would focus on developing effective management and control strategies for invasive
weeds that impact forage crop production systems and natural ecosystems and associated
ecosystem services. This position addresses two priorities in the ANR Strategic Vision including 1)
Initiative for Managing Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases and 2) Sustainable Natural
Ecosystems. The proposed position provides the natural area weed science and Advisor footprint
needed to address the increasingly complex mosaic of organic and conventional multi-species
animal production systems in the North Coast. These include farmstead and artisan dairy and niche
meat producers that are pasture and grassland based. The high number of invasive plants in this
area is the largest obstacle to the fundamental viability of these grazing production systems. This
position will be a strong and highly beneficial compliment to the Rangeland and Natural Resource
Advisors for Marin, Sonoma and Solano counties and the proposed North Coast Dairy Advisor.
Justification: The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) reports at least 61
noxious weed species from the North Coast region. This includes 14 A-rated (highest priority) and
35 B-rated noxious weeds. Also, unlike more intensive cropping areas in California, the majority of
the North Coast region is made up of natural areas, including forests, woodlands, wetlands, and
riparian areas, or rangeland. As such, many invasive weeds occur in pastures, rangelands and
wildland areas. This significantly impacts multiple land uses, and effective management strategies
are needed for varying land types. Invasive weeds continue to spread at an alarming rate in the
North Coast area.
With this position, UC-ANR has an opportunity to create a tremendous positive impact. From a
statewide perspective, the invasive weed program is one of the strongest within ANR. It has
excellent CE Specialist support, a strong team of CE Advisors, a very interactive Workgroup, and the
statewide IPM program. While there are Advisors in other regions of the state that provide
outreach and research on invasive plants, there is clearly a large programmatic gap in the North
Coast area. There is also very little chance of effective science-based weed management information
being developed in the region by sources outside of ANR. For example, CDFA’s weed program is
almost completely defunct due to budget cuts. Consequently, this Advisor position would fill a huge
void in the development and delivery of new effective control strategies while leveraging funding
and collaboration from weed management groups, private industry and stakeholder groups, and
land management agencies. Furthermore, the North Coast Advisors are eager to provide
interdisciplinary collaboration on weed management projects relating to range and pasture
management, and livestock grazing.
Extension: The Advisor will work with and extend information to several clientele groups in the
North Coast region including the local weed management groups that operate across the coastal
counties; commercial ranchers; state and federal public land management agencies such as
California Fish and Wildlife (Wildlife Management Areas), Bureau of Land Management and US
Forest Service; local tribes; the CDFA weed program and the county Ag Commissioners. The UCCE
office has strong programmatic partnerships with all of these agencies and organizations, and this
position provides critical leadership and a link with CE in this part of the state. UC-ANR advisors are
the primary source of new information for growers in these counties. Effective weed management
should be integrated with productive and economically viable rangeland and natural area systems.
Thus the advisor should research integrated weed management strategies including mechanical,
cultural, biological and chemical control options.
Research: The Advisor will provide leadership for applied research such as developing effective
integrated weed management strategies for the most aggressive and problematic invasive weeds.
Due to the size and scope of invasive weed infestations, northwest California is a critical region for
research in new control methods. Many facets of control remain unknown and untried for some of
the most damaging weeds, including biological controls, rate and timing of the newest selective
herbicides, non-chemical options related to mechanical and cultural control practices, and
ecological relationships between weeds and desirable forage species in restoration programs.
ANR Network: The weed program is among ANR’s strongest in terms of the campus to county
network. Most notable is the strong group of non-crop weed specialists and AES faculty that work
effectively with advisors and ANR workgroups. This advisor will provide regional leadership to an
otherwise strong ANR team. Also, the UC IPM program is an excellent source of support and
collaboration, and the Hopland REC provides an additional nearby resource for field research and
extension. There are active workgroups that facilitate regional and statewide collaboration
including the weed workgroup and pest management Program Team. The specialization and focus
of this position will compliment rather than duplicate those of neighboring crop advisors. This
should help promote regional collaborations where each advisor can provide leadership and
expertise in a particular facet of crop management.
Network External to ANR: The primarily external groups for this position will be the Federal, State
and County agencies that are tasked with managing invasive plants. This includes Parks and Open
Space, Public Works, Land Trusts, Organic Certification Associations, and Resource Conservation
Districts. In addition, the Weed Management Areas within the North Coast region are very active
and would be a consistent source of interaction with the Advisor. This position will also be a point
of contact for land owners, pest control advisors, scientists, private companies, agencies, and the
media.
Support: Office, transportation, clerical, and communication support are available at the UCCE
Office in Santa Rosa (Sonoma County). Sonoma County support has been solid even during difficult
economic times. Inter-county support from Marin, Solano and Napa counties has been available in
the past and we expect them to continue to support the position considering the impact of invasive
plants in these counties. The new advisor would be supervised by the Sonoma County Director.
Other support: Outside funding would be expected from the California Department of Food and
Agriculture, Western Integrated Pest Management Center, Western Regional SARE, Federal and
state agencies, including California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as
research collaborations directly with the related industries.
Location: Sonoma County Cooperative Extension office would likely be the selected headquarters
for this position because it is centrally located in the program area and has office space and strong
county support.
Developed and proposed by: This position was developed by the UC Weed Workgroup and is
submitted by the ANR Pest Management Program Team. Internal stakeholder groups that were
consulted include individual Specialists and Farm Advisors who would work closely with an
invasive plant management issues.