Combatting cheatgrass to protect native rangelands, treating 56,000 acres in 2024 and expanding efforts to safeguard core habitats.
The spread of cheatgrass in Park County is becoming incredibly problematic for rangelands and wildlife habitat. Cheatgrass also poses a serious threat to large intact landscapes comprised mostly of native plant communities, or “cores”.
Formed in 2023, the Absaroka Invasive Task Force is working with landowners to defend core areas of the Absaroka Front from invasive annual grasses. Our mission is to fund and implement invasive annual grass inventories, treatments, and monitoring across jurisdictional boundaries, including private lands. This Task Force is composed of people from WGFD, BLM, USFS, NRCS, UW, and Conservation Districts along with NGOs, including the Western Landowners Alliance, the Nature Conservancy, and LegacyWorks.
In 2024, the Task Force treated 6,000 acres of private working ranches and 50,000 acres of public lands, with plans to go after multi-year funding for an even bigger impact over the next three years.
