• Skip to main content
Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District Logo
  • Our Priorities
    • Clean and Abundant Water
    • Healthy Soil
    • Food & Farms
    • Thriving Habitat
    • Invasive Species Management
    • Resilient Forests
  • Our Programs
    • Rural Conservation
    • Urban Conservation
    • Forest Conservation
    • Habitat Conservation
    • Invasive Species
    • Conservation Education
    • Grants & Funding
  • Get Involved
  • Stay Informed
  • Subscribe
  • Our Story
  • Search
Home / Projects / Invasive Species Management Made Easy

Invasive Species Management Made Easy

SWCD Branded Separator
Portrait of Gordon
Gordon lives along a creek in Forest Grove where he grows 10 varieties of garlic and manages a small woodlot.

Meet Gordon. In Gordon’s own words, he lives on a 25 acre “slice of heaven” along a creek in Forest Grove where he grows 10 different varieties of garlic! On fall weekends, you can often find Gordon and his wife selling garlic at the Beaverton Farmers Market.

Gordon maintains the front part of his property as a garlic farm and horse pasture. The creek flows gently through this portion of the property on its way to joining Gales Creek. The back portion is what Gordon glowingly refers to as his “retirement project” – a small woodlot full of western red cedar and Douglas fir.

Gordon started seeing some changes on his slice of heaven but wasn’t sure why. He noticed a new, unknown green plant growing along the creek that was causing the existing vegetation to die back. The plant was even starting to encroach into his horse pasture and affect his forage plants.

Around the same time, he received a letter from Tualatin SWCD asking permission to survey his property for garlic mustard. Garlic mustard is an invasive plant species that is unrelated to garlic but gets its name from the garlicky taste and scent of its leaves. Gordon’s response was “yeah, let’s have a look!” He responded “yes” and invited us to his property to see if he had any problems developing.

Invasive species cause economic and environmental harm

Invasives species are non-native plants, insects, and animals that can be hazardous to humans, poisonous to livestock, and reduce land productivity. Tualatin SWCD’s Invasive Species Program monitors the spread of invasive species and helps control them to reduce their impact on our community.

To stop these species from spreading, Tualatin SWCD reaches out to landowners in specific areas each year requesting permission to survey their properties for these problematic weeds.

Here’s how the process works:

  • We receive a report of a possible infestation from the Oregon Invasives Species Hotline or word of mouth.
  • Once the report is verified, we send a Permit of Entry agreement to landowners in the vicinity of the infestation asking for permission to visit their properties.
  • The Permit of Entry agreement allows us to survey for any Early Detection and Rapid Response weeds. The agreement offers the opportunity to set conditions of access and treatment and expires after five years.
  • If any species are found on the property, we work with the landowner to determine the best treatment plan that aligns with their schedule.
  • Our experienced contractors and staff treat the infestation.
  • Following treatment, a second visit is scheduled to re-survey the property. If the species is still found, we will continue to help until the species is under control.
  • The entire process is voluntary and free of charge.

Tualatin SWCD is a non-regulatory organization. We do not create or enforce regulations or land-use rules. When visiting your property, we will only be looking for and treating harmful invasive species.

Tualatin SWCD makes invasive species management easy

“It’s a great program, that people should take advantage of. All the landowner has to do is open the gate and they’ll take care of it for you. How can it be easier than that?”

– Gordon

When we arrived at Gordon’s property, we discovered several patches of garlic mustard spreading along the banks of the creek. We quickly set up a treatment plan that aligned with Gordon’s schedule and our experienced contract crews and staff began targeted treatment.

Gordon has seen a drastic improvement since the garlic mustard has been removed. The native vegetation along his creek returned and the pasture is thriving. And Gordon couldn’t be more thankful for the help. “It hasn’t been any effort on my part. It’s been a pleasure to work with Tualatin SWCD and its contractors.”

Close up of person removing garlic mustard, an invasive species.
Person removing garlic mustard
Garlic mustard, an invasive species.
Two people reviewing POE letter which allows Tualatin SWCD to look for invasive species

What should you do if you receive a Permit of Entry letter from Tualatin SWCD?

If you are like Gordon and receive a Permit of Entry letter, please open it and read it thoroughly. Once you’ve signed and returned the agreement, we will schedule a visit to your property and treat any priority invasive species that are found. The timing of surveys and treatments varies by species.

Please note that we do not treat common weeds like ivy, blackberry, and common broom. To learn more about controlling these weeds, visit our Weed & Pest Directory.

The goal of this collective effort is to respond to every confirmed report of an invasive species. This effort is successful thanks to the more than 1,400 landowners, like Gordon, who allow us to visit their properties.

Contact our Invasive Species Program if you have any questions about your Permit of Entry agreement or to learn more about our efforts to control invasive plant species in the Tualatin River watershed.

Project Contacts

Portrait of Tyler
Tyler Pedersen
Invasive Species Program Coordinator

(971) 371-0277

Portrait of Olivia
Olivia Hurd
Invasive Species Technician

(503) 747-9480

Portrait of Eli
Eli Staggs
Invasive Species Technician

(503) 858-8537

« Hall Creek Habitat Restoration Project
Bankston Family Nature Preserve »

Written by: Andrew Felton, Education & Outreach Specialist

Posted In:

Featured, Invasive Species, Invasive Species Management
SWCD Branded Separator

Share:

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Email
Subscribe News Icon

Email me about caring for the soil and water!

Get Involved Icon

Find an Event

Calendar of Events
Upcoming Workshops

reflection in a lake

About Us

  • Our Story
  • Our Watershed
  • Our Staff
  • Our Board
  • Careers
  • Reports & Publications

Resources

  • Event Calendar
  • Weed & Pest Directory
  • Contractor Directory
  • Library & Videos
  • Tool Loan Program
  • News
  • Watershed Navigator

Contact Us

Tualatin Soil and Water
Conservation District
7175 NE Evergreen Pkwy #400
Hillsboro, OR. 97124

Phone: 503-334-2288
Office Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm
Email Us

Follow Us

العربية العربية 简体中文 简体中文 繁體中文 繁體中文 English English Filipino Filipino Français Français Deutsch Deutsch हिन्दी हिन्दी 한국어 한국어 Русский Русский Español Español Tiếng Việt Tiếng Việt

© 2023 Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District. All Rights Reserved. | Sitemap | Non-Discrimination Policy | Privacy Policy | Website Design by Hoopla Creative

 

Loading Comments...