February 2,2016

Mr. Rex Alon

Fish Creek Provincial Park Ecologist
Alberta Parks
15979 Bow Bottom Trail SE, Calgary, AB T2P 0Y8, Canada

Dear Mr. Alon,

Greetings!
Fish Creek Provincial Park is one of the largest urban parks in North
America and we have been aware of the Leafy Spurge invasion that is occurring.
These plant can cause agricultural, environmental or public health damage (US
Plant Protection Act, 2000). We, the Grazing Agency propose a proven and
effective solution to this problem. We offer the best weed control methods to
tackle the infested areas of your park. By grazing, livestock can improve
rangeland and reduce the risk of cattle being poisoned by grazing toxic plants.
First, ----Rangelands should be managed under a grazing program that encourages the
growth and vigor of the competitive plant community. This includes avoiding
improper grazing practices that can favor leafy spurge.

Improper grazing by cattle may encourage and increase leafy spurge infestations. A grazing management program should include the following methods that
encourage competitive plant growth, directly enhancing and promoting a healthy
rangeland system:

Avoid heavy grazing by implementing proper stocking rates;

Avoid grazing actively growing grasses;

Alter the season of use avoid grazing the same plants at the same time
year after year;

Rotate livestock between pastures to allow plant recovery before being regrazed; and

Minimize bare ground by promoting plant litter accumulation.

To encourage competitive plant growth and vigor, cattle could graze leafy spurgeinfested pastures either before grasses begin their active growing phase or after
grasses have dispersed seeds. In multi-species grazing programs, cattle may
harvest the grass before sheep are placed in areas with light infestations. This
will enable sheep to remove leafy spurge more efficiently. Cattle can also be
allowed to harvest grass late in summer before sheep are placed in the area to
graze spurge regrowth.
Multi-species grazing could be integrated with a cattle operation to distribute
grazing pressure more uniformly across pastures and among plants, including

leafy spurge. On moderately stocked rangelands, one ewe can be added per
cow/calf pair without reducing cattle production. When performed properly,
integrating sheep with cattle grazing can direct a rangeland system towards a
highly

productive,

perennial

grass

climax

community.

(Leafy

Spurge:

Biology, Ecology and Management by Kim Goodwin, Roger Sheley, Robert

Nowierski and Rodney Lym)

The effectiveness of prescription grazing by sheep and goats has been clearly
demonstrated for the management of leafy spurge, which aggressively competes
with native plants on over 3 million acres of rangeland in the Northern Great
Plains. sheep and goats readily graze leafy spurge, finding it a nutritious and
desirable forage and selecting it before resorting to eating grasses. Sheep and
goats are highly effective tools for reducing the dominance of leafy spurge and
are a readily applied technique in many areas of Montana and North Dakota.
Using sheep to control leafy spurge can cost as little as 60 cents per acre,
compared to a cost of $35 per acre to spray herbicides from a helicopter.
Currently, Montana weed trust fund dollars compensate sheep producers $1 a
head per month for grazing services to control leafy spurge on over 28,000
acres. Strategically applied sheep and goat grazing has reduced the risk and
extent of wildfire in many settings. The most successful programs to reduce fuel
loads are in California where goats and sheep are commonly employed to graze
the highly flammable shrubs of the chaparral region. (Engaging Livestock in

Weed Management - A Western Perspective by Karen Launchbaugh from

University of Idaho )
Our proposed system combines grazing along with biological control. Biological
control is economically sustainable. Leafy spurge biocontrol agents can usually
be collected or obtained for free, and do not require a large investment of money
or time to use or maintain. Biological control is ecologically sustainable. Once
established, leafy spurge biocontrol agents are self-sustaining meaning theyll
always be there working in the background to control leafy spurge. In addition,
biological control are not known to cause any adverse ecological consequences.
Biocontrol along with grazing is the most appropriate methon in controlling leafy
spurge.

Respectfully yours,
Grazing Agency

Justine Claire Alfonso

Mary Gabrielle Gabini

Christine Joy Oandasan

Julius Cesar Catague

Isabella Abasolo

James Rue Sanchez

Kert Jubahib

Jed Mandalihan

Janine Joy Espanola

Ahabel Borong