News
Now is the Time to Winterize your Herbicide Sprayers
Dropping temperatures, snow on the ground, and shrinking daylight hours means that it’s time to winterize those herbicides! ❄️Harsh winters like we have in Jackson can damage your herbicides as well as equipment if you don’t take proper precautions and measures.
American History: A Story of Mosquito-Borne Disease
When you think of a deadly animal what comes to mind? Sharks? Rattlesnakes? Crocodiles? These animals may result in some human deaths but they are far from the deadliest creatures out there. So what’s the “big” killer?— you guessed it, mosquitoes.
Get to know your Mosquitoes: Fun (not so fun) facts
Once July comes around you’ll start to see more and more of those pesky mosquitoes. When you’re in the backcountry camping you’ll hear the incessant buzz of their wings against the side of your tent. If you hike Snow King in the evening you’ll start to see some swarms following you once the sun goes behind the mountain. Or, you won’t even notice any mosquitoes around you but you’ll find multiple bug bites on your legs after you eat a late dinner on your back porch.
Invasive Species Prevention and Awareness Starts in the Classroom
Wyoming Weed and Pest Council has partnered with the Wyoming Alliance for Environmental Education to develop a comprehensive invasive species curriculum for first to fifth-grade students. A series of three, interconnected lessons have been developed for each grade level. The lessons are highly interactive, grade-level appropriate and develop progressively higher levels of understanding about invasive species while addressing relevant Wyoming State Science Standards.
Mosquito Habitats - Springtime
As summer nears and temperatures begin to rise throughout the Valley, water from snowmelt can create rearing habitat for larval mosquitoes. The habitat requirements for larval mosquitoes vary across species and mosquitoes have learned to take advantage of all different types of habitat. Some mosquito species prefer ephemeral habitats, such as pooling snowmelt, others require permanent water sources like grassy shallow pond edges. In the spring, our two biggest sources of mosquito habitat are snowmelt pools and water springing up as the water table rises from melting snowpack.
Invasive Species | Siberian Peashrub
Siberian peashrub, as its name implies, is a shrub or small tree. It has compound leaves, and, while the leaflets are arranged opposite one another, the leaves are alternate on the stem. It may have sharp, stiff stipules. This plant produces yellow pea flowers in the spring that turn into 1-2-inch-long peapods. Because it spreads by both seeds and roots, it is often found in large stands or hedgerows.
Moss Balls Carrying Zebra Mussels
We warned back in March 2021 that Marimo Moss Balls were contaminated with Zebra Mussels. These moss balls are generally sold at PetCo. and PetSmart and other pet stores. If you are unfamiliar with Zebra Mussels we want to urge how serious of an impact these invasive species can have on our waterways in Wyoming.
Meet our Team: Amy Girard
Amy Girard Job Title: Mosquito Program CoordinatorWhere were you born and raised and what brought you to Teton County?I was born in Bad Axe, Michigan and moved out west in 2005. While studying the effects of sagebrush treatments on small mammal communities in lovely Randolph, Utah I met my husband to be. We decided to ride his dirt bike up to Jackson one weekend to check out the mythical Tetons for the day. Once we saw the mountains, we knew it was a place we needed to spend more time. We have left a few times since then for jobs and grad school, but we have always been drawn back to this special place.
TCWP’s Response to COVID-19
Teton County Weed and Pest District reminds that their mission strives for the protection of human health. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, TCWP’s mission stands more than ever before. TCWP will continually serve the community but from a safe distance. Staff are working hard to meet the community’s needs while ensuring a successful recovery from the pandemic.