Eagle’s Nest Open Space closed October 26-27 for aerial application of herbicide

LOVELAND – Larimer County Department of Natural Resources’ Eagle’s Nest Open Space, located south of Livermore, will be closed to the public for the application of herbicide by helicopter on October 26-27.  The treatment is part of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation RESTORE Colorado Program grant to reduce invasive exotic winter annual grass populations across seven Front Range foothills open spaces. 

The application area planned at Eagle's Nest Open Space is 750 acres. Helicopter application is used to efficiently use herbicide to reach the largest extent of cheatgrass at the optimal time of the year. Eagle’s Nest Open Space and Devil’s Backbone Open Space are two areas managed by Larimer County that are included in the grant program’s treatment area.

Winter annual grasses, such as cheatgrass and feral rye, threaten a host of ecological functions. If left untreated, these invasive grasses spread rapidly, displace native perennial plant species, and deplete critical food resources upon which wildlife depend. Eradication of cheatgrass and feral rye improves overall native plant diversity and cover, which in turn provides critical habitat for mammals, reptiles, birds, and insects.

This multi-agency project will treat 4,385-acres of foothills open space properties using the herbicide Indaziflam, which is widely accepted and scientifically proven to eliminate winter annual grasses and thereby improve native vegetation communities. 

The treatments will be monitored before and after application using both on-the-ground vegetation monitoring and a new Geographic Information System (GIS) tool, which uses remote sensing to detect and map cheatgrass levels. 

Read more about the RESTORE grant here. For more information, please contact Casey Cisneros, Land Stewardship Manager, 970-498-5769 or via email at ccisneros@larimer.org.

About Larimer County Department of Natural Resources
Natural Resources manages Larimer County’s great outdoor places, including magnificent open spaces and water-based recreation areas, and fosters responsible land stewardship through weed management and healthy forest practices. To learn more, visit www.larimer.org/naturalresources.