MANAGEMENT OF INVASIVE PLANTS IN THE WESTERN USA
  • Defining the Problem
    • What is a Weed? >
      • Federal Definitions of Noxious Weeds
    • Costs of invasive plants
    • Human Factor
    • Challenges of Invasive Plants
    • Wildfires in the Western USA >
      • Forest Fires: Structure
      • Bark Beetles & Forest Ecosystems
      • Rangeland Fires
    • Climate Change Impacts on Plants >
      • Climate Change: CO2, NO, UV, Ozone Impacts on Plants
      • Climate Change Impacts on Crops
      • Climate Change Impacts on C4 Plants
      • Climate Change Impacts on Rangeland
    • What are we doing?
  • Focus of this Project
    • Why Western States? >
      • Audience for these reports
    • History: Are we doomed to repeat it? >
      • Dust Bowl Re-visited >
        • China: Past & Present
        • UN Biodiversity Report
    • Policy vs. Practice
    • Ecosystems & Economics >
      • Reductionist Approach to science
      • Ecology & Feminism
      • Systems View of Life
      • Ecosystems Health
      • Economic Growth
      • Impact of the Petrochemical Industry
      • Interrelation of Economics & Ecology
    • Federal Agencies >
      • Federal Agencies and Invasive Species
      • History of Coordination with States
      • Challenges of Coordination between Federal Agencies
      • Collaboration or Confusion
    • Organizations to assist landowners
    • Federal Legislation on Invasive Species >
      • 1930s Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • Federal Seed Act 1939
      • 1940s-1960s Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • 1970s Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • 1980s Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • 1990s Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • 2000-2010 Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • 2011-2022 Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • Federal Bills on Invasive Species not passed
      • Executive Orders on Invasive Species
      • Federal Excise Taxes
    • State Laws and Lists of Noxious Weeds
    • My Inspirations
  • Why we need plants
    • Native Plants
    • Plant Resources
  • Invasive Success Hypotheses
    • Unified Framework
    • Role of Diversity >
      • How Ecosystems Maintain Diversity
      • Fluctuation Dependent Mechanisms
      • Competition-based coexistence mechanisms
      • Niche Differences
      • Species Richness
    • Enemy Release Hypothesis
    • Constitutive Defense Mechanisms
    • Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability
    • Role of Microbes
    • Indirect Defense Mechanisms
    • Novel weapons hypothesis
    • Evolutionary Shifts
    • Resource Allocation
    • Evolutionary Dynamics >
      • Pre-introduction evolutionary history
      • Sampling Effect
      • Founder Effect
      • Admixture, hybridization and polyploidization
      • Rapid Evolution
      • Epigenetics
      • Second Genomes
    • Role of Hybridization
    • Role of Native Plant Neighbors
    • Species Performance
    • Role of Herbivory
    • Evolutionary Reduced Competitive Ability
    • Summary Thoughts on Research
  • Historical Record
    • Regional Conferences
    • Timeline
  • Innovative Solutions
    • Agricultural Best Practices >
      • Ecologically based Successional Management
      • Perennial Crops, Intercropping, beneficial insects
      • Soil Solarization
      • Natural Farming
      • Permaculture
      • Organic Farming
      • Embedding Natural Habitats
      • Conservation Tillage
      • Crop Rotation
      • Water Use Practices
      • Tree Planting: Pros & Cons
    • Grazing Solutions >
      • Sheep and Goat Grazing
      • Cattle & Sheep Grazing
      • Cattle and Bison Grazing
      • Grazing and Revegetation
    • Rangeland Restoration >
      • Federal Goals for Rangelands
      • Novel Ecosystems
      • Prairie Restoration >
        • Prairie Restoration Workshop
        • Weed Prevention Areas
        • California grassland restoration
        • Selah: Bamberger Ranch Preserve
      • Sagebrush Steppe Restoration >
        • Low Nitrogen in Sagebrush Steppe
      • Revegetation with Native Plants
      • Dogs as detectors of noxious weeds
    • Nudges
  • Biological Control
    • Insects as Biocontrol >
      • Impacts of Biocontrol Agents on Non-Target Species
      • Indirect Impact of Biocontrol on Native Species
    • Challenges of Using Biocontrols >
      • DNA studies on Biocontrol Insects
      • Biocontrol takes time
    • Prioritization process for Biocontrol Programs
    • Evolutionary changes impact Biocontrol
    • Vertebrates as Biocontrol Agents
  • Herbicides: History and Impacts
    • Effectiveness of Herbicides in Agricultural Lands
    • Effectiveness of Herbicides in Rangelands
    • History of Use of Herbicides and Pesticides Prior to and During WWII
    • Herbicide use during and post-World War II >
      • 2,4-D Herbicide Use
      • 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, post-World War II
    • Modern use of Herbicides >
      • Atrazine Herbicide
      • Dicamba Herbicide
      • Glyphosate Herbicide
      • Paraquat Dichloride
      • Picolinic acid family of herbicides >
        • Picloram (Tordon 22K) Herbicide
        • Triclopyr Herbicide
    • Herbicide Resistance in Invasive Plants >
      • Herbicide Resistant Crops
      • Controlling herbicide-resistant weeds in herbicide-resistant crops
      • Best Management Practices
    • Myth of the Silver Bullet
    • Myth of Eradication
    • Merging of Agrochemical Companies
    • Impacts of Pesticides on Environment and Human Health >
      • Pesticide Drift
      • Impacts of Pesticides on Biological Diversity
      • Impacts of Herbicides on Native Plants
      • Pesticide Impacts on Insects >
        • Butterflies: The Impacts of Herbicides
        • Monarch Butterflies: Impacts of Herbicides
      • Impacts of Pesticides on Wildlife >
        • Reptiles & Amphibians: Pesticide Impacts
      • Pesticide Residue in Foods
    • Funding for Research on Pesticides
    • Commentary on Herbicide Use
  • Interviews
    • Interviews Biocontrol >
      • Biocontrol Wyoming
      • Montana Biocontrol Interview Maggio
      • Montana Biocontrol Interview Breitenfeldt
    • California Interviews >
      • Robert Price
      • Doug Johnson
    • Colorado Interviews >
      • George Beck Interview
      • Scott Nissen Interview
    • Idaho Interviews >
      • Purple Sage Organic Farms in Idaho
    • Montana Interviews >
      • Jasmine Reimer Interview Montana
      • Organic Farms Montana Interviews
    • Texas Interviews
    • Washington Interviews >
      • Ray Willard
    • Wyoming Interviews >
      • Slade Franklin Interview
      • John Samson Interview
    • Wyoming Weed and Pest Districts >
      • Josh Shorb Interview
      • Slade Franklin Interview 2
      • Lars Baker Interview
      • Steve Brill Interview
      • George Hittle Interview
      • Peter Illoway Interview
      • Robert Jenn Interview
      • Sharon Johnson Interview
      • Larry Justesen Interview
      • Gale Lamb Interview
      • Stephen McNamee Interview
      • Allen Mooney Interview
      • Rob Orchard Interview
      • Robert Parsons Interview
      • Dick Sackett Interview
      • Comments by Delena
    • NRCS Interviews: Wyoming
  • Western Weed Control Conference 1940s Minutes
    • 1942 Conference
    • 1945 Conference
    • 1946 Conference
  • Who am I?
    • My Work
    • My Adventures
    • Contact Page
  • Road Logs
    • Colorado Road Logs
    • Idaho Road Logs
    • Montana Road Logs
    • New Mexico Road Logs
    • Texas Road Logs
    • Wyoming Road Logs
  • Bibliography


​Gale Lamb Interview: 
​
Sweetwater County, Weed and Pest District Co-Supervisor

Photo: Sagebrush habitat, Wyoming. © 2017 Delena Norris-Tull

​Gale Lamb, Sweetwater County, Wyoming, interview 2013
 
[Video interview conducted by Becky McMillen, transcribed by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull. Reviewed and approved by Gale, Oct. 13, 2020.]
 
[Gale Lamb is a Co-Supervisor for the Sweetwater County Weed and Pest District.]
 
"I live in McKinnon, Wyoming, a very small community. We have Co-Supervisors for Sweetwater County. I am the supervisor of the southern part of the County. I take care of the area south of I-80.
 
Sweetwater County was one of the first to develop a Co-Supervisor position. I was hired as the Assistant Supervisor in 1975. About 12 years ago, we changed to Co-Supervisors. There are only a couple of Supervisors that have been working in Weed and Pest as long as I have. I enjoy what I’m doing. You get to work with different entities, and you’re outside a lot.
 
In Sweetwater County, we hired the first Supervisor in 1973. The main office was in Farson. Sweetwater County is one of the largest Counties in Wyoming. The new Supervisor realized the County was too large for one Supervisor, so he advocated for an Assistant Supervisor, stationed in the southern half of the County.
 
At the beginning, we were still green; we were trying to get going. There were no bylaws or anything. We worked out of our own homes at first. There was very little equipment. I have helped build, over 38 years, several buildings, and I’ve helped upgrade the equipment. It’s been very interesting."
 
[Becky asked: What changes have you seen over the years?]
 
"Huge. Women. 38 years ago, there was not a woman Supervisor in Wyoming. And I don’t believe there was a woman Board member. I can’t say that the first one or two women was welcomed with open arms. But we had a couple that were able to stick it out. And now, there may be more women Supervisors than men. They have stepped into the role, and have done an excellent job. They seem to be more focused, and less interested in going to the bars. [Laughs.]
 
The laws. The chemicals we’re using. The equipment that we are using. When I started work, we had an old 2-wheel-drive truck, with the sprayer in the back, with a handgun. Now we have six trucks, we have 4-wheelers, 6-wheelers. We can do more work in a half day now, then we could do in the whole year when I first started.
 
We’re about 75% federal land, mostly BLM. We have some State land. We have the Green River area. We have contracts to do all the Federal and State land. We’ve always had good cooperation with the Federal Agents. The biggest change is the chemicals and laws about what we can do on Federal lands. We can’t use our ATVs to spray on Federal lands anymore, because of accidents. We’ve never had an accident ourselves. So we now use 6-wheelers and trucks, that are more stable."
 
[Becky asked: What are the most important things you’ve learned?]
 
"I had no college background. I was 21, born and raised on a ranch. I had a lot of knowledge of cattle and haying. I knew what a lot of the weeds were. But I didn’t know anything about the chemicals. My strongest was my knowledge of the weeds. My mother always had us weed her garden.
 
Back then, we only had two or three chemicals to work with, and the spray rig was very simple.
 
I’ve learned so many things over the years. We didn’t have computers in the offices back then. We didn’t have cell phones. We operated off of two-way radios, in two trucks, 100 miles apart. We had to get up on the ridge to talk to each other, or wait to talk to each other back in the office.
 
Nowadays, we can do mapping and photography. Remarkable changes. The new guys we’re hiring now have so much technical knowledge, that I don’t have.
 
My County has only dabbled in biocontrol. The Board members and landowners want to see results tomorrow.
 
About 20 years ago, we put out insects on musk thistle and Canada thistle, on BLM ground on really steep slopes. We didn’t see any changes one year out, two years out, three years out. We thought it wasn’t working. 10 years, we went back, and we started to see some change. Those steep slopes and drainages now have very little thistle on them. It does work.
 
We have some salt cedar weevils out, that we’re trying to get established. One problem in Sweetwater County is we’re at nearly 7000 feet elevation. We are having trouble getting those little bugs to overwinter at high elevation. But we have had some success with them. We’re starting to get the Board to see some of this, and we’re starting to get more insects out, especially on the tamarisk and salt cedar, on the Gorge. In the riparian areas, we can’t use chemicals, so the biocontrol is useful there. We have to convince the Board and the landowners to give it time."
 
[Becky asked: What are the biggest challenges, the biggest infestations you’ve seen?]
 
"Probably giant white top, perennial pepperweed. It’s pretty easy to control. But it grows in all conditions, wet ground, dry ground, cropland, highway right-of-ways. It’s a mustard, so each plant has thousands of seeds. Birds like to spread it. Sandhill cranes and geese eat it in the grain fields, and spread it. It’s transported in hay and on vehicles. Now it’s everywhere. It’s used a lot in floral arrangements. When we started fighting it, the recommended treatment was 1 to 2 gallons of 2,4-D per acre. That didn’t do anything. With some of the new DuPont products, we only need ¼ to 1/2 ounce per acre, and it’s doing an excellent job on it.
 
Canada thistle, Russian knapweed, we have a lot. We have a very small amount of leafy spurge, and we have been able to keep it under control here. Every County has some different weeds that are the biggest problem there.
 
We’ve never had a lot of grasshoppers here. We’ve had some occasional problems with migrations of Mormon crickets. In 1978, the crickets were so thick on Highway 191, they caused automobile accidents; it was like a patch of black ice in summer. But at 7000 feet, we don’t have much problem with bugs.
 
We don’t do work in the cities. Rock Springs and Green River, we give them their tax levy back, we provide consulting, and we sell them chemicals. Then they do their own work within the city limits."
 
[Becky asked: What changes have you seen in the law?]
 
"I’ve seen a lot of changes. When we started, the Weed Law was just getting started. We were loosely regulated. The environmentalists hadn’t found us. Now, people don’t want us to use chemicals. Laws are changing every day. I can’t say that’s all bad. There were some chemicals being used that were fairly hazardous, that are no longer on the market – DDT, 1080, 2,4,5-T – that I had used regularly. You see effects on those individuals that used them longer than me; that it’s crippled them or taken their lives.
 
We have a lot of paperwork now, on the chemicals we use, and on the GPS to monitor where we sprayed.
 
In Wyoming, we all give input into changes in the laws. We’ve been able to improve the laws on weed control. George Hittle was a miracle-worker. He was very effective in Washington, DC. He built the Wyoming Weed and Pest program. He was good at getting his way.
 
When I started, there were zero species on the State Designated list. They started out with the goal of 12 on the State Designated list. At that time, Counties were allowed only two Declared weeds and one Declared pest. Now there isn’t a limit on the number of species on the County Declared list. The Wyoming Council and the Wyoming Board of Agriculture both have to approve items added to the County Declared list.
 
The biggest change I’ve seen in the Wyoming Weed and Pest program is that we went from having a lot of fun, to being serious. We’ve lost something in the process. The new people are a great bunch of people, but they don’t know how to have fun!"
 
[Becky asked: Where do you see the organization going in the future?]
 
"I’m sure the next 40 years will bring as many changes as I’ve seen in the last 40 years. The Wyoming  Weed and Pest program will still be needed. This organization is rooted deep enough that they’ll still be around. Wyoming will still be the leaders in the nation."
 
[Becky asked: Do you have any advice for the future?]
 
"Keep strong, and enjoy your work! Find what you enjoy doing, and succeed in it."

Links to the Wyoming County interviews:
lars baker
steve brill
george hittlE
peter illoway
robert jenn
sharon johnson
larry justesen
stephen mcnamee
allen mooney
rob orchard
robert parsons
dick sackett
summary comments by Delena
Copyright: Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, July 2020. Management of Invasive Plants in the Western USA.

These webpages are always under construction. I welcome corrections and additions to any page.
​Send me an email, and I can send you the original Word format version of any page you wish to correct.
contact Dr. Norris-Tull
Bibliography
who am i?
My work
my inspirations
my adventures
  • Defining the Problem
    • What is a Weed? >
      • Federal Definitions of Noxious Weeds
    • Costs of invasive plants
    • Human Factor
    • Challenges of Invasive Plants
    • Wildfires in the Western USA >
      • Forest Fires: Structure
      • Bark Beetles & Forest Ecosystems
      • Rangeland Fires
    • Climate Change Impacts on Plants >
      • Climate Change: CO2, NO, UV, Ozone Impacts on Plants
      • Climate Change Impacts on Crops
      • Climate Change Impacts on C4 Plants
      • Climate Change Impacts on Rangeland
    • What are we doing?
  • Focus of this Project
    • Why Western States? >
      • Audience for these reports
    • History: Are we doomed to repeat it? >
      • Dust Bowl Re-visited >
        • China: Past & Present
        • UN Biodiversity Report
    • Policy vs. Practice
    • Ecosystems & Economics >
      • Reductionist Approach to science
      • Ecology & Feminism
      • Systems View of Life
      • Ecosystems Health
      • Economic Growth
      • Impact of the Petrochemical Industry
      • Interrelation of Economics & Ecology
    • Federal Agencies >
      • Federal Agencies and Invasive Species
      • History of Coordination with States
      • Challenges of Coordination between Federal Agencies
      • Collaboration or Confusion
    • Organizations to assist landowners
    • Federal Legislation on Invasive Species >
      • 1930s Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • Federal Seed Act 1939
      • 1940s-1960s Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • 1970s Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • 1980s Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • 1990s Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • 2000-2010 Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • 2011-2022 Federal Laws on Invasive Species
      • Federal Bills on Invasive Species not passed
      • Executive Orders on Invasive Species
      • Federal Excise Taxes
    • State Laws and Lists of Noxious Weeds
    • My Inspirations
  • Why we need plants
    • Native Plants
    • Plant Resources
  • Invasive Success Hypotheses
    • Unified Framework
    • Role of Diversity >
      • How Ecosystems Maintain Diversity
      • Fluctuation Dependent Mechanisms
      • Competition-based coexistence mechanisms
      • Niche Differences
      • Species Richness
    • Enemy Release Hypothesis
    • Constitutive Defense Mechanisms
    • Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability
    • Role of Microbes
    • Indirect Defense Mechanisms
    • Novel weapons hypothesis
    • Evolutionary Shifts
    • Resource Allocation
    • Evolutionary Dynamics >
      • Pre-introduction evolutionary history
      • Sampling Effect
      • Founder Effect
      • Admixture, hybridization and polyploidization
      • Rapid Evolution
      • Epigenetics
      • Second Genomes
    • Role of Hybridization
    • Role of Native Plant Neighbors
    • Species Performance
    • Role of Herbivory
    • Evolutionary Reduced Competitive Ability
    • Summary Thoughts on Research
  • Historical Record
    • Regional Conferences
    • Timeline
  • Innovative Solutions
    • Agricultural Best Practices >
      • Ecologically based Successional Management
      • Perennial Crops, Intercropping, beneficial insects
      • Soil Solarization
      • Natural Farming
      • Permaculture
      • Organic Farming
      • Embedding Natural Habitats
      • Conservation Tillage
      • Crop Rotation
      • Water Use Practices
      • Tree Planting: Pros & Cons
    • Grazing Solutions >
      • Sheep and Goat Grazing
      • Cattle & Sheep Grazing
      • Cattle and Bison Grazing
      • Grazing and Revegetation
    • Rangeland Restoration >
      • Federal Goals for Rangelands
      • Novel Ecosystems
      • Prairie Restoration >
        • Prairie Restoration Workshop
        • Weed Prevention Areas
        • California grassland restoration
        • Selah: Bamberger Ranch Preserve
      • Sagebrush Steppe Restoration >
        • Low Nitrogen in Sagebrush Steppe
      • Revegetation with Native Plants
      • Dogs as detectors of noxious weeds
    • Nudges
  • Biological Control
    • Insects as Biocontrol >
      • Impacts of Biocontrol Agents on Non-Target Species
      • Indirect Impact of Biocontrol on Native Species
    • Challenges of Using Biocontrols >
      • DNA studies on Biocontrol Insects
      • Biocontrol takes time
    • Prioritization process for Biocontrol Programs
    • Evolutionary changes impact Biocontrol
    • Vertebrates as Biocontrol Agents
  • Herbicides: History and Impacts
    • Effectiveness of Herbicides in Agricultural Lands
    • Effectiveness of Herbicides in Rangelands
    • History of Use of Herbicides and Pesticides Prior to and During WWII
    • Herbicide use during and post-World War II >
      • 2,4-D Herbicide Use
      • 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T, post-World War II
    • Modern use of Herbicides >
      • Atrazine Herbicide
      • Dicamba Herbicide
      • Glyphosate Herbicide
      • Paraquat Dichloride
      • Picolinic acid family of herbicides >
        • Picloram (Tordon 22K) Herbicide
        • Triclopyr Herbicide
    • Herbicide Resistance in Invasive Plants >
      • Herbicide Resistant Crops
      • Controlling herbicide-resistant weeds in herbicide-resistant crops
      • Best Management Practices
    • Myth of the Silver Bullet
    • Myth of Eradication
    • Merging of Agrochemical Companies
    • Impacts of Pesticides on Environment and Human Health >
      • Pesticide Drift
      • Impacts of Pesticides on Biological Diversity
      • Impacts of Herbicides on Native Plants
      • Pesticide Impacts on Insects >
        • Butterflies: The Impacts of Herbicides
        • Monarch Butterflies: Impacts of Herbicides
      • Impacts of Pesticides on Wildlife >
        • Reptiles & Amphibians: Pesticide Impacts
      • Pesticide Residue in Foods
    • Funding for Research on Pesticides
    • Commentary on Herbicide Use
  • Interviews
    • Interviews Biocontrol >
      • Biocontrol Wyoming
      • Montana Biocontrol Interview Maggio
      • Montana Biocontrol Interview Breitenfeldt
    • California Interviews >
      • Robert Price
      • Doug Johnson
    • Colorado Interviews >
      • George Beck Interview
      • Scott Nissen Interview
    • Idaho Interviews >
      • Purple Sage Organic Farms in Idaho
    • Montana Interviews >
      • Jasmine Reimer Interview Montana
      • Organic Farms Montana Interviews
    • Texas Interviews
    • Washington Interviews >
      • Ray Willard
    • Wyoming Interviews >
      • Slade Franklin Interview
      • John Samson Interview
    • Wyoming Weed and Pest Districts >
      • Josh Shorb Interview
      • Slade Franklin Interview 2
      • Lars Baker Interview
      • Steve Brill Interview
      • George Hittle Interview
      • Peter Illoway Interview
      • Robert Jenn Interview
      • Sharon Johnson Interview
      • Larry Justesen Interview
      • Gale Lamb Interview
      • Stephen McNamee Interview
      • Allen Mooney Interview
      • Rob Orchard Interview
      • Robert Parsons Interview
      • Dick Sackett Interview
      • Comments by Delena
    • NRCS Interviews: Wyoming
  • Western Weed Control Conference 1940s Minutes
    • 1942 Conference
    • 1945 Conference
    • 1946 Conference
  • Who am I?
    • My Work
    • My Adventures
    • Contact Page
  • Road Logs
    • Colorado Road Logs
    • Idaho Road Logs
    • Montana Road Logs
    • New Mexico Road Logs
    • Texas Road Logs
    • Wyoming Road Logs
  • Bibliography