The Economic Times

In 2009, Montana's Big Hole staff began monitoring an invasive plant threatening native habitat. 17 years later, spotted knapweed estimates stood at just 8% of its 2012 peak, showing strong control

Long-term monitoring and control efforts have significantly reduced spotted knapweed at Big Hole National Battlefield in Montana. Monitoring began in 2009 after the invasive plant threatened native habitat and other natural and cultural resources. The infestation reached its peak in 2012 on the Howitzer Hill and Horse Pasture slopes. Between 2013 and 2018, efforts by the Northern Rocky Mountain Exotic Plant Management Team, Upper Columbia Basin Inventory and Monitoring Network, and Big Hole National Battlefield staff reduced population estimates to eight percent of the 2012 peak.