Herbicide Basics Webinar Series - Session 4

May 15th, 2025 (6:00 pm to 7:30 pm)

Reducing Unnecessary Herbicides in our Environment  

The fourth and final session of this series will be a reflection on all that has been covered throughout the series and the summarization of knowledge for risk assessment around herbicide use. Janelle Groff will present the Flathead Biological Station’s Montana Pesticide Stewardship Program. This program highlights how land-based actions can have lasting impacts on our water. This presentation will focus on how overuse of herbicides (such as in lawn care) can have lasting impacts in our soil and waterways. Additionally, this session will cover the concept of integrated pest management (IPM) to describe actions that can be taken to reduce the risks of herbicide use and introduce alternative methods to manage invasive plant populations. 

The purpose of this presentation is to provide both professional applicators and property owners with the alternative methods for controlling exotic plants as well as to spread awareness around the misuse of herbicide as a management tool.

Key Topics - 

• Understanding the consequences of herbicide use, the importance of doing it right, and alternative methods through IPM  
• Potential for lasting impacts from herbicide on our aquatic resources 
• Understanding the lifespan of herbicides in our waterways and soil  
• Reducing non-point source pollution to improve water quality via Flathead Biological Station’s Montana Pesticide Stewardship Program 

Speaker -

Janelle Groff is a Research Coordinator at the Flathead Lake Biological Station (FLBS), University of Montana. She joined FLBS in May 2022, initially working on a snow algae project with the FLBS Director, Dr. Jim Elser. Janelle has since contributed to the Flathead Lake Monitoring Program and the Freshwater Research Laboratory.

In late 2023, Janelle began coordinating the Montana Pesticide Stewardship Partnership Program (PSPP) under Dr. Rachel Malison, focusing on protecting Montana's waters through a significant EPA grant. The PSPP is a collaborative network in Western Montana working to reduce pesticide pollution in our waters through sustainable best practices. The PSPP supports water quality monitoring, community education and engagement, and activities to improve water quality.  Janelle's role is multifaceted, involving a mix of administrative, fieldwork, and collaborative tasks to support research and stewardship efforts. In this role, she interacts with partners, supports monitoring efforts, maintains records, completes reports, and more.