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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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My camp has some poison ivy on it which is not surprising. Last year we had a mini-epidemic of poison ivy between our staff and campers. I was wondering if someone could recommend a way to get rid of it some how.
Thanks
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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There are a couple things a camp can do...
The poison ivy can be sprayed with weed killer. But it will probably come back.
People can be educated as to what poison ivy looks like and what the consequences can be of touching it.
It can be recommended that proper clothing be worn at camp in an attempt to reduce the likelihood of getting posion ivy (long pants, close-toed shoes, socks, etc).
If you want people to be able to be free in the woods without worrying about poison ivy, then maybe someoen can go around camp and identify a few areas that seem to be "poison ivy free zones".
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Anonymous
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There are LOTS of good bulletins from the Extension Service that cover poison ivy. You can download most as PDFs from most state land-grant university sites by linking to their extension service pages. Actually, there are lots of Extension/USDA-FS and other government documents online that are helpful for land management, almost an overwhelming amount.
Brush control herbicides are not a bad solution in areas where leaving it alone is not a solution. You have to use them carefully though. So far, at this property, the poison ivy is not very resistant. Here in Michigan, commercial application of pesticides requires certification no matter if they are available at a hardware store to homeowners. Getting that only involved a half-day of good training at the extension office and a few tests for categories needed at camp. You will for sure need to know if Penn requires similar things.
More often than not, I just leave it alone in most areas. It is in the areas that it can't be avoided that I try to control it. To keep people aware, when we have a volunteer day, GPS course, or other things that might cause off-the-beaten-path activity, I hand out copies of the extension bulletin. This has worked pretty well, because once they know what it is, most people avoid it.
Interestingly, most of the extension bulletins I've read state that about 30% are immune to it. But who wants to test that immunity?
Regards,
Nick Carr
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Just a couple of other ideas...
Did you know that one of a goats favorite foods is poison ivy? One year we had the kids walk the goats and let them work on eating it along the trail. They really did like it... that is where the old farmer's saying, "never kiss a goat on the lips" comes from.
We have used chemicals and they have knocked it back but you have to keep with it and it can get expensive.
Information on poison ivy reactions that might help you once people are exposed to it...
From what we have learned about 85% of us react in some way to poison ivy, but only about 5-10% of those react very badly...the rest might get a itchy spot but never break out at all. We also have found the information that when the Urushiol Oil gets on your skin it remains on the surface for about 15-20 minutes. In this time it can be washed off and we found one lone report that said water can actually make it inert. If you don't wash it off within 15-20 minutes if goes down into your skin and binds to your cells and causes havoc and cannot be washed off. Also be aware that the oil can be effective for many years so avoid dead vines or tools you have exposed to it.
When we were kids we were told not to scratch it because we would spread it. It turns out that the puss that comes out of the blisters is not contagious, and that liquid cannot spread it. The reason it looks like it spreads is that the oil is thickest where the oil first got on you, and thiner where you might have spread the oil to. It also depends on how tough the skin is in the area you got it on. The reaction to the oil happens first where you got the most on you or the most delicate areas and later for the other spots. People can react within hours, but most tend to react several days later.
We have had great success with Zanfelt (http://www.zanfel.com/)
It really does work in 30 seconds, but you must apply it in exactly the way they tell you. We have treated about 10 people and none of them came back for a second treatment that is allowed for. We have used it on kids with full blown rashes that came with them from other camps to those that we thought "just might be poison ivy". The only one it did not work for is a fellow in our kitchen who is highly allergic. It is expensive, but you use just a squirt only once per person so it last a long time and has been well worth it to us.
Hope this helps... please share information with me that could sharpen up this information. Thanks Jill Laidlaw, YWCA Camp Cavell.[/size][size:14pt][/b][b]
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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This is an old post, but still, everyone comes across this three leaf tormenter sooner or later. We have it all over camp, especially in the natural wooded areas.
Herbcides can work, but results vary widely by product, season and weather conditions. My experience is that it works best if applied when conditions are hot and dry (mid-sumnmer). Otherwise it seems to just slow it down for a while.
The only sure method I have found is by digging it up roots and all. Yikes! Sounds pretty dangerous eh? Well, being immune does help. If not, you have to take meaningful steps to protect yourself.
Long shirts, gloves, creams (Ivy Block), hat, etc. all help to prevent the oil from contacting your skin directly. Just don't forget to isolate the clothing and tools later because they may still have oil on them. (my dear wife got it one time from just putting my jeans into the wash)
The areas I have cleared by digging have remained forever clear.
Also, once immune not ALWAYS immune. That can change over the years and simply because of a person's immune system. I take every precaution and wash up thoroughly afterwards, just to be on the safe side.
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apalm
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apalm
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You might want to contact a local college/community college's agricultural department to see if they would come diagnose/clean it up for volunteer service.
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