Hooper, Utah • A yearslong battle against an invasive grass has improved hundreds of acres of wetland habitat near the Great Salt Lake, even as lake levels decline.
Water-sucking phragmites moved into Utah wetlands decades ago and firmly took root. The non-native plant is notoriously hard to knock back, choking out native plants and wildlife.
But just in time for duck hunting season, managers at Ogden Bay Waterfowl Management Area are gaining ground, fighting back phragmites with an unlikely weapon — cows.
"Welcome to Ogden Bay Cattle Ranch," joked Rich Hansen, manager of the WMA.