| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Dave Burch |
| April 2, 2004 | (406) 444-5400
TTY (406) 444-4687 |
Officials to Provide Weed Update for Governor
HELENA, Mont. — Local, state and federal officials will provide a weed management status report to Governor Judy Martz on Wednesday, April 7 at 3:30 p.m. in the Governor's Reception Room in the state Capitol.
Members of the Montana Weed Summit Steering Committee will report on successes of the plan since its adoption in January 2001, and on some new features envisioned in a pending update to the plan.
"Weeds are a serious problem in Montana. We have succeeded in getting a broad-based coalition of individuals and government agencies involved in the solution, and our weed management plan is being used as a model by other states," says Ralph Peck, director of the Montana Department of Agriculture and the governor's representative on the steering committee.
In addition to Peck, speakers at the briefing include Larry Beneker, regional soil conservationist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs; Dave Burch, state weed coordinator; Jim Ghekiere, Liberty County weed coordinator; and Dave Schulz, Madison County commissioner and chair of the Weed Summit Steering Committee.
Montana has been a leader in weed management efforts, says Burch. The state was the first to launch a Noxious Weed Seed Free Forage Program to certify hay and other forages. Federal land managers in western states now require certified forage when horses and pack animals are used on public lands.
The state recently awarded $2.5 million in 2004 funding to 144 weed projects with its cooperatively funded Noxious Weed Trust Fund. The projects include research, management and educational programs. An example is Gruber Estates Noxious Neighbors, a project that aims to control weeds in a Clancy-area subdivision.
The trust fund has provided support for more than 700 weed projects since 2000, Burch says.
More information about the State Weed Management Plan or other weed management efforts, contact the Montana Department of Agriculture at (406) 444-5400 or by e-mail at agr@mt.gov.
