| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Dave Burch |
| June 20, 2005 | (406) 444-5400 TTY (406) 444-4687 |
State Agency Staff Pulls Together in Weed Effort
HELENA, Mont. — Some 40 staff members of the Montana Department of Agriculture will show their commitment June 21, 2005, to a new statewide Zero Spread campaign against noxious weeds by pulling weeds on public land near Rimini.
Staff members who volunteered for the weed pull will leave the department's Helena office at 9 a.m. and return in the afternoon. The first stop will be the Helena Tenmile water treatment plant near the junction of Rimini Road and state Highway 12 west of Helena. Spotted knapweed and other noxious weeds were discovered at the site, according to department Director Nancy K. Peterson.
In the afternoon, the crew will move to Moose Creek Campground off Rimini Road, about five miles south of the treatment plant.
There are 27 noxious weeds listed in Montana, and landowners are responsible for controlling weeds to prevent their spread. Knapweeds alone cost Montana an estimated $42 million annually, money that Peterson says could be used to support 518 fulltime jobs in the state.
Zero Spread is a collaborative effort of the Montana Department of Agriculture, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Pulling Together Task Force. For more information on the campaign, call 888-488-ZERO (9378) or contact the department at 406-444-3144 or by e-mail at agr@mt.gov.
