| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Dave Burch |
| April 26, 2006 | (406) 444-3144 |
Weed Grants Total More Than $2 Million
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Department of Agriculture has notified 78 successful applicants who will receive a total of $2,089,816 for weed management activities during the coming year.
The Montana Noxious Weed Management Advisory Council heard testimony from grant applicants requesting more than $3.8 million in funding for local control, education, and research weed projects during hearings held recently in Lewistown. Acting on the recommendations, Director Nancy K. Peterson sent letters this week notifying successful applicants of funding for 56 local cooperative weed projects, 15 education projects, and seven research projects.
Presenters included teachers, students, researchers, tribal representatives, landowners, commissioners, county weed coordinators, and county extension agents. Among the projects funded were:
-- The Cross/Camas Prairie Weed Management Project - $12,420 for the third year of a three-year project on the Flathead Indian Reservation to treat 1,000 acres of pastureland to control spotted knapweed and sulfur cinquefoil by helicopter.
-- Increasing Root Weevil Population - $38,835 to Montana State University at its Western Agricultural Research Center in Corvallis to enhance reproduction of a root weevil, Cyphocleonus achates, for biological control of spotted knapweed.
-- K-12 Noxious Weed Curriculum - $23,496 to Missoula County to provide teachers, educators, and weed professionals with an ecologically-based invasive weed curriculum to assist students in developing awareness, knowledge, and skills that will result in responsible land stewardship.
"There were many excellent proposals presented during four days of hearings. By adjusting some of the amounts, we were pleased to be able to fund 78 worthy projects and use all of the grant funding available for fiscal year 2006," says Dave Burch, weed program manager at the department.
For more information about the Montana Noxious Weed Management program,
contact Burch at 406-444-5400 or by e-mail at agr@mt.gov.
