| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Dave Burch |
| June 16, 2006 | (406) 444-5400 |
Weed Councils, State Agency Pull Together in Weed Effort
HELENA, Mont. — Members of two statewide weed management advisory councils that hold meetings next week in Helena will be put to work pulling weeds alongside staff from the Montana Department of Agriculture.
As many as 80 volunteers headed by department Director Nancy K. Peterson will learn about noxious weeds, and will pull and bag spotted knapweed and Dalmatian toadflax on public land surrounding the Tenmile Water Treatment Plant at 1115 Rimini Road starting at 9:45 a.m. on Wednesday, June 21, 2006. The group will then travel to Moose Creek Campground for some weed maintenance, plant identification and lunch.
Joining the department's 2nd Annual Weed Pull this year will be about 10 members and associates of the state Noxious Weed Summit Advisory Council and the Noxious Weed Management Advisory Council. The two groups hold regular meetings at the Wingate Inn at 2007 N. Oaks, Helena on June 20, beginning at 9 a.m.
"Employees of the Montana Department of Agriculture pulled and disposed of more than 70 bags of noxious weeds during our first weed pull last June," Peterson said. "I discussed it with some members of the two councils and we thought this was a good time to show we mean business in our own backyard."
Spotted knapweed, with its characteristic purple flowers, is the number one range weed in western Montana and infests more than 3.8 million acres statewide, she said. Dalmatian toadflax, which has waxy leaves and yellow flowers resembling those of a snapdragon, is another Category 1 noxious weed that crowds out native species and is spreading rapidly across Montana.
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 said could be used to support 518 fulltime jobs in the state.
The department is involved in a Zero Spread campaign in a collaborative effort with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Montana Weed Control Association and the Montana Statewide Noxious Weed Awareness & Education Campaign to promote efforts to halt the spread of invasive species. 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.
