| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Dave Burch |
| April 11, 2008 | (406) 444-7880 |
Noxious Weed Grants Awarded
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Department of Agriculture has notified 100 successful applicants who will receive a total of $1,915,552 in grants for weed management activities during the coming year.
The Montana Noxious Weed Management Advisory Council heard testimony from grant applicants requesting more than $2.8 million in funding for local weed control, education and research projects during hearings held recently in Billings. Acting on the recommendations, Director Ron de Yong sent letters to successful applicants of funding for 77 local cooperative weed projects, 12 education projects, and 11 research projects.
Presenters included teachers, students, researchers, tribal representatives, landowners, commissioners, county weed coordinators, and county extension agents. Among the projects funded were:
-- The Elmo Bay Invasive Plant Management Area, $17,400 on the Flathead Indian Reservation to treat 1,200 acres of pasture to control spotted knapweed by helicopter.
-- Increasing Root Weevil Population, $40,000 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.
-- Noxious Weed ID Booklet, $39,250 to the Montana Weed Control Association to provide identification books to landowners, students, private individuals and weed professionals to assist with awareness, knowledge, and identification of the 32 weeds on Montana's statewide noxious weed list.
"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 100 worthy projects and use all of the grant funding available for fiscal year 2008," says Dave Burch, weed program manager at the department.
Legislation in 2007 to add $5 million to the Noxious Weed Trust Fund should
make an additional $200,000 available for weed fighting efforts later this
year, when additional interest from the trust fund becomes available.
For more information about the Montana Noxious Weed Management program,
contact Burch at 406-444-5400 or by e-mail at agr@mt.gov.
