Noxious Weed Program Brochure
Introduction
Our Mission
Accomplishing the Mission
Our Services
How You Can Help
For More Information or to Request Assistance
Colorado's Ten Most Wanted
Introduction:
Whether you live, work, or play in Colorado, noxious weeds threaten many of the natural resources that you have come to appreciate, value, or depend upon for your livelihood.
By interfering with natural processes, native species, and management of our lands, these aggressive, nonnative plants are rapidly changing the face of Colorado's landscapes.
For example, noxious weeds have already reduced the agricultural productivity of our cropland and rangeland, lowered real estate values, endangered our health and well-being, and dramatically damaged some of Colorado's unique scenic values.
In addition, these unwanted invaders continue to slow state and local economies, alter the composition and structure of native plant communities, diminish opportunities for recreation, and destroy valuable wildlife habitat.
Imagine local ponds and streams drying up and disappearing; songbirds you once enjoyed seeing and hearing vanishing forever; your neighborhood open space changing from a beautiful mixture of native plants that flower throughout much of the year to fields or hillsides covered with thistles and knapweeds.
Imagine crop production cut in half, or the number of livestock a pasture can sustain reduced to a quarter of its former capacity. Imagine losing your child or a favorite horse to a debilitating, fatal illness, or a severe allergic reaction brought on by a brush with a common and seemingly harmless weed.
Events like these have occurred countless times in many other western states and are increasing across Colorado as noxious weeds spread and become more widely established throughout our beautiful state.
Whether you are a homeowner who wants to maintain the beauty and character of your community; a recreationist who enjoys outdoor pursuits such as hunting, fishing, rafting, cycling, or hiking; a citizen who cares about the native plants, wildlife, and Colorado's natural heritage; or a farmer/rancher who wants to preserve the productivity and health of the land, noxious weeds severely threaten your way of life and the natural resources you value.
In response to the noxious weed threats, the Colorado Department of Agriculture, with assistance from numerous public and private organizations, has launched the Colorado Noxious Weed Management Program to halt and reduce the spread and establishment of noxious weeds.
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Our Mission :
To prevent the introduction of new invasive plant species into Colorado, quickly detect and eradicate noxious weed species with isolated or limited populations, and improve the management of those noxious weeds that are already well established and widespread in Colorado.
Accomplishing the Mission:
The Colorado Noxious Weed Management Program implements preventative strategies to reduce the opportunities for new invasive species to spread into Colorado; provides information and resources to local weed managers to detect and eradicate species with isolated or limited populations quickly and effectively; helps to establish local weed management areas which emphasize coordinated efforts among public and private landowners to manage widespread weed populations; and educates public agency staff and private citizens about the negative impacts associated with noxious weeds, and how to manage noxious weeds successfully.
Our Services:
- Provide guidance, coordination, technical assistance, and additional resources to local government weed managers so they can increase the capacity and effectiveness of local weed management programs to serve the public.
- Assist counties, municipalities, and state agencies in fulfilling their obligations to manage weeds by identifying problem species spreading into their region, reviewing draft management plans and ordinances, and promoting partnerships with appropriate public and private landowners.
- Promote sensible policy changes in all state and federal agencies to prevent, eradicate, and contain noxious weed populations.
- Facilitate the formation of partnerships among public and private organizations and individuals that result in effective and efficient weed management actions.
- Educate public agency staff, professional weed managers, professional associations, public interest groups, and private citizens about noxious weed management through the development and dissemination of educational materials in many different forums.
- Assist in developing weed management plans for state properties as well as local governments.
- Create and maintain information systems such as mapping and inventory databases that benefit weed managers and Colorado landowners.
- Provide an information clearinghouse to help Colorado citizens and weed managers obtain accurate and timely information about the management of noxious weeds.
- Administer the Colorado Noxious Weed Management Fund to provide additional financial resources to promote innovative and effective weed management actions across the state.
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- Learn to identify the noxious weed species that are invading the area where you live and work.
- Report the location of all known and suspected noxious weeds to local managers so they can be dealt with quickly.
- Manage noxious weeds on your property and share your concerns with neighbors.
- Minimize ground disturbing activities on your land and always revegetate.
- Always use integrated weed management techniques for the effective and safe management of noxious weeds.
- Refrain from planting noxious weeds as ornamentals and remove existing problem noxious weeds such as purple loosestrife, tamarisk, and yellow toadflax.
For More Information or to Request Assistance:
For more information about the Colorado Noxious Weed Management Program, please call State Weed Coordinator Kelly Uhing at (303) 239-4173, write the Colorado Department of Agriculture, 700 Kipling Street, Suite 4000, Lakewood, CO 80215-5894, or send email to kelly.uhing@ag.state.co.us.
For additional information about noxious weeds, please call the Colorado Weed Management Association (CWMA) at 303-779-7939 or write to 6456 S. Niagara Ct., Centennial, CO 80111. Fax: 303-220-5833 or email mngmntplus@qwest.net.
For local assistance with noxious weeds, please contact your local municipal or county weed supervisor and/or your local Colorado State University (CSU) Cooperative Extension office. Check your phone book's government pages for local listings. To find the CSU Cooperative Extension office nearest you, please call (970) 491-6281, or write CSU Cooperative Extension, Fort Collins, CO 80523. You may also contact the Colorado Department of Agriculture (listed above) to help you locate local weed management officials.
- Canada thistle
- Diffuse knapweed
- Field bindweed
- Hoary cress
- Jointed goatgrass
- Leafy spurge
- Musk thistle
- Russian knapweed
- Spotted knapweed
- Yellow toadflax
These weeds and others can be successfully controlled by applying several different weed management methods including biological, chemical, cultural and mechanical techniques. By integrating specific techniques that are practical, safe, and cost-effective, we can attack the weaknesses of targeted noxious weed species during specific times of their life cycle to achieve efficient control.
Special thanks to the US Army Engineers Waterways Experiment Station for providing most of the photographs in this brochure.
They can send you a Noxious and Nuisance Plant Management Information System (PMIS) CD, free of charge, with noxious and nuisance plant information, pictures; herbicide, biocontrol and mechanical methods, pesticide laws and noxious weed lists for 25 states. To order your free CD, call (601) 634-2972, or send email to grodowm@mail.wes.army.mil.
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