Fremont County Weed Control Department

615 Macon Ave.
Room LL5
Cañon City, CO 81212

jr.phillips@fremontco.com

(719) 276-7317

Noxious Weed Management Plan
for
Fremont County, Colorado
including
The City of Cañon City

 

INDEX

INTRODUCTION

Fremont County has had a weed management plan in effect since 1992. That plan was written to comply with the requirements of HB90-1175; the "Colorado Weed Management Act," which was signed into law on May 7, 1990. The 1990 Act was superseded by the "Colorado Noxious Weed Act" (HB96-1008) on May 23, 1996. This plan, the "Noxious Weed Management Plan for Fremont County," is written to conform with the 1996 Act.

Requirements of the Colorado Noxious Weed Act

Among other things, the Colorado Noxious Weed Act of 1996 requires each county and municipality to adopt a noxious weed management plan. The plan is to address the management of the state noxious weeds "designated by rule." Each county or municipality may declare additional noxious weeds for inclusions in the plan, but only after a public hearing.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture has developed rules pertaining to the 1996 act and has designated 56 weeds to be on the State Noxious Weed list. Out of the 56 species, ten are recognized to be the most widespread (statewide) and to have the greatest economic impact. These ten weeds are listed in alphabetical order:

1. Canada Thistle
2. Dalmation Toadflax
3. Diffuse Knapweed
4. Hoary Cress (Whitetop)
5. Houndstongue
6. Leafy Spurge
7. Musk Thistle
8. Russian Knapweed
9. Spotted Knapweed
10. Yellow Toadflax

The 1996 Noxious Weed Act also requires that each county and municipality shall provide for the administration of their weed management plan. The act allows for cooperative planning and plan administration among counties and municipalities.

Additionally, the act establishes the positions of State Weed Coordinator in the Colorado Department of Agriculture, and creates a State Noxious Weed Management Fund. The Department of Agriculture may make special grants from this fund to local entities for the management of State Noxious Weeds.

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Objectives of this Plan

The main objective of this plan is to meet requirements of the Colorado Noxious Weed Act of 1996. This plan provides a policy and guidance for the control and reduction of noxious weeds in Fremont County. This plan is for the use of all landowners and managers, both public and private.

Policy Statement

It is the policy of the Fremont County Weed Advisory Board that integrated vegetation management principles be used in the control and reduction of noxious weeds. The Colorado Noxious Weed Act of 1996 defines integrated management as "the planning and implementation of a coordinated program utilizing a variety of methods for managing communities. Such methods may include, but are not limited to, education, preventive measures, good stewardship and the following techniques."

The techniques listed and described are biological, chemical, cultural and mechanical control measures. Of these techniques, chemical control is the most controversial. Therefore, county sponsored herbicide spray activity will be conducted only through agreements with private or commercial applicators certified to apply restricted use of chemical pesticides within the state of Colorado.

It is understood that all applicators will carry such liability insurance or bonding as is required for certification and further that any chemicals used will be applied strictly according to the manufacturers' label.

The Fremont County Weed Advisory Board assumes no liability insurance for the misuse of chemicals and relies solely upon the integrity and judgment of the applicator to apply herbicides properly.

The County Weed Coordinator will help advise landowners on the need and feasibility of weed control. However, only the certified applicator will make the determination as to suitable chemicals and methods of applications.

Private landowners will be encouraged to do their own herbicide control work where they wish to do so. They will also be advised to strictly follow the manufacturers' label when applying chemical herbicides.

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History and Current Situation

Fremont County has had a roadside (herbicide) control program and private landowner (volunteer) weed control off and on since 1989. The efforts over the years have helped control weeds. In accordance with the 1992 weed control plan, leafy spurge, Russian knapweed, and diffuse knapweed were the primary targets. Some control work has been done on Canada thistle, but control of this weed was a second priority.

For the most part, herbicides have been quite effective in limiting the spread and reducing the density of weed infestations. However, in some areas, chemical control efforts have been less successful. There are infestations of leafy spurge and knapweeds growing near streams and in riparian areas. Because of the threat of water pollution, chemical herbicides cannot be used. Instead of applying chemicals, biological controls have been implemented.

Insects that attack specific noxious weeds have been released each summer since 1963. Two species of seed head gall flies have been released at several different knapweed sites. The results have been encouraging, but not dramatic. Over the same time period, two species of root boring flea beetles were released on leafy spurge sites. Results on sunny and drier sites have been impressive. However, in the shaded, humid stream side and riparian environments, these insects did not thrive.

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Targeted Weeds

Weeds covered under this plan are all included in the state noxious weed list designated by rules. In Fremont County, the following ten weeds will receive priority for control:

1. Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula)
2. Russian Knapweed (Acroptilon repens)
3. Diffuse Knapweed (Centaurea diffusa)
4. Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense)
5. Musk Thistle (Carduus nutans)
6. Hoary Cress "whitetop" (Cardaria draba)
7. Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea maculosa)
8. Yellow Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)
9.Dalmation Toadflax (Linaria genistifolia)
10. Houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale)

Field bindweed and jointed goat grass are listed in the State's top ten but are not considered that much of a problem in Fremont County. If infestation of weeds NOT included on the list become a problem, the required public hearings will be held and weeds will be added to the Fremont County list as needed.

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Integrated Vegetation Management

Coordination and Cooperation
The weed control coordinator will coordinate noxious weed control efforts among various landowners, including private, municipal, county, federal and state landowners and managers. In Fremont County, this includes but is not limited to the following:

Cooperative agreements and memorandums of understanding will be entered into as needed.

Education
The weed control coordinator will seek out and disseminate educational materials concerning the identification, propagation and control of noxious weeds. Various outreach and education tools will be utilized, such as news releases, slide presentations, traveling exhibits and field trips. Target groups include schools, farm and ranch organizations, service organizations, recreational groups and individual landowners.

Biological Management
Biological management of noxious weeds will continue to grow as more biological controls are developed, and as the public's resistance to the use of chemical controls increases.

Infestation of leafy spurge along waterways are of prime concern. Although we have had moderate success using flea beetles in these locations, there are different insects coming on the market which may prove more effective. Fremont County will test new control agents as they become available, and continue to use agents that have proven effective.

One of the key elements of a successful biological control program is monitoring. Fremont County has been fortunate to have the services of the 4-H Entomology Club to monitor insect populations and their effect on weeds. We hope to continue this liaison in the future. In any event, monitoring will continue to be an integral part of Fremont County's biological weed control program.

Chemical Management
The use of chemical herbicides is expected to remain our most effective tool for the reduction and control of noxious weeds. For example, there are no biological control agents available to attack Russian knapweed or hoary cress. At the present, Russian knapweed is the most wide-spread and persistent noxious weed in Fremont County. Known hoary cress infestations are currently small and isolated, but this weed has the potential to be a real problem.

Management of these weeds, as well as those subject to biological controls, calls for the sensible application of chemical herbicides. According to the policies stated previously, Fremont County will use chemical control methods when appropriate.

Cultural and Mechanical Management
Cultural and mechanical control methods of noxious weeds are closely related. In essence, they both call for intensive and constant management of the vegetative community. The common key is to create conditions favorable for desirable plants at the expense of undesirable noxious weeds. When properly applied, these methods are effective as control measures as well as preventive measures.

Tools include proper irrigation, mowing, burning, properly timed livestock grazing, plowing and seeding, to mention a few. In the long run, the intelligent application of these tools can be as effective as biological or chemical control methods.

The implementation of cultural and mechanical control methods is complicated. Many landowners do not understand the complex interrelationships involving plant competition, soil characteristics, climate and land use practices. However, the use of these methods will be encouraged whenever the opportunities arise.

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Monitoring and Mapping

Tracking the invasion and control of noxious weeds in Fremont County requires an effective system of monitoring. Previous efforts have consisted of plotting weed infestation and control activities on various maps as time allowed. The results are several sets of maps that present a confusing picture of the task at hand.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), in cooperation with other federal, state and local agencies, is involved in a vegetation mapping project using the Geographic Position System (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to create maps. These maps can be easily updated, providing an understandable record of vegetative changes over time. The map information is stored in a digital format that can be overlayed with other maps that display previous vegetation, roads, streams, land status and other features of interest. This technology will be explored for possible use by the Fremont County Weed Advisory Board. According to BLM sources, matching funds may be available to initiate the mapping for noxious weeds. In the meantime, the weed control coordinator will maintain records as before.

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Funding

The noxious weed control program in Fremont County is funded by various entities, including Fremont County, the Fremont Soil Conservation District, Cañon City and landowners. These monies are deposited in the county "weed fund." Expenditures from this fund are approved by the Fremont County Commissioners and monitored by the county finance officer. Historically, weed control funds have been generated locally in response to the Colorado Weed Management Act of 1990.

The 1990 Act has been superseded by the Colorado Noxious Weed Act of 1996. The 1996 Act provides for appropriations by the state legislature "for the purpose of funding noxious weed management projects." The Colorado Department of Agriculture is authorized to award grants from these funds to local weed control agencies.

The weed control coordinator, at the direction of the weed advisory board, and with the consent of the County Commissioners, will apply for such grants as needed.

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Review and Amendments

The 1996 Colorado Noxious Weed Act requires that local noxious weed control plans be reviewed at least once every three years. Implicit in this language is that review and updating can be conducted at any time by the weed advisory board. Any changes to the Weed Control plan must be approved by the County Commissioners.