Transcript Noxious Weed Program Update

Colorado’s Noxious Weed
Program
Kelly Uhing
State Weed Coordinator
Colorado Department of Agriculture
Colorado Noxious Weed Act
(C.R.S. 35-5.5)

CO Legislature created Colorado Noxious Weed Act in
1990


Colorado Legislature and Governor delegated the
responsibility and authority to coordinate the management
of invasive plant species (aquatic and terrestrial) to the
Colorado Dept of Ag.
Revised in 1996

Creation of State Weed Coordinator position

Provided foundation for state weed management program



Assistance to local entities to develop management plans
Provide means to address weed problems
State Weed Fund

Assist public/private landowners with noxious weed mgmt.
2003 Revisions

Restructured State Noxious Weed List
List A, B, and C
 Addition of aquatic species

Implementation of State Noxious Weed
Advisory Committee (CNWAC)
 Rules Pertaining to the Administration and
Enforcement of the Colorado Noxious
Weed Act

Statewide weed management plans
 Commissioner approved

List A…



Designated by the Ag Commissioner for eradication
Plants must be eliminated prior to seed development
Within 1 year of detection, map of any List A species
must be provided to State Weed Coordinator
 Species name
 Location, distribution, abundance
 Estimated infested acreage
Species included on List A
(9 out of 18 not known to exist in CO…yet)









African rue
Camelthorn
Common crupina
Cypress spurge
Dyer’s woad
Giant salvinia
Hydrilla
Meadow knapweed
Mediterranean sage









Medusahead
Myrtle spurge
Orange hawkweed
Purple loosestrife
Rush skeletonweed
Sericea lespedeza
Squarrose knapweed
Tansy ragwort
Yellow starthistle
Early Detection Rapid Response
Early Detection Reluctant Response
List B




Goal is to stop continued spread
Statewide distributions are subject to eradication,
containment, or suppression
Within 1 year of detection, map of any List B species that
has a mgmt plan must be provided to State Weed
Coordinator
39 species on List B

16 have state weed mgmt plans
List C


Commissioner approves State weed mgmt plans
developed to support IWM on private and public lands
Goal is to provide education, research, and biological
control resources to jurisdictions that choose to require
mgmt of List C species
Duty to manage noxious weeds

Ag Commissioner provides




Educational resources
Financial or in-kind resources from weed fund
Inventory and mapping to facilitate weed
classification
Local governing bodies



Initiate and maintain communication with L/O’s
Provide technical assistance for eradication A’s/B
Project oversight and enforcement
Enforcement of CO Weed Act

Local govt has authority to:


Inspect property for List A’s/eradicable B’s
Send formal notice

5 days for landowner to comply with terms of notice



Mgmt of weeds
Submit acceptable mgmt plan
If no compliance with terms

County can perform eradication measures



Assess eradication costs up to 100% on property
Funds collected go into that weed program
Tax Lien on property
Local govt failure to comply


CDA will then assume eradication duties
Agriculture Commission will charge

Administrative costs



L/O research and contacts
Eradication efforts – contractor
Civil penalties


$1,000./violation
$2,000. for repeat violations
Early Detection Rapid Response Program
EDRR Specialist responsible for




provide alert lists, identification resources, and
reporting protocols for targeted plant pest
species
build detection networks
provide information and planning assistance to
rapidly respond to and successfully manage
detected species.
Info requested




Weed Spotter Form w/pictures
Voucher specimen
Collection form
Plant Assessment Form
For use with “Criteria for Categorizing Invasive Non-Native Plants that Threaten Colorado’s
Wildlands, Economy, and Ecology”
By the Colorado Noxious Weed Advisory Committee


Provide a uniform methodology for categorizing nonnative invasive plants
Plant’s overall rating based on 20 criteria
 Ecological Impacts
 Invasive Potential
 Ecological Distribution
 Agricultural Impacts

PAF committee

Form can be accessed at CDA website
 www.colorado.gov/ag/csd
CO Noxious Weed Fund

HR 1399- Directs interest revenue from the
Unclaimed Property Fund to agriculturerelated needs

Noxious Weed Fund grant program



$150K for 2009
$300K for 2010
Approval of two FTE’s – hiring freeze


List A/EDRR Specialist
List B/Mapping Specialist
Additional funding sources

State and Private Forestry grants

$258K funded 41 projects




Leafy spurge control Rio Blanco Cnty
Pulling for Colorado
Mediterranean sage eradication projects – Bldr Cnty
Funding secure through 2010

Redesign



Nationally competitive basis
All taxa
Transferred to CSFS
Funding cont.

High Plains Invasives project - GLCI

$58K awarded to 14 projects







Weld/Logan/Morgan – diffuse knapweed
Spanish Peaks/Purgatoire River – Russian knapweed
and spotted knapweed
Baca County Conservation District – Dalmatian toadflax
Double El Conservation District – leafy spurge
Huerfano County – leafy spurge
Crowley County – Russian knapweed
Yuma County – spotted and diffuse knapweed
Funding cont.

CO Water Conservation Board (CWCB)

Tamarisk/Russian-olive control cost-share grant








$1M from Severance Tax ($60M Projects Bill)
$200K/project cap
$100K for research/administrative costs
RFP’s mid-December 08
Submission deadline – late January 09
Approval by State Weed Coordinator prior to submission
Projects awarded by Feb 09
Reimbursed fall 09
Funding cont.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
-CO Invasive Plant Program (NRCS)

$1M for noxious weed projects on private lands





CFP released Nov. 18, 2008
Submission deadline February 2, 2009
Approval by State Weed Coordinator prior to submission
Priorities



Improve productivity of range and riparian areas
Cooperative watershed-scale projects
Use of Technical Service Providers
Species added for 2009



African rue
Sulfur cinquefoil
Russian-olive in riparian areas only
Kelly Uhing
303-828-8329 cell
303-239-4173 office
[email protected]
www.colorado.gov/ag/weeds