06/10/05 Weed campaign needs your help

We're already into the traditional recreation season and the folks at the Idaho Weed Awareness campaign are asking for your help. Coordinator Roger Batt says you can take a little care and make a big difference in stopping the spread of noxious weeds. BATT "If you go through a weed infested area please pick those weed fragments off your boat trailer and watercraft or your ATV or off-road vehicle or your hiking or campaign gear because you may spread those from one area to another. Many times noxious weeds and weed seeds are inadvertently spread by humans accidentally." The state annually spend upwards of $15 million to combat noxious weeds but still loses control of hundreds of acres of land every day to more than three dozen varieties of noxious weeds that have infested Idaho BATT "It's been estimated that invasive plant species will cost Idaho's taxpayers and our lands, our economy 300 million dollars this year." And here's something else you can do. Learn to identify plants so you can recognize the invaders and report them to land and wildlife managers. Batt has a 76 page book on noxious weeds that you can get by calling the toll free hotline at 1-866-idweeds or by going to www.idahoweedawareness.org. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott