07/04/05 Combatting Idaho`s noxious weeds

The state of Idaho annually spend upwards of 15 million dollars 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. Weed Awareness Campaign coordinator Roger Batt says the problem goes beyond the monetary losses. BATT "We're talking about soil erosion; we're talking about wildlife, their natural food supply being choked out and starving, crop loss, the range lands especially with noxious weeds such as leafy spurge." While you're out this summer having find Batt says take some time 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. There's 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. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott