Weed District board still lacks Lincoln representative

The Lincoln position on the Lewis and Clark County Weed District board has been open for well over a year, said County Commissioner Jim McCormick, who serves on the board. A Lincoln representative helps support the county-wide control of weeds and ensure problematic areas can be addressed in a timely manner.

“Weeds know no boundaries,” said McCormick. “Invasive non-native species of plants can choke out forage, can choke out native plants and do (and) are harmful on the environment. The more eyes on the ground, the better for identifying those. For instance, cheat grass is a pervasive problem. It isn’t necessarily everywhere. When we have representation from across the county, those board members report the observations and then discuss the control of those invasive species.” The Lewis and Clark County Weed District supports the management and eradication of noxious weeds on public and private lands throughout the county and is overseen by the eight-member Weed Board. The Weed Board is composed of six representatives from county areas, including Lincoln, Canyon Creek, Augusta, and Wolf Creek, as well as a representative from the Lewis and Clark County Commissioners

and an ex-officio member, Christian Lehnert, the County Weed Coordinator. The board meets monthly, and anyone interested in serving on it can submit an application by visiting the Lewis and Clark County website and navigating to Boards and Committees. https://www.lccountymt. gov/bocc/boards.html

“They are refurbishing equipment, preparing for the spring season and getting ready for the next year. The board is working on updating and writing the Weed Board by-laws, so a new member will have that opportunity to draft the by-laws for the Weed Board,” said McCormick.

In addition, the Weed Board helps provide information to local landowners about controlling noxious weeds.

“Weeds on public lands are managed by local, state, and federal government,” said McCormick. “Managing weeds on private lands is the responsibility of landowners. Landowners who have questions about managing the weeds can contact their local Weed Board member to get information on how to manage and/or eradicate weeds, what herbicides to use. There are also biologics, bugs that can be applied, it doesn’t necessarily have to be chemical. Identifying noxious weeds is part of a Weed Board’s tool chest in helping private landowners address noxious weeds.”

The Montana Weed Control Association also provides resources to support weed management, including print resources, links to laws, regulations, and key contacts, as well as information about news, grants, and legislative bills. http://www.mtweed.org.