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Noxious weeds, especially diffuse and spotted
knapweeds, have infested the county. Control of these weeds and
others are difficult because land ownership is so diverse.
Some private landowners are absentee landowners and this
makes weed management efforts very difficult for neighbors.
An additional challenge for weed managers is the fact
that many growers are raising organic crops.
The Camas Creek Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA)
has recently been established (1998) in Camas County to control
the spread of noxious weeds present in the area, to prevent the
invasion of new weeds, and to coordinate the control efforts of
multiple landowners, i.e. BLM, Forest Service, County Road,
State Highway and others.
Five noxious weeds have been targeted by the CWMA.
They include: rush skeletonweed, spotted and diffuse
knapweed, leafy spurge, and dalmation toadflax.
Camas County also has
a biological control project for knapweed, which is administered
through the local soil conservation district.
This 5-year project involves youth from the local school
district who gather, release, and monitor insects at different
sites across the Camas Prairie.
Working together the Camas County Extension Educator and the
CWMA Weed Superintendent would like to provide as much education
to residence as possible, and to act as resources to aid
both the growers and the town's people with any questions or
problems they may have concerning weeds.
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