Grant money available to assist with noxious weed treatments
Published on June 06, 2023
As warmer weather arrives in Weld County, so too do noxious weeds. As landowners in northern Weld County start to assess the challenge of suppressing or eliminating noxious weeds on their property, Weld County Weed Division Supervisor Tina Booton wants to remind them that money is available to offset some of the costs associated with noxious weed treatments.
More than $112,000 in grant money remains to reimburse landowners up to 80% of the cost of noxious weed treatments once completed. The funds are from a Restoration and Stewardship of Outdoor Resources (RESTORE) grant, awarded to the county and several agency partners in 2022 by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), and are available to residents within the project boundary. The boundary encompasses the northern half of Weld County, east of Highway 85 from Weld County Road 90 north to the Wyoming/Nebraska border and east to Logan County. Residents interested in being reimbursed should reach out to the Weed Division before starting treatments to discuss eligibility and chemical requirements. Contact Kathy Griffee, Weld County Landowner Specialist, at kgriffee@weld.gov or (970) 400-3772.
“We’ve tried for three years to receive this grant because we believed it could ease some of the burden placed on landowners treating noxious weeds. It also can help preserve the beauty of our grassland as noxious weeds left untreated can be invasive, displace vegetation and be harmful to livestock if consumed,” Booton said. “Now, we find ourselves in a use it or lose it scenario as the funds are only available through the end of 2023, so we encourage everyone who believes they may be eligible for these funds to contact the Weed Division as soon as possible.”
Booton said the cost of treating noxious weeds —typically between $25 to $50 an acre — may have many property owners reluctant to do so. That, combined with last year’s drought, may be the reason why so much grant money remains. Still, the fact that the Weed Division has money to assist property owners has her hopeful that it can be an asset to more people.
“Outside of the treatments we do along county roadsides and county property, much of what we do to assist landowners is educational,” Booton said. “The fact that we have money shows our continued commitment to helping residents, but if we have to give a large portion of this grant back, it may be hard to justify a need for it in the future.”
The grant was given as part of a project titled “Eradicating Annual Invasives to Restore Native Grassland in Weld County.” The project was one of 15 statewide to receive funding from the NFWF in 2022(PDF, 1MB).