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Battle against noxious weeds involves everybody

Corky Woodring, Dillon

There was a time in Summit County a few years ago when the term noxious weed had very different meaning than what it does today. After celebrating Weed Week and reading all about the politically correct and the noxious weeds, we are really getting up on our weeds.

I was once again inspired to do my civic duty and go into my back yard full of wildflowers to search and destroy the weeds.

There is an area I have been patrolling ever since I first learned about thistles.



As I worked my way up the hill pulling out the thorny foes and stuffing then into a bag, I realized there are a lot more than last year.

I’ve been doing this every summer and there should be fewer weeds. Then I looked up into the yard of the neighbor’s newer house and there they were – hundreds of the thistles with their flowers ready to burst open.



What should I do after years of pulling weeds, trying to be a good citizen? I pulled and pulled, but should I trespass to pull weeds? The neighbors are never around. How can I get them to do their duty?

I don’t want to call the weed police on the neighbors, but we are downhill from a huge patch of the thistles. If it rains or blows when the thistles are in seed, our yard will be taken over. If one thistle can release 50,000 seeds – and there are hundreds of plants – why, that’s more seeds than the national debt.

I could sneak up after dark, but there are so many, and I don’t want to break the law and trespass.

So, I got this brainstorm. I’ll write the paper to find out what I should do after all these articles about weeds.

Are there any laws about controlling noxious weeds? Who is responsible for controlling the noxious weed? Why are there so many noxious weeds along the roads in the county right of ways?

Why are there vacant lots that are all noxious weeds? Don’t you need a permit to excavate a lot and then revegetate the lot if it’s not built on? I guess the owners of these lots don’t read the papers or maybe they don’t care.

I think the county’s weeds people are doing a great job. I learn more every year and am inspired by their efforts to do my part, but why not make everybody responsible to control the weeds?

How do you make everyone maintain their property so the weeds don’t keep spreading and discourage the people who do try?


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