So there it is in the legal section of the paper, that ‘Notice to Control’ our noxious weeds. What’s the big deal?
According to the Idaho Dept. of Agriculture, noxious weeds account for hundreds of millions of dollars in additional costs to Idahoans each year. Noxious weeds interfere with farming and grazing, steal wildlife habitat from our rangelands and forests, and increase the risks and costs of wildfires. Ever hear of cheatgrass?
What is a “noxious” weed?
In Idaho Code Title 22 chapter 24, a noxious weed is defined as “any plant having the potential to cause injury to public health, crops, livestock, land or other property; and which is designated as noxious by the director.”
A harmful plant that is designated by the director of the state Dept. of Agriculture is “noxious” for our purposes. The director works in concert with the Idaho Legislature to place these plants on the “Noxious List.” Because the Legislature has final authority, not all candidates for listing make the cut. For instance, Russian olive has been considered for the list, but some parts of the state don’t have a problem with it, while others oppose listing because it is so common that controlling it would be nearly impossible.
The law goes on to state, in part, “Landowner and citizen duties. (1) It shall be the duty and responsibility of all landowners to control noxious weeds on their land and property, in accordance with this chapter and with rules promulgated by the director. (2) The cost of controlling noxious weeds shall be the obligation of the landowner.”
Landowners (or renters or lease holders) have a legal obligation to control the noxious weeds on their property. I’m happy to say that most folks in Adams County do a good job of caring for their ground!
How does a landowner recognize weeds they are legally responsible for? Once you begin looking, it seems like there are a million different plants out there!
The “Annual Notice to Control Noxious Weeds” in the legal section contains a list of Idaho’s Noxious weed species and prohibited Genera; the species that occur in Adams County are marked with a ‘*’. From there you can look them up on line, at the library, or you can drop by the Weed Dept. here in Council and ask for a copy of the Weed Handbook.
We are located at 101 Boise-Cascade Avenue, right behind the Recycling Center here in Council, or give us a call at (208) 253-4669. Keep that shovel handy!
