July 21, 2023 Program Update
Noxious Weed Management Advisory Board Meeting Minutes
July 21, 2023
No Advisory Board meeting held. There was no quorum. The tour was held in which two board members, weed staff, Director and Deputy-Director of Public Works and Commissioner Ross saw how a spray UAS unit worked on a pre-programmed flight as well as a manual flight.
Old Business
2023 Program Update
Events
January 24-26 Colorado Farm Show – 100 participants at the booth
January 25 Weed presentations at the Farm Show – 60 participants
May 3 Children’s Water Festival - North
May 10 Children’s Water Festival – South Weather Cancelation
May 11 Municipality Training – about 40 participants
July 26 Weld County Fair – Creative Weeds
August 1 Greeley Lunch & Optimus Club
August 7-18 Purple Loosestrife
October 11 Children’s Water Festival – South
Nov. 29 & 30 WGCD Ag Symposium Booth
Facebook Posts and Other Outreach
Facebook and Twitter: 35 posts from March 21 – Nov. 14, once a week. 10 on Public Works Operations; 25 on plants.
Spraying – 2 sprayers for roadside and 1 for the Forest Service. Two positions not filled.
Bare-ground Acres: 32.4 acres this spring including along 16 lane miles
Handgun Acres: 15.84
Roadside Acres: 371.45 Lane Miles: 2229
Chemical Mow Acres: 26.4 Lane Miles: 10
Forest Service Accomplishments: Sprayed: 970 gallons; 11.97 treated acres while inspecting 395 acres.
Special Spray Projects.
CDOT – Hwy 85 north of Nunn, Hwy 392 and a small portion of Business Hwy 34
Towns –Fort Lupton. Cancelled IGA’s with: Dacono, Severance, Erie, and Milliken
Landowner Specialists – All 3 positions filled.
Field Contacts: 2188 (checking on properties, looking at complaints, meeting with landowners, etc.)
Office Contacts: 2642 (identifying properties, letters, phone calls, follow-up, records, etc.)
Legal Notices mailed:13 Compliance: 8 Enforcements: 0 5 still in the process.
Mower Staff – All 3 positions finally filled.
Lane Miles: 701.5 or approx.350.75 miles out of 748 miles of paved roads. Target goal is 2500 lane miles/year.
Currently struggling with 2 tractors and keeping them running.
Special Projects
Geisert trail, Grader Testing area, North of Fuel Island, East Davis Stockpile Site, LNG area, CR 38 Comm Tower, Peters Pit, Ashbaugh Pit, and Fiscus Pit: In process of monitoring for weeds, grass establishment and seeding this spring if needed.
Cost Share Funds Available
Weld County: $ 8,500.00 Funds Left: $ 7,366.02
50% up to $400
People signed up: 12 Funds spent: $ 1,133.98
People cost-shared with: 5
West Greeley CD: $11,751.25 Funds Left: $ 7,723.92
50% up to $600
People signed up: 19 Funds spent: $ 4,027.33
People cost-shared with: 9
ReStORE: $115,114.65 Funds Left: $ 111,822.65
80% up to $850 or $2800
People signed up: 11 Funds spent: $ 3292.00
People cost-shared with: 5
Hairy Willowherb Eradication: $14,000 Funds Left: $13,250.00
85% up to $750
People signed up: 1 Funds spent: $ 750.00
People cost-shared with: 1
Teasel Eradication: $5,500.00 Funds Left: $5,500.00
80% up to $600
People signed up: 0 Funds spent: $ 0
People cost-shared with: 0
Special Grant Project Notes:
ReStORE Grant: Asking to move $6000 from spraying to seeding and asking to extend the grant project through 2024.
Make America Beautiful with Department of Ag: As one of several partners received $80,000 for Weld County. Working with them to be able to use the money in 2025 and 2026. Same rules and area at the ReStORE project. However, if I can’t even spend half of the ReStORE funds this year, considering not accepting these funds and letting them go to the other projects.