Noxious Weed Project Aimed at Reducing Thistle along County Maintained Roads
Portales, NM – The Roosevelt Soil & Water Conservation District has found several creative paths in recent years to assist Roosevelt County residents. One such unique project is the High Plains Cooperative Weed Management Area (HWCMA), which has received a Water Quality & Conservation Grant through the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to help eradicate noxious weeds in Roosevelt and surrounding Counties.
“Our focus has mainly been on African Rue,” stated Dawn Privett with Roosevelt Soil & Water Conservation District. “We have been assisting landowners with spraying for the past two years.”
This spring, with the assistance of Roosevelt County’s funding through the Taylor Grazing State Distribution, the HWCMA plans to spray musk thistle and scotch thistle along County roadways. Roosevelt Soil & Water Conservation District and Roosevelt County are seeking input from residents.
“We are asking residents to contact Dawn with locations of musk or scotch thistle in any County road right-of-ways, and we will only be spraying in the County right-of-ways” stated Roosevelt County Manager Amber Hamilton. “The Road Department has been monitoring for thistle on their routes, but we need residents to help locate any hotspots so they can be sprayed.”
“We are hoping to start spraying in the next week, and we need your help to locate this noxious weeds,” Privett added.
If you see this on a right-of-way of a County Road, please send the location to rooseveltswcd@gmail.com or call Dawn at 575-607-6383.
