In the News...

Bill Passage Is Victory for Unfunded Noxious Weed Programs

Monday, May 17 2010

The Telluride Watch
By: Gus Jarvis
May 15th, 2010

RIDGWAY – Earlier this year, Ouray County Weed Manager Ron Mabry worked tirelessly to find funding at the state level for mandated noxious weed programs. He now has reason to celebrate with the passage of Senate Bill 10-098, which was signed into law by Gov. Bill Ritter on April 29.

Sponsored by Colorado Sen. Lois Tochtrop and Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, SB 10-098 will allow counties to cooperate and/or contract with conservation districts and weed programs utilizing existing Conservation Trust Fund allocations. This gives counties, conservation districts and weed programs the option embark on conservation and weed control projects with an approval by county commissioners.

“It’s not a big pot of money and it’s not going to solve all of our problems but this is definitely a step forward,” Mabry said on Monday. “I am pretty pleased about it.”

The Colorado County Weed Supervisors Association and the Colorado Weed Manager’s Association worked together in drafting the bill. Mabry, who is a member of both organizations and president of the CCWSA, spoke with numerous state legislators explaining the problem local unfunded noxious weed programs face. While the bill found several sponsors, it faced initial opposition from various organizations including the Colorado Municipal League, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, and the Audubon Society.

The bill’s supporters and sponsors ultimately made a concession to allow individual boards of county commissioners to decide if a portion of conservation trust funds can be used for weed control.

“That was a big concession we had to make,” Mabry said. “Then we had DOLA and the Audubon Society drop their opposition and [Colorado Counties, Inc.] came on as supporters.”

Colorado counties’ and municipalities’ noxious weed programs have been operating under an unfunded mandate since the Colorado Noxious Weed Act was passed in 1996 and then amended in 2003. As a result, a large majority of local government programs have been unable to comply with state law due to lack of funding. According to Mabry, out of 64 counties in Colorado only 53 have active weed programs.

Colorado’s 76 Conservation Districts were established under the Soil Conservation Act of 1937 to address conservation and stewardship of Colorado’s natural resources. They manage on-the-ground conservation projects including small acreage management, protection of rangeland and wildlife habitat, improving water delivery systems, forest health, improving water quality, reducing soil erosion, and renewable energy and energy conservation projects.
“Those conservation trust funds have traditionally been used for parks and open spaces,” Mabry said. “Now it is going to be up to commissioners whether some of that money is going to be used for weed control.”

In Ouray County, Mabry has already contacted the Ouray Board of County Commissioners about using some of those funds for weed control. “They have no objection to using a portion of those funds on weed control on public lands,” he said. “At least now I will be able to get reimbursed on a portion of what I have been doing.”

In Ouray County, Mabry said there are a couple of “high-priority” species that have to be dealt with right now but “generally speaking, I don’t think we have any weed problem that can’t be dealt with.”