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'Click' Here to Visit Happy Burger Diner in Mariposa... "We have FREE Wi-Fi, we're Eco-Friendly & have the Largest Menu in the Sierra"
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'Click' for More Info: Inter-County Title Company Located in Mariposa, California

California Invasive Weed Awareness Week
by Cathi Boze, Mariposa County Agricultural Commissioner

YST spiny and full of seedsThey’re out there…waiting to pounce and move…on the tire of your car, lawn mower or ranch equipment, in the mud on your hiking shoes, in the soil of the plant you give to a friend, in the hay you bring in for your livestock, on the logs for your new log home, in the sand you bring up from the Valley for your pool…an explosion in slow motion. What are they? Invasive noxious weeds and July 18 – 24, 2016, is California Invasive Weed Awareness Week. Who are they? Italian thistle, Klamath weed, and yellow starthistle – just to name three of the top ten noxious weeds in Mariposa County.

What’s grey-green, has bright yellow flowers, and lots of spines? (yellow starthistle). What’s bright green with lots of yellow star-shaped flowers? (Klamath weed). These are just some of the invasive noxious weeds that are easy to spot right now. Some blew in to the county on the wind (Russian thistle or tumbleweed). Some came in with the Asian immigrants during the Gold Rush (Ailanthus or Tree of Heaven). Some came in with loads of hay (yellow starthistle and other thistles). Some hitched a ride on your tire from the Valley (puncture vine). Some came in with log homes shipped in from Montana or hitched a ride with some bee hives on the pallets (knapweeds). Some you even brought in intentionally and planted in your yard (Scotch, Spanish, French, and other broom species as well as Pampas Grass, Dalmatian toadflax, and Arundo). Some are culinary herbs that have escaped (fennel) and some look like bamboo, but are actually Arundo (or Giant Reed) growing along, and clogging up, riparian areas. All are non-native invasive noxious weeds and they’re invading Mariposa County.

Driving along the highways and roads in the county, I see where homeowners have cleared around their property for fire danger, but left Klamath weed proudly waving in the breeze or planted one of the brooms as an ornamental – a pretty plant but one that goes up like a blowtorch in a fire, think “green” gasoline! Some, like puncture vine, will put you afoot if you’re out bike riding and hurt your feet, particularly if you’re walking in flip flops – it’s called “puncture” vine for a very good reason! Yes, that’s the one with bright yellow flowers and those spiny goatheads that stab you when you try to pull it up (so it’s a good idea to wear gloves when you tackle this invasive weed)!
2 spiny things to avoid YST and barbed wire

Some noxious weeds are pretty but deadly – not just noxious to us, but toxic to our animals. All parts of Klamath weed plants can cause sensitivity to sunlight and skin irritations, particularly in cattle, and yellow starthistle can cause chewing disease in horses. Brooms are not only fire hazards, but the flowers and seeds can be toxic to humans and livestock. Invasive noxious weeds are causing “biological” pollution and are threatening our biodiversity, our ecosystem, our water supply, our environment, and our open space. They have one mission in life: to invade, spread, and choke out the competition and they are relentless in their quest.

Invasive noxious weeds are spreading. They’re swallowing up millions of acres of agricultural land, rangeland, forest, wild lands, recreational areas, and YOUR backyard. Non-native invasive noxious weeds are bad for the environment: chocking out the native wildflowers and invading wildlife habitats as well as depleting our water resources (not a good thing – particularly in this fourth consecutive year of drought!). They’re on the move and it’s time to make a stand. It starts with you – pulling that one invasive noxious weed and not just passing it by –

So during the week of July 18 – 24, 2016, do your part!

A journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step – so does the war on invasive noxious weeds. It starts with a single weed. While you’re out and about on your back forty or going for a walk on a county road or even in town and you see one of these weed invaders, DON”T just walk by it, PULL it or DIG it up and dispose of it properly in the landfill, not in your compost pile!! Carry a trash bag with you and a pair of leather gloves if you’re going to tackle any of the thistles or puncture vine. This is the week to send them on their way – to the landfill! To paraphrase the Almond Industry slogan, “A Weed (or two!) a day, that’s all I ask!”

Mariposa County Weed Warrior logoStop by the Ag Complex located at the Fairgrounds or phone the Agricultural Commissioner’s office at (209) 966-2075 and get a brochure to help you identify yellow starthistle and its close cousin tocalote, Klamath weed, Italian thistle, and the rest of the top 10 noxious weeds. Find out different methods of integrated weed management and what works best at different times of the year.

Be pro-active and part of the solution – become a weed warrior on a search and destroy mission! If you don’t think that it can be done, compare Mariposa County to its surrounding neighbors – we’ve got the invasive noxious weeds on the run! Just think, if every one of the 39+ million California residents pulled at least one invasive noxious weed a day, we wouldn’t have an invasive weed problem! Wow! What a difference we could make.

Celebrate California Invasive Weed Awareness Week – become a Mariposa County Weed Warrior - PULL AN INVASIVE NOXIOUS WEED! Make a difference…