Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board

Have you seen a noxious weed?

REPORT IT HERE

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Who we are

The Board is composed of five voting members, each representing a different area of the county.  These members are appointed to the Board by the county commissioners. Three of the five board members are required to be engaged in the primary production of agricultural products.  Each board member serves on the board as an unpaid  volunteer.  The WSU Cooperative Extension agent also serves as a non-voting member of the board.

The Board establishes policies and procedures that will carry out the mandates of the  state weed control law, Chapter 17.10 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW). The board employs a coordinator who educates and informs the public about noxious  weeds, conducts on-going early detection surveys, and assists landowners in developing control strategies. If land owners are unwilling to voluntarily comply with  the state weed law, then the board may use the enforcement provisions of the law.

We are currently looking to fill 3 empty Board seats (Districts 3,4,5). If you are interested, please see the Board Member Applications tab on the left. 

What we do

Coordinate Noxious Weed Control 

Through its actions and policy decisions, the Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board helps coordinate and support noxious weed control for various organizations within Jefferson County. Additionally, the JCNWCB has the authority to enforce the control of noxious weeds on private and public lands. The JCNWCB also works with neighboring counties and cross-boundary organizations to and provides strategic collaboration on regional noxious weed projects. 

Update the Noxious Weed List

The Board maintains the county's noxious weed list that landowners may be required to control. This list is established in the Washington Administrative Code, or WAC 16-750. The listing process, the schedule for adding a plant to the Noxious Weed list, is in WAC 16-750-022

Educate the Public About Noxious Weeds 

The Board also publishes education materials, provides outreach education in the form of presentations, workshops, or an info booth, and acts as a forum for noxious weed questions that can be used by local organizations and the public.

Our Mission

To protect lands within Jefferson County from the degrading impacts of noxious weeds by educating residents, property owners, land managers, and public agencies in how to serve as responsible stewards and aid in the protection and preservation of the land, water, and natural resources.

We believe that the prevention of Noxious Weeds is the best approach and may be achieved through full implementation of the state Noxious Weed law. To further this approach, we strive for increased public awareness through improved educational efforts.

As the Board, we work to achieve control through communication, cooperation, and enhanced coordination of the collective efforts of noxious weed control. Additionally, we strive to the establishment of healthy resilient ecosystems that are better equipped to withstand the spread of noxious weed.