Spring training has came and went which means it is weed season for nearly all of Colorado! Thank you to our sponsors, speakers, and participants for making the Spring Training possible! We are looking forward to seeing you all again (in person this time) at the CWMA Winter Training on Dec 8-9th!

Spring Training recordings will be available for registrants for thirty days.

The Colorado Weed Management Association board of directors and volunteers have been busy this off-season and are looking forward to keeping up the momentum this summer. We can't do it without our members and would like to thank everyone who has volunteered to be on a committee both currently and in the past. If you haven't volunteered in the before, now is a perfect time to start!

If you missed our Gold Sponsor Videos at Spring Training, you can check them out below.

Show outdoor enthusiasts how they can stop invasive plants and pests from spreading while enjoying the great outdoors!

PlayCleanGo has a toolkit for land managers to help spread the word on not spreading invasive species that range from pocket bootbrushes to give away at educational events, bootbrush station plans and graphics to install at your local trailhead, as well as a graphic library for social media.

By becoming a partner you can gain access to the toolkit or you can follow their social media page and share their posts and other pertinent information to your own pages.

The second annual PlayCleanGo Awareness Week reached over 500,000 individuals, participate this year and help spread the word on the most important invasive species control method: prevention!

When planning your PlayCleanGo event, don't forget that a CWMA Noxious Weed Booklet or Door Hanger pair perfectly with a bootbrush in a swag bag!

So far during the 2021 session, which is scheduled to end June 12^th, CWMA has supported 3 bills while monitoring 10 others.

For a list of bills CWMA is currently tracking, please go to the following website. https://coloradocapitolwatch.com/bill-analysis/3871/2021/0/

As always, if you are a member in good standing and have an interest in serving on the Legislative Committee or any of the many others committees within the CWMA organization, please reach out to us at, info@cwma.org.

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As land managers, most of us know that Early Detection and Rapid Response is a necessity to stop early invaders from becoming a prevalent and costly problem. We also know that EDRR is not always so simple as 'kill it quickly'. When crossing property lines and jurisdictions we encounter contracts, permissions, and can lose that much needed haste. Not to mention, we may forget to do surveys on adjacent properties to ensure that that localized patch of weeds is indeed localized.

Looking at EDRR frameworks, there are three kinds of EDRR approaches, EDRR 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0.

EDRR 1.0 is a single agency led approach and relies on the new invader to be either on a single agencies property or fall under laws that allow an agency to quickly enter and contain and eradicate the problem.

EDRR 2.0 is defined as a cooperative weed management area where local agencies come together to manage an invasive species in a certain geographic region. Cooperative weed management areas are shortened to CWMAs, not to be confused with our own Colorado Weed Management Association!

EDRR 3.0 is likely the dream of all land managers. It involves buy in from all landowners, not just agencies and creates a concerted effort between private citizens and agency land managers. At the county level this could include home owner associations, ranchers, the county, federal agencies, and more. By involving more parties, the resources lent to the eradication increase, sometimes exponentially.

While all of the EDRR approaches have their place in invasive species management, EDRR 3.0 fosters a sense of stewardship in a community and makes the goal of total eradication more feasible. Sometimes more chefs do not ruin the soup.

May Weed of the Month: Absinth wormwood (Artemesia absinthium)

Absinth wormwood is a Colorado List B member of the Sunflower family (Asteraceae). This aromatic perennial grows to 3-5 feet tall. It has drooping drab-yellow disk (rayless) flowerheads that grow in the axis of leaves at the ends of its many branches. It flowers mid to late summer.

Ridged stems grow from the crown of its taproot. The stems dry out in the fall and persist through the winter. The dried stems help to more easily spot infestations in the spring as new growth starts at the base.

Both the leaves and stems are covered with fine hairs giving the plant a grayish appearance. The leaves are up to 5 inches long, deeply lobed, olive green above and white below. Leaves attach directly to the stem and are arranged alternately. The leaves towards the ends of the stems are smaller and linear.

It reproduces by seed and each plant can produce up to 50,000 seeds a year. The seed last in the soil for 3-4 years, or longer.

Absinth wormwood invades range, pasture, and disturbed areas. It is toxic to wildlife and livestock. Maintaining a healthy site can be effective in preventing its establishment.

Originally from Europe, Absinth wormwood has been used to make Absinthe, a spirit popular in the 19^th and early 20^th century. It had been thought to cause hallucinations and madness so was banned in many areas of the world. More recent studies have shown that the level of thujone, the absinth wormwood compound found in Absinthe, was probably not high enough to cause the effects which were due instead, to effects of alcohol over-indulgence.

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How Can We Help?

Do you know someone that should be a member of CWMA? Learn all about CWMA benefits and membership types at www.cwma.org/membership. Use this information as talking points to encourage colleagues to join and get active with CWMA. 

Or, perhaps you are unsure whether someone you know is already a member? Search for them in our directory located in the members-only online portal. You can also use this site to renew your membership, register for CWMA events, and update your contact information.

Nomada is a genus of bees that includes over 850 species worldwide. They are some of the most unique bees in terms of appearance and behavior. Bees in this genus are very colorful, ranging from red, to yellow, to black, to metallic or any combination of those. Their wings are also very distinct with a smoky glean near the tops and tips of the wing. Nomada species vary greatly in appearance but are some of the hardest bees to identify to species, and new species are still being discovered and described. 

These bee species also lack hairs that are a common feature of bees. Because of this, their appearance is similar to wasps, and they are often misidentified as such. In addition to their unique appearance, Nomada species also have a unique life history. 

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Do you want to make a difference with CWMA? Would you like to influence the direction that CWMA is leading? Join a committee by reaching out to the chairs and co-chairs listed below.

Training and Education 

Colorado 4 Healthy Landscapes (C4HL)

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