CWMA Newsletter 2019
1st edition
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President's Report
by Ron Mabry
2019 already! I can’t believe it’s already here. Where did the time go? There were several events and programs held by CWMA members and our partners during 2018 and finished up with our Annual Conference held December 5
th & 6
th in Grand Junction. We had 168 people attending the 2 day event. It was still a fun and informative 2 days.
A tremendous amount of planning and coordinating goes into putting on a program such as the Annual Conference and I would like to thank all that contributed. I would also like to thank the 40 people that responded to the post conference survey. Your feedback helps us ensure we have the very best conference, every single time.
I would welcome any and all suggestions for speakers. Remember that just like the people that put the conference together, speakers are volunteers also. They are not paid. I personally think we had a great lineup of speakers this year with a few new topics such as use of drones and how to write a CDA grant.
Post conference, we heard there is a need for more information on herbicide chemistry and resistance. I agree that those are both important topics to our industry but those could also be all day discussions. We try to fit as much as possible into the program and we will look for qualified speakers on those subjects in the future.
We also heard from a couple of people on the need for more time for networking, vendor 1 on 1 time, IPM, ecology, and hands on demonstrations. All good suggestions and difficult to fit into an already tight schedule. We will try to do better. Again, we want the very best conference experience for you!
Most of the comments from conference we received were indeed very positive; diversity of topics, great speakers, good lunches, ample networking opportunities, well organized, excellent venue, good lunches, and praise for our new Executive Director (Dot) and her team (Heather). We had a successful conference and I hope that those that didn’t get the chance to attend will consider attending the next one in Colorado Springs.
So here’s to 2019. Let’s make it a GREAT year for CWMA. Stay tuned as we are planning on bringing back Spring Training School and having several Colorado for Healthy Landscapes events around the state. Please consider serving on one of our committees, volunteering to host an event, or even running for a position on the Board of Directors. As a volunteer, non-profit organization we want all of our members to be engaged. I’ve said it before and I still believe that weed people are great people and I’m proud to be part of and to participate in CWMA. I hope you are too. Be safe out there.
Happy New Year to all!
Ron Mabry
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President - Ron Mabry
President Elect - Tina Travis
Secretary/Treasurer Casey Cisneros
Board of Directors:
James Herman
Bonnie Loving
Kayla Malone
Curtis Marshall
Jonathan Rife
Alan Swartz
Ex-Officio Members:
Alicia Doran-Past President
Steve Ryder
Mark Eike
Brock Bowles
Executive Director:
Dot Miller
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Please note our new address:
7187 W. 79th Drive
Arvada, CO 80003
Please note our new
phone number:
(303) 210-7077
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From the Executive Director:
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As members, we value your input, so when you come to us with a concern, we evaluate it and discuss how we can make the membership in CWMA better. In the past, we have renewed memberships on the first of the year. You asked for us to reconsider the membership renewal process and we listened. We noticed that most members were renewing around conference, but you would only get a few months out of your membership before the bylaws required you to renew. The Board approved a change to the renewal cycle to a year from the month you joined (or renewed in 2018), meaning, your membership will not expire until a year after your renewal month in our system. If you joined in March 2018, you will now renew your membership in March every year.
We have also switched over to a new online membership database, which offers a more streamlined, useful and user-friendly online experience for our members. All you need to do is log in with your email and you will be able to renew your membership, register for CWMA events, and update your contact information online through your user portal. This new database will allow us to see the history of your membership as well. In the past, the system we used would clear at the end of each year so we weren’t able to see the longevity of our loyal members. Now, we will be able to celebrate your anniversaries and milestones.
Thank you for providing feedback to us. We appreciate you so much. If you have any additional suggestions, please email us at
info@cwma.org
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Dot Miller, CAE
Executive Director
Colorado Weed Management Association
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CWMA 2018 Awards
At the 2018 Annual conference in Grand Junction, CWMA awarded these amazing members for their outstanding efforts to provide education of noxious weeds and control methods and for the management of noxious weeds.
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Weed Manager of the Year
Teresa Nees
Mesa County Noxious Weed & Pest Management
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Lifetime Service Award
Chris Ness
Adams County Noxious Weed Management
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Newcomer Award
Ethan Proud
Archuleta County Weed and Pest
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Partnership Award
Mark Slayton
Colorado Department of Transportation
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2018 Wrap up
by Alicia Doran
2018 has brought a number of challenges to CWMA but I believe we are making improvements that will benefit our membership for many years to come. I want to recognize our new Executive Director Dot Miller and her team for stepping in and helping us take on changes that have brought stability to our association. I would also like to thank the Board for all their hard work this year that has helped us make improvements to how we operate.
Here is just a part of what we have accomplished so far:
- Published the 13th edition of the Noxious Weeds of Colorado id booklet
- Held four Regional Spring Trainings between April and May.
- Launched our new website in May.
- Published regular Eblasts.
- Hired a new association management firm to oversee our day to day business.
- Made improvements to our behind the scenes operations that will make registering for events and renewing memberships easier for our customers.
- Held an interim election.
- Partnered with CDA to host a Noxious Weed Awareness campaign workshop.
- Met with CDOT to discuss their program.
- Published the 2019 Noxious Weed calendar.
Coming up:
2019 Membership Drive - December-January
Spring Training School (Details coming soon)
All the work we do is done by volunteers. I encourage you to join us and share your ideas. You can always reach out to me at adoran@jeffco.us or 303-271-5989.
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C4HL Micro Grants
CWMA has received a 2019 State and Private Forestry Grant through the Colorado Department of Agriculture to support our Colorado for Healthy Landscapes (C4HL) initiative. We will be awarding micro-grants of up to $3,000 for projects that support sustainable landscapes and have a nexus to National Forest Service lands. The C4HL program is intended to build partnerships that will help noxious weed awareness reach new audiences and support ongoing efforts throughout the state.
Applications are due March 1, 2019
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You can help support CWMA with no additional expense to you or your program.
How? Amazon Smile.
https://smile.amazon.com/
i
s a free donation program created by Amazon to give back to non-profit organizations across the globe. Supporting CWMA is easy! Just go to Amazon.smile when you are making purchases from the online retailer. Select “Colorado Weed Management Association” from the list of supporting non-profits. Once you have selected CWMA, any and all purchases you make on Amazon.smile will donate .5% back to our organization! If you have items sitting in your cart and have been waiting for the right opportunity, this is it!
Anyone who shops on Amazon is able to donate to CWMA, not just CWMA members, so please feel free to share and spread the word!
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What do you enjoy most about the field of weed management:
By
Derek Sebastian, Bayer Vegetation Management
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“Weed management presents many obstacles. By using some time tested tools and having the privilege to be involved with research on innovative products and weed management techniques, it is really satisfying to be on the path of decreasing invasive weeds and restoring our native grasslands in Boulder County.” – Steve Sauer (Boulder County Parks and Open Space, Weed Control Supervisor)
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“My interest in studying weed science was peaked after working in weed management for several years and realizing the immense challenges faced by land managers. I enjoy researching new tools that can eventually assist managers in restoring our natural areas and rangelands from invasive weeds.” – Shannon Clark (CSU, PhD Candidate)
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“As a wildlife biologist, I get excited about the habitat improvement and restoration that occurs with weed management. Controlling invasive weeds can be the key to opening lands back to important wildlife species.” – Noe Marymor (NRCS, Wildlife Biologist
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“As an undergraduate, I was interested in all aspects of plant biology, but that kind of general interest does not translate into gainful employment. Weed Science allowed me to use my interest in plant ecology, physiology, and biochemistry to have meaningful impacts on managed and natural ecosystems.” –
Dr. Scott Nissen (CSU Weed Science Professor)
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I really enjoy the fact that the work my team and I do helps to preserve and protect Colorado’s natural heritage from northeast Denver all the way to Summit Lake on Mt. Evans. We get to leave at the end of the day knowing that we’ve made a real difference out there.” – Kelly Uhing (City Naturalist- Denver Parks/Natural Resources)
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“My main passion is unlocking new tools that will better equip land managers to address the devastating impacts of invasive weeds in the western US. Weed management provides the opportunity to be involved with cutting-edge research aimed at uncovering solutions to real-world problems.”
– Dr. Derek Sebastian (Bayer Vegetation Management)
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Upper Arkansas Cooperative Weed Management Area (UACWMA)
by Kayla Malone
The Upper Arkansas Cooperative Weed Management Area (UAWCMA) was established in 1998 to form partnerships with multiple organizations to raise awareness of noxious weeds through education and to identify, contain, and control the spread of noxious weeds throughout the upper Arkansas River watershed region.
Some of the accomplishments of the UACWMA in 2018 include
- Coordinated aerial treatment for elongated mustard work (there is write up available on our website that includes the acres treated and general success of the program). Conducted initial observations of the distribution of Canada Thistle Rust Fungus. Collected and re-distributed 5 lbs of viable inoculant to partners within the UACWMA. Initial attempts to establish a “Fungus Farm” with the objective to harvest additional materials for partners and the public in 2019.
- Increased/strengthened partner participation within individual entities. Colorado Parks and Wildlife in Chaffee County was able to purchase a sprayer for in-house management of noxious weeds. Charles Bryant from Huerfano County will be assisting Custer county by managing and maintaining their right of ways though cooperative agreement.
- Completed educational exposure through non-traditional avenues.
- Increased services available to our constituents, Teller-Park Conservation District (TPCD) has increased her herbicide sales, and native seed sales.
- Teller-Park Conservation District (TPCD) was able to contract with the City of Woodland Park for the first time. TDCD has successfully given out over $8,000 in cost-share for weed spraying and herbicide sales.
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Boot Brush Stations
The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) Noxious Weed Program is working on a collaborative “Play, Clean, G0” boot brush station project. If you would like to be a part of this collaborative effort, Boot Brush Kiosk funding is available through the 2019 State and Private Forestry Grant.
Trail users can carry the seeds of invasive species on their shoes, clothing, equipment and animals. It is important to make sure shoes, clothing, backpacks, hooves and paws are clean before entering and leaving the area. Using a boot brush station will help mitigate the spread of invasive weeds most prevalent in the area. The signs will highlight the priority weeds of concern for the area.
Signs cannot be installed at Federal Lands Trailheads. It is acceptable if the trail eventually leads onto Federal Lands.
CDA would like to see stations installed at trailheads across the state. If you are interested in this collaborative effort, please contact Patty York.
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Colorado Section Society for Range Management (CSSRM)
The Colorado Chapter of the Society for Range Management is a professional society dedicated to supporting persons who work with rangelands and have a commitment to their sustainable use. Rangelands are about 50% of terrestrial lands on earth, and provide ecosystem services and wildlife habitat, protect watershed health, and support livelihoods. The Society for Range Management is dedicated to the conservation and sustainable management of rangelands for the benefit of current societies and for future generations.
CSSRM publishes two issues of their newsletter, The Range Rider, per year.
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How can CWMA work for you!
Do you want to make a difference with CWMA? Would you like to influence the direction that CWMA is leading? CWMA is always looking for ways to improve the way we communicate with members. Want to join a committee, but not sure where to start? Contact us!
Spring Training School Committee - Ron Mabry (970) 626-9775 ext 23
Annual Conference Committee - Tina Travis (719) 520-7839
Education Committee - Kayla Malone (719) 221-0102
Membership Committee - Brock Bowles (303) 866-3567 ext 8142
Communications Committee - Tina Travis (719)520-7839
Nominations, Awards & Scholarships - Alan Swartz (303) 434-8358
Publications Committee - Alicia Doran (303) 271-5989
Colorado for Healthy Landscapes (C4HL) - Alicia Doran (303) 271-5989
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