Special Section: Rural Living Handbook

Jackson County Cooperative Weed Management Area

Weeds know no boundaries!  Jackson County has a climate well suited to weed species and, unfortunately, new invasive weed species are constantly Star Thistlethreatening local native plants.  To reduce the negative impact weeds can have on recreation, agriculture, forestry and property values, we need to educate our community.  Community members need to be informed on management methods as well as ways to avoid contributing to the problem of spreading and transporting weeds.

The Jackson County Cooperative Weed Management Area (the “CWMA”) is a group of agencies and land managers who share the common interest of promoting integrated weed management programs.  Their collaboration includes working together on education, coordination and prevention efforts.  The CWMA provides a forum to keep parties informed and a vehicle to accomplish prioritization and coordination across land ownership and management boundaries. The CWMA provides the opportunity for groups to work together to address invasive weeds, while the participating agencies in the CWMA retain their own distinct authorities and responsibilities.
How the group will work:

  • Education: sharing resources and literature, working together to put on events and trainings for the public, for other land managers
  • Coordination: sharing information about locations and severity of weed infestations, prioritizing sites and species to work on, looking for opportunities to reduce costs through shared treatments
  • Prevention: developing programs such as monitoring, and weed-free certification to prevent spread of weeds

Collaborating Agencies

  • Bureau of Land Management
  • Forest Service
  • Jackson County
  • Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District
  • Oregon Department of Agriculture
  • Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • Oregon Department of Transportation
  • Oregon Parks and Recreation
  • Oregon State University Extension Service
  • Rogue Valley Council of Governments
  • The Nature Conservancy

We are located in the offices of the Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District, 573 Parsons Drive, Suite 102, Medford, OR 97501. Our phone number is 541-734-3143.

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