Did you know that 50 years ago yellow star thistle was not a big problem in the Rogue Valley? Eradication seems hopeless now as it has spread everywhere, but it might have been possible when star thistle first took root in the valley.  With that in mind, the Jackson County CWMA is prioritizing noxious weeds in our area in order to focus efforts on controlling new and emerging weeds before they take over.

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

• Army Corps of Engineers
• 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