News – Sheridan Media
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Sheridan County Weed and Pest Control District has alerted Sheridan Media to a report made available to the public on the economic impact of invasive flora species to the Cowboy State.
According to a news release sent by the district, the Wyoming Weed and Pest Council (WWPC), along with the University of Wyoming, has helped to create and publish a report on the potential economic impact of invasive weeds in Wyoming.
The report detailed 10 different invasive species and examined the estimated costs each can have on every county in Wyoming, as well as the characteristics of the plants. All 23 weed and pest districts joined the university to collaborate on the report.
“It’s easy to write off invasive weeds as just another minor nuisance, but as this report shows, they can cost Wyomingites millions of dollars every year,” Weed and Pest Council President Donley Darnell said. “It is critical for us to understand where these plants grow, how they spread and how they impact us. If left unchecked, everything from livestock, native plants and animals, rangeland and crops could be negatively affected.”
Estimates from the report show that, if untouched, the 10 invasive weeds that were studied could cost Wyoming more than $300 million per year alone. Those weeds include cheatgrass, hoary cress, leafy spurge, medusahead, palmer amaranth, perennial pepperweed, Russian knapweed, Russian olive, ventenata and yellow starthistle.
The State Designated Weed List currently consists of 21 other invasive weeds in addition to the 10 from the study. The possibility of newer, yet to be identified plants was also excluded from the overall estimates of the study.
WWPC and the UW acknowledge that the study focuses mainly on the agricultural impact of weeds and that the estimates should be considered “very conservative.” Both groups stress the importance of their partnership and urge everyone to stay vigilant in the fight to protect the state’s native wildlife.
“Keeping Wyoming wild and beautiful is a team effort, which is why it was so important to collaborate with the university for this study,” Darnell said. “Now we have to take the next step and ensure that all of us, in every community, are taking every precaution we can to prevent the spread of invasive plants.”
People can help WWPC by learning about invasive plants and reporting them to your local weed and pest district so that officials can work to prevent their spread. Information resources and online reporting can be done at wyoweed.org/identify-weeds.
A complete copy of the study, along with other valuable resources, can be found at wyoweed.org/publications.
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Last modified: February 24, 2025