King County offers noxious weed workshops

Five workshops offer landowners tips to identify, combat noxious weeds

King County property owners who are interested in learning how to identify and control noxious weeds are invited to attend any of the five workshops, set for June and sponsored by the King County Noxious Weed Program.

"Noxious weeds can cause a number of problems for property owners," said Sasha Shaw, King County’s noxious weed program education specialist. "Some are poisonous to humans and livestock, and most grow rapidly and are difficult to control." Weeds can also reduce crop yields, destroy native habitat, clog waterways and diminish land values.

"The hard part is to know where to start and how to tell the weeds apart, and we can teach property owners how to identify the worst invaders and how to prioritize their control," Shaw said.

The workshops, which are free and begin at 7 p.m., feature presentations on pasture weeds and weed management, identification tips with live weed specimens, plus the opportunity for participants to bring unknown weeds and questions to "stump the experts."

Workshop dates and locations are:

• June 8 at Meadowbrook Farm, Snoqualmie;
• June 13 at the Covington Library;
• June 14 at the Auburn Library;
• June 20 at the Enumclaw Library; and
• June 27 at the Vashon Land Trust Building, Vashon Island.

To sign up for a workshop, or for more information, contact Shaw at 206-263-6468, or sasha.shaw@kingcounty.gov.

King County's noxious weed program focuses on education, helps landowners identify noxious weeds and offers technical assistance on the best control options for each site. To find out more about noxious weeds or the noxious weed program, call 206-296-0290; e-mail noxious.weeds@kingcounty.gov; or visit www.dnr.metrokc.gov/weeds on the Internet.