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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE - Agricultural Commissioner Thomas A. Moss
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Requested Action(s)
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a) AGREEMENT - Approval and authorization for the Agricultural Commissioner to sign the Colusa-Glenn-Tehama Counties Weed Management Area Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the purpose of creating stakeholder collaborations focusing on invasive plant control efforts
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Financial Impact:
There is no financial impact related to this Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Background Information:
The purpose of Weed Management Areas (WMAs) throughout the state is to create stakeholder collaborations focusing on invasive plant control efforts. All interested land management entities, public and private, may be invited to participate in WMA efforts. In many cases, local WMAs are led by the County Agricultural Commissioner or Resource Conservation Districts. This multi-county strategic partnership is beneficial when trying to identify and eradicate pests of concern that move throughout the area by means of interstate commerce and waterways. These WMAs are most beneficial in coordinating multi-jurisdictional projects.
Weed Management Areas are defined in California Food and Agriculture Code 7272. The legislature funds programs by placing budget allocations in the Noxious Weed Management Account administered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which then issues grants to established WMAs. To qualify for funding, WMAs must have an MOU between all stakeholder groups and a strategic plan defining their current goals and objectives.
Previous projects completed by the Colusa-Glenn-Tehama WMA have included:
• Sites Reservoir Purple Starthistle Treatment
• Bear Creek Arundo and Tamarisk Removal
• Lower Stoney Creek Arundo and Tamarisk Removal
• Perennial Pepperweed and Barbed Goat Grass Treatments
In the spring of 2025, the Glenn County Resource Conservation District, on behalf of the Colusa-Glenn-Tehama WMA, applied for and was awarded $120,000 in grant funding. At this time, an update to the existing WMA MOU has been drafted, as well as a current strategic integrated weed management plan. This necessary step is not only required for the acceptance of these recently awarded grant funds, but these updated documents will provide an opportunity for the WMA to actively seek out and obtain additional funding opportunities from Federal and State partners.