I want to express my gratitude for the opportunity I had to speak at the Wallowa County Forum on Sunday, to provide information about the Noxious Weed Levy.

I need to correct one bit of the information I provided.

I was asked where would Wallowa County would be if we hadn’t passed the first levy in 2002 and through consecutive years. I answered that I felt we would look like Idaho while dropping down into Clarkston with hills full of Yellow starthistle. Well, that clearly doesn’t make sense, since you drop down into Washington. I guess I had Idaho on my mind as that presentation was immediately following mine. I misspoke, as I meant to say Washington.

That being said I would like to add to the above question as to the benefits of these passed levees. Collectively the partners that I identified in my presentation have made great strides in the management of noxious weeds. Some of these include but are not limited to: Support for the Wallowa County noxious weed ordinance, introduction of biocontrols, control of species such as Dalmation toadflax, welted and musk thistle, countless hours planning and addressing different species, and creating awareness with residents and visitors of Wallowa County. At times it may seem hopeless to fight this battle, but if you consider how we might look without the fight, such as areas in other states, we all can agree that Wallowa County is definitely worth fighting for!

Teresa Smergut

Wallowa