Cowlitz County weed board reports 2024 gains, warns of holly listing and funding limits

Jennifer Mendoza, coordinator for the Cowlitz County Noxious Weed Control Program, told county commissioners on Monday that the program completed its 50th year in 2024 and recorded increased inspection and outreach activity while relying on special-assessment funding and state grants.

Mendoza said inspectors logged more mapping points in 2024 than in prior years, and the program reached about 1,500 people through presentations, fairs and outreach events. She described a mix of grant-funded field work — notably projects on false brome eradication, knotweed control and work inside Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument — and routine inspection and landowner-education work funded by the county special assessment.

Mendoza said the county tracks noxious weeds by legal classification. Class A species are targeted for eradication, Class B species must be controlled to prevent spread, and Class C species are widespread and typically only controlled in special situations, such as when adjacent to agricultural land. She told commissioners the county currently has about 90 species present across those lists and described…