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Commission approves two invasive-species mitigation grants totaling $87,077 for Rush Skeletonweed and knapweed control
Summary
Box Elder County commissioners approved a $66,000 Rush Skeletonweed grant and a $21,077 knapweed grant from UDAF and authorized related contracts; staff described integrated control work including aerial treatments, seedings and biocontrol releases.
The Box Elder County Commission approved two Invasive Species Mitigation grant agreements on June 25 to help control rush skeletonweed and knapweed across county rangelands.
Road Supervisor Darin McFarland presented Grant Agreement #26-28, a $66,000 award to help eradicate rush skeletonweed; commissioners approved it on a unanimous roll-call vote. McFarland also presented Grant Agreement #26-29, a $21,077 award from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to address knapweed, and that motion was carried unanimously as well.
County staff described a multifaceted approach that combines ground crew spot-spraying with UTV-mounted systems, limited backpack-spraying, drone applications in inaccessible terrain, helicopter applications on steep parcels, seeding of treated sites and release or relocation of biocontrol agents where appropriate. The SIIPA documentation and grant materials were submitted to state program staff as part of the application.
Why it matters: The grants fund large-scale invasive-plant control on public and private lands in Box Elder County. County staff emphasized integrated management — mechanical containment, chemical treatment targeted to life stage, revegetation where needed, and a biocontrol program that includes collecting and releasing root- and seed-feeding insects.
Quotes and context: McFarland told the commission the rush-skeletonweed grant would support eradication work and seedings on steep, previously treated areas; separate knapweed funding targets Russian, spotted, squarrose and diffuse knapweed infestations across several sites in the county.
Next steps: County staff will schedule aerial and ground treatments according to plant phenology and grant timelines, coordinate single-case agreements and permitting as needed, and continue outreach to landowners participating in the county's landowner-outreach program.
