Carolyn Ruttan of the Lake County Department of Water Resources discusses weed issues with local residents who took part in the annual Invasive Weed Awareness Week tour on Thursday, July 22, 2010. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – Lake County officials recently held events as part of California’s “Invasive Weed Awareness Week,” which is the third week of July.

This year the Lake County Weed Management Area had a proclamation read and adopted by the Board of Supervisors proclaiming July 18 through 24 as “Invasive Weeds Awareness Week in Lake County.”

The primary mission during the week was to raise public awareness about the impacts that invasive weed species have on our local environment and natural resources.

A display was set up at the Lake County Agricultural Center showcasing numerous invasive weeds and a weed tour was hosted by the Weed Management Area, a group of agencies and individuals dedicated to detecting and eradicating invasive weed species in Lake County.

This year marked the Weed Management Area’s fifth annual weed tour, a four-hour event where the public was invited to caravan to various locations to see first-hand what these invasive species look like and to learn about their impacts on the environment.

This year’s weed tour highlighted arundo, tamarisk, Spanish broom, tree of heaven, water primrose, a discussion on goat grass as well as an aquatic weed discussion that included samples.

This event was made possible by the following Weed Management Area members Greg Dills, East Lake & West Lake Resource Conservation District; Cathy Koehler, UC Davis McLaughlin Reserve; Carolyn Ruttan, Lake County Department of Water Resources; and Katherine Blyleven, Lake County Department of Agriculture.

Weed Management Area members thanked all those who participated in this year’s tour.

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