Preventing invasion
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 3 months AGO
Milk Thistle may help generate a great dietary supplement for humans, when processed properly, but it can be toxic to livestock and is native to Western Asia, Europe and Northern Africa. State authorities are asking that campers and hikers clean themselves, their pets and their gear to ensure seeds from such plants aren’t carried home after an outdoors outing, thus increasing the spread of the invasive species.
COURTESY PHOTO/WASHINGTON STATE NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL BOARD
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | June 5, 2023 6:07 PM
OLYMPIA — State agencies are asking people to clean up their gear, pets and clothing to prevent invasive plants from establishing here, according to a statement from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office.
State law requires landowners to control noxious weeds when they are present on their properties, the statement said, but when people are coming and going on public lands, that’s not completely possible.
“Preventing noxious weeds is as simple as remembering to clean your boots, pets and equipment before you recreate so you aren’t bringing a biological hitchhiker with you from home to your favorite trail or meadow,” Mary Fee, executive secretary of the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board, wrote in the statement. “It is equally important to clean everything and everyone once you are finished so that you don’t bring a problem weed back home with you.”
A 2017 state report estimated that the top 22 priority invasive species, of more than 200 in the state, could cause more than $2 billion annually in economic and environmental impacts if left unchecked, the statement said.
Invasive species also can restrict access to recreation sites or prevent use of areas because of their presence and the damage they cause. A second state report from 2020 showed that outdoor recreation contributes $26.5 billion to Washington’s economy annually and supports 264,000 jobs, rivaling the state’s aerospace industry.
“Beyond economics, Washington’s public lands include a wide range of plants and animals that face risk of loss and possible extinction because of invasive species,” Joe Rocchio, Natural Heritage Program manager for the Washington Department of Natural Resources, wrote in the statement. “Invasive species are the primary threat to 25% of the state’s rare plant species and a significant threat to many of the state’s most imperiled ecological systems, including lowland prairies and oak woodlands in western Washington and shrub-steppe in the Columbia Basin.”
More information can be found at www.nwcb.wa.gov.
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.