Town of Crested Butte moves to control noxious weeds in community

Using collaboration to get people on board

By Mark Reaman

There is a certain honor being the Wildflower Capital of Colorado, but the upper valley must work to make sure noxious weeds don’t push out those world-famous wildflowers. As such, the town of Crested Butte is looking at implementing a Noxious Weed Management Plan that thoroughly addresses actions to help eliminate weeds.

A work session on the topic was held September 6, welcoming representatives from Mt. Crested Butte, Gunnison County, the Crested Butte Land Trust and the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. A public hearing on the plan will be held at the next meeting.

Crested Butte Parks and Recreation director Janna Hansen took the lead in the discussion and said the goal is keep this area the Wildflower Capital of Colorado. The proposed plan will address both public and private lands.

“Education and awareness are very important elements of doing that,” Hansen told the Town Council. “A lot is being done right now but there is a lot more we can do.”

She explained that the spread of noxious weeds could result in monocultures of weeds rather than the rich variety of wildflowers found in the valley. Certain problem areas such as the Crested Butte cemetery and some town alleys need major mitigation.

Dr. Jennifer Reithel of RMBL said the lab had compiled a list of non-native plants in the valley. “The ones at RMBL we try to control are the ‘invasives’ that push out the native plants,” she explained. “At this altitude controlling the invasives is totally doable.”

Mt. Crested Butte community development coordinator Todd Carroll said the town charges a hefty cleanup deposit on construction projects. Often construction brings in invasive weeds so the town keeps the money until non-native species are eliminated from the construction sites. He said Mt. Crested Butte had also implemented a noxious weed plan and sends letters to property owners with problem lots. The town has a set of weed sprayers owners can borrow to address weed problems.

“We help mix the chemicals and give them a safety talk and most people are appreciative and try to keep the weeds in check,” Carroll said.

“We want to implement a collaborative approach down here like Mt. Crested Butte uses,” Hansen said. “We don’t want to use a punitive approach.”

The council set a public hearing for the plan on September 19 and the council might take action on the proposal at that meeting.