I've cited past success stories about cooperation between Federal, State, County and Private concerns to tell you what kind of an impact we can have if we all work together. What better way to figure out how to get the most out of that tool box than through cooperative work with the experts in all of these areas. Third, but not least importantly, these stories are success stories because we've been able to take information from test plots and demonstration areas to educate ourselves and others, and in a very short time, we've been able to control or start to contain noxious weeds and invasive plants in large areas, some of which are highly sensitive. Let me elaborate on that further. As you know, the state of Idaho has developed a strategic noxious weed management plan.
Many counties also have noxious weed and invasive plant strategic plans.
When I visited with the people at Ada County Weed Control, recently, I was quite impressed with the comprehensive plan that they have developed and are constantly working on for weed control in Ada county. I was told that the state plan would work if it helped overcome the barriers they come up against at borders that weeds don't recognize when invading across private property, county and state lines and across public lands, too. The people at Ada County Weed Control and elsewhere in Idaho know how valuable a comprehensive weed control plan can be if knowledge from all the experts is pooled quickly so we can keep the new invaders from getting to be a problem in the first place, eradicate noxious weeds and invasive plants when possible, contain other problem species as well as possible and have the wisdom to know what to do with the rest of the noxious weeds and invasive plants causing problems for now until more control tools are developed. As I mentioned, many diverse interest groups such as the Audobon Society, Nature Conservancy, Quails Unlimited, Federal, State and County agencies and concerned private citizens recognize the huge challenges we face for noxious weed and invasive plant control. They know that weeds encroach on two-thirds of the habitat of Threatened and Endangered species in the United States and also threaten agriculture, biological diversity, urban spaces and natural areas, so when we lose these areas to these invaders, we are actually losing a part of our national heritage.