All county weed supervisors were sent sets of maps for their counties in early March, 1998. Supervisors were requested to involve other persons and agencies active in weed control in their counties. A set of maps was also sent to weed managers in Yellowstone National Park for those parts of the park in Montana, which is considered to be part of any county. The ongoing project is directed by Barbra Mullin. Section-based maps have been completed for every county in the State for the five selected weeds.
Questions remain about interpretation of the data.
A recent questionnaire in which county weed supervisors were asked to estimate acres of weeds in their counties indicated that 1,000,000 acres were infested with leafy spurge. The section-based maps show general areas where these infestations occur. The MDA plans to add data for category 2 and 3 weeds to the section-based project. The weed supervisors support this effort. The new maps are expected to be completed by next fall or winter, 2001.