Our Mission: "To build partnerships in the effort to control noxious and invasive weeds from spreading; educate landowners on the benefit of control techniques".
Welcome to the Five Rivers Weed Management Area's online information site. The Five Rivers WMA is composed of federal, state, and local agencies working with public and private landowners in an effort to control noxious and invasive weeds from causing economic damage to the area. Currently, there are five major rivers that drain in the Southeast part of Nebraska. These smaller streams drainages pose a unique challenge in controlling invaders.
The following counties define the boundry of the Weed Management Area, which consists of more than 3,300,000 acres: Cass, Saline, Jefferson, Gage, Johnson, Pawnee, Otoe, Nemaha, and Richardson Counties.
Area membership consists of representatives from Saline, Jefferson, Gage, Johnson, Pawnee, Otoe,
Nemaha, Cass, and Richardson Counties as well as
representatives from Lower Big Blue NRD, Nemaha NRD, Five Rivers RC & D, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, Pheasants Forever, Farm Service Agency, NRCS and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.
Our main focus is education and awareness and providing an early detection and rapid response towards the spread of weeds in our country. This weed management area strives to bring together all parties interested in controlling weeds and pull together resources for the benefit of landowners and managers.
We invite you to contact us if you have any questions regarding noxious and or invasive weeds. You can also contact your local Weed Control Supt for more information. If you are interested in attending some of our meetings, please use the contact us so we can inform you of our next meetings. You can also subscribe to our newsletter seen on this page to stay informed about FRWMA.
News Flash: 5Rivers WMA annouces Grant project
NATIVE GRASSLAND PROTECTION
The Five Rivers Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. announced that it will receive $39,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the "Native Grassland Protection against Invasive Weeds" Project.
This money will be used by the Five Rivers Weed Management Area (WMA) to utilize a cost share program that would assist in making effective weed control affordable for landowners, land managers and other entities. This program would be available on a rating basis; dependent on severity of invasion, type of invasive weed(s) native prairie in an identified Biologically Unique Landscape, and cash match (minimum requirement of 25%). The fee for the chemical and application minus the cash match would be funded through this grant. A ten (10) year maintenance agreement will be required on any entity acquiring grant funds.
The Five Rivers Weed Management Area (WMA) plans to do project promotion workshops throughout the WMA area. The WMA consists of 9 Counties in Southeast Nebraska (Saline, Jefferson, Gage, Pawnee, Johnson, Otoe, Cass, Nemaha and Richardson). If anyone is interested in applying for grant funding to control Sericea Lespedeza, St. Johnswort, Garlic Mustard, Cutleaf Teasel or Caucasian Bluestem, please contact Emily Rosenthal, Chairman of the Five Rivers Weed Management Area at 402.223.1399 or emilyrosenthal@diodecom.net or feel free to contact your local Weed Superintendent in your County.
The first round of Applications will be accepted through May 31, 2011 and the Second round of Applications will be accepted through June 30, 2011. If there is money left over after the first two rounds of applications there is a possibility of a Third round of Applications which would be due by July 15, 2011. Applications will be reviewed on a monthly basis at our Five Rivers WMA meetings.
Landowner meeting/pasture tour on Friday, June 17 at 4:00 at 62133 713th Rd Pawnee City, NE.
Weed Management Areas (WMAs) are local organizations that bring together landowners and managers (private, city, county, State, and Federal) in a county, multi-county, or other geographical area to coordinate efforts and expertise against common invasive weed species. The WMA functions under the authority of a mutually developed memorandum of understanding (MOU) and is subject to statutory and regulatory weed control requirements. A WMA may be voluntarily governed by a chairperson or a steering committee. To date, groups in Nebraska have been initiated by either the leadership of the County or a Federal Agency employee. WMAs are unique because they attempt to address agricultural (regulatory) weeds and “wildland” weeds under one local umbrella of organization. It is hoped that participation will extend from all agencies and private organizations. WMAs have printed weed I.D./control brochures, organized weed education events, written and obtained grants, coordinated demonstration plots, and instituted joint eradication, mapping, outreach, and other effective weed management projects.
