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Gem County Weed Control
125 E Dion Street, Emmett, Idaho 83617
Phone: (208) 365-4201
Fax: (208) 365-2690

Jake Wyant
Email:  gcwc@qwestoffice.net
 

Gem County Weed Department will perform the following services upon request at no charge:

• Weed Identification

• Land Inspections and Recommendations

• Weed Control Speaking Engagements

• State Weed Law Enforcements

• Advise Residents on Local Weed Problems and Laws

The Weed Department is involved with two Cooperative Weed Management Areas:

• The Lower Gem – drainage below Black Canyon Dam

• The Upper Payette – drainage above Black Canyon Dam

Both CWMA’s offer cost-share programs for specific noxious weeds – inquire.  GCWC offers reduced application rates for CWMA cost-share programs.

Private Landowner’s Weed Control Service is limited to:

At the discretion of the Gem County Weed Superintendent, the control of noxious weeds in non-crop areas.

Treatment Rates:

• One man and one spray truck or ATV       $30. per hr + herbicide cost

• Same with CWMA cost-share involved      $20. per hr + free herbicide
   

GCWC also inspects forage and straw for certification into the ISDA’s Noxious Weed Free Forage & Straw Program.  The fee is $30. (minimum) and $3. per acre over 10 acres plus tags or string costs.

Any treatment of private land requires the landowner’s signature on a release and permission to add the site to our GIS database thru GPS.

For the long-term battle against noxious weeds, the Weed Dept has prioritized the noxious weed list to better focus our efforts and resources.

Gem County has five noxious weeds that are firmly established – Rush Skeletonweed, Field Bindweed, Puncturevine, Canada Thistle, and Poison Hemlock.  These will be kept off right-of-ways and reduced wherever possible.  Landowners will contain these weeds to prevent spread.

We have another twenty noxious weeds present in the County that have a population low enough where eradication is possible.  For these, the lower the population – the higher the priority.  Treating as much as possible every year within each weed’s “window of opportunity”, we hope to reduce this list over time, species by species.  All landowner’s will work toward eradication of these weeds.

Bio-control programs have been established for Purple Loosestrife, Musk Thistle, and Rush Skeletonweed.

The last group of noxious weeds are the ones not yet found in Gem County.  These are the highest priority.  When one of these are identified, all resources will be used as needed for immediate eradication to remove any chance of spread or escape

     Noxious weed priorities 2009 (.pdf)