You recently printed a letter from Mr. Joseph Crowell of Mancos and Weber Canyon referring to an article in the Journal Nov. 14, 2000, concerning the serious Russian knapweed infestation of areas in the lower canyon. Mr. Crowell states that the County weed Board and the Montezuma County Weed Program have a "spray only" policy of weed control in the county.

We are required by state law and by county regulation to use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods of weed control, and as any weed professional or natural resource scientist will tell you, it is just good practical sense to do so. This includes mowing, tillage, revegetation, insects, specialized grazing, and any other effective methods of control.

Russian knapweed is a deep-rooted perennial weed that was introduced from Europe and Asia, probably in contaminated seed. Russian knapweed is toxic and deadly if eaten by horses, causing irreversible brain damage. Dr. Tony Knight of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at CSU has more information available on the knapweed poison and its effects.

Russian knapweed also secretes a toxic substance into the soil that kills other plants so they cannot compete. The aggressiveness of this plant will create a monoculture or pure stand if left untreated. We have some large infestations of some pure stands in the county that we visited on our weed tour last year. The people on the tour will tell you that in those areas, there are no birds, rabbits, deer or other wildlife of any kind. This is the result of the toxic and poisonous attributes of the Russian knapweed, not from any herbicide use, because it has never been sprayed.

There were some reports received last year from an area in Northern Colorado that warned of suspected tumors on the hands of volunteers who had been hand-pulling Russian knapweed along the Colorado River. I recommend to anyone hand-pulling Russian knapweed that they wear gloves and take care in their handling of the plant.

The state noxious weed law requires a landowner to control the weeds in such a manner so that they cannot spread to adjacent properties. Under the present law, if a landowner chooses to keep the weeds mowed so that they do not flower and set seed that can be spread, this satisfies the requirement. However, here is the real problem: Russian knapweed has no insects available for control — none. The researchers are working on this problem and have been for years, but they are not available yet.

There are some insects available for some of the other varieties of knapweed such as spotted and diffuse knapweed, but they are totally ineffective on Russian knapweed. Research done recently by Dr. George Beck, weed scientist at Colorado State University, has shown that though mowing will partially control the spread of Russian knapweed, it actually thickens the stand without any herbicide application.

The chemical herbicides that we use are modern, safe and effective. They are not poison to animals or humans. They have no effect at all on mammal cells, and only act on plant cells to regulate cell growth.

The statement made about 2,4-D and Agent Orange is totally ridiculous and can be easily verified. The chemical referred to as Agent Orange was used to defoliate jungle brush in Vietnam during the war. The herbicide used was a brush killer called 2,4,5-%. What made the Agent Orange potentially harmful to humans was that during the manufacturing process on the low-bid government contract, the known carcinogen (cancer causing) dioxin was in the petroleum based carrier used in the formulation, Dioxin, a known carcinogen, was used in the oil in electrical transformers and other industrial applications until it was outlawed several years ago.

Russian knapweed is a real and serious problem. It is now widely accepted by many environmental professionals and the native plant preservationist that wise and judicious use of herbicides is the only way to effectively control Russian knapweed and protect our native plant community.

We have serious and widespread infestations in Montezuma County, and through concerted effort on behalf of many professionals and landowners, and with our cost-share program that is available to residents of the county, we hope to make progress in reclaiming these properties and making them productive again.

Mr. Crowell, the "Weed Control Boys" you refer to in your letter are landowners in the county who in many cases make their living from the land and all are very conscious of the beauty of the area not only where you live, but all of Montezuma County and Southwest Colorado. The County Weed Board members are all volunteers and give of their time and expertise to benefit all county residents. It is through efforts of people like them who care enough about the land, the environment and our quality of life to do the things necessary to protect it.

The county employees who have this responsibility are all trained, skilled and experienced weed control professionals that are licensed and certified by the state and take their responsibilities very seriously. The severe infestation of Russian knapweed on your 780 acres should have been disclosed to you by the seller of the property before the sale was finalized. We always encourage new buyers of property to acquire a noxious weed inspection prior to closing, and to ask the necessary questions to educate themselves about the possible problems and expense of noxious weed infestations.