Heppner gazette-times., October 05, 1988, Page page 5, Image 13

MSWCD Supplunrnt lo Ih» H rppnrr ( . u r t l r llm n . October S. IWW - pwt* 5
Morrow Soil and Water Conservation District First in State to Initiate
weed diffuse knapweed in south funding to help support the noxious utilized Jim's pmgntms. and one has
Weed Control District
Morrow County and considers it a weed program He has acquired fun­ received his cooperation in spraying
The Morrow Count v
Control District originated in
1940 but was inactive for <M)
years. The Soil and Water Con­
servation District reactivated it
a^ain in IVH2 and it is part of
the county budget.
Some people think weeds are just
a nuisance but the truth is they have
an economic and social impact on
each and everyone of us in Morrow
County Just ask Jim Van Winkle,
who spends his time dedicated to the
elimination of weeds
Van Winkle, in his fourth year as
District Manager and Weed Super
visor, has seen the program grow as
Jim Van Winkle
fast as the weeds Beginning with a
the resource person." remarked Jim
$6,000 budget, it is now SKO.tMMi
The spread of weeds has
“When I took the job, the district
a devastating impact on cropland,
made weed control a number one
rangeland and forests, transforming
priority and one of my respon
productive land into barren. un
sibilitics was to enforce state and
productive wasteland This results in
county laws regarding noxious
loss of revenue for county
weeds It has expanded to include
landowners
Jim has seen the effect of one such
weeds of all varieties with me being
i .n u u x x s x n x x n x x u u x v x x u w x x x v x x u u
35
PETTYJOHN’S
Complete Farm & Building Supplies
& Radio Shack Dealer
■MTW
tCHO
Hrppnrr 6 76-9157 or f>76-5(X)l
personal obligation to keep this weed
fn»m destroying thousands of acres
To do this. Jim, with the aid of the
district and a weed advisory board
consisting of local residents and with
help tmm fish A Wildlife, the forest
Services, and private businesses has
set out to identify all potentially
threatening weeds in the county He
began with a spray program to clean
up weeds on public lands, along
railroad and highway right of ways
and has worked with farmers and
ranchers
Jim has implemented range
rehabilitation programs and
reseeding and has worked to ini
prove existing rangeland infested
with knapweed on the Dick Wilkin
son ranch He has been involved
with the aerial knapweed spraying
program on Rock Creek and Little
Buttercrcek Along with these
measures, Jim has pros ided informa
non and education to all county
residents aimed at alerting them to
the dangers of weed infestations
The weed supervivir has viught
ways to establish biological controls
for weeds and has three controls lor
knapweed, one tor St John's weed
and one tor poivm hemlock
ding from the Forest Service, Union
Pacific Railroad, the State Highway
Department. Bonneville Hrwer Ad
ministration, the Department of
Agriculture, the Army Corps a t
Engineer*. Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife, the State
Reunifies Deparmenl. and the U S
Naval Bombing Range
Jim lias furthered his desire to in
tomi the public ah>ut the importance
of weed control thnnigh district
sponsored weed tours, information
booths at county fairs and public
events
and
with
speaking
engagements for organizations such
as local garden clubs Regular news
articles on weeds have appeared in
local and regional publications
The cities in Morrow County have
poivm hemlock on creek banks
Jim alv> devotes time to the Con­
servation Reserve Program He
works closely with the Fxtension
Service. Soil Conservation Service,
and chemical dealers and makes
recommendations to farmers on
weed control in their CRP fields
While most of Jim's time is alloted
to the weed program, the remainder
is devoted to will and water conser
vation programs in the county He
serves as secretary of the Heppner
Water Control District, is a planning
member of the Rcvwrve C'onserva
lion and Development hoard and
sec retary of Roc k Creek Range Con­
servation Corporation. Vi> ag Ad
viviry Committee, and has served on
the ad hoc committee on the
chemical 2 4 1)
Sr
From the beginning of the weed
program. Van Winkle has viught
Dalmatian Toad Flax
found near Hinton Creek;
on list of noxious weeds.
Jim Van Winkle with scotch thistle, a weed that was moved
u ^ to the “A" list
& Garden-Power Equipment-Chain Saws-Tires- Hardware-Plumbing-Electrical-Lawn & Garden-Power Equipment-Chain
c
Morrow County Grain Growers
03
CO
o
cn
0)
<T>
CZ1
T
Serving Morrow County for Over 50 Years
LU
•
CT)
C
n
X
o c
</>
0)
E
CD
•Auto & Farm Tires
»Chemicals & Fertilizers
•Hardware Store »Grain »Fuel & Petroleum
•Irrigation/Pump «Shop • Farm Equipment Dealer
CL
J
0)
v-
03
<0
X I
</)
,®
Q.
CL
c/>
I
CD
c
■O
■O
®
/-
I
I
0)
<D
Wasco Branch
1
è
4 4 2 -5 7 8 1 (Call Colled)
4th & Clark St.
Wasco, OR 97065
County
Grain Growers
lone Store
989-8221
INC.
§
Phone 989 8221
X
&
a 0
CENEX
LAND O ’LAKES
1 800-452 7396
LEXINGTON. OREGON 97839
:mm
P O Boi 367
^ -Flower Equipment-Chain Saws-Tires-Housewares-Pet S u p plier & Hardware-Plumbing-Electrical-Lawn & Garden-