MORGAN -- Although Morgan County officials agree that the county has a noxious weed problem, there is no consensus about how to handle it.
Options are limited, they say, because of the amount of private property in the county.
"We do have a severe noxious weed problem in Morgan," particularly in new subdivisions, Councilman Al Lundgren said. "Owners of the property are unwilling to spend the money to control them and (the weeds) continue to grow out of bounds."
Morgan County Conservation District Supervisor Logan Wilde said that weeds on private property are the county's biggest challenge.
"Most of the weed problems are on private property," Wilde said. "There is no way I can trespass on someone (to help eradicate weeds)."
Although council members are sympathetic with the problem, they are not sure which option to pursue.
Lundgren mentioned the county noxious weed ordinance, but Wilde would like to see the county embrace a Bag Of Woad program where volunteers are financially rewarded for removing Dyer's Woad.
Wilde asked the county for a $1,500 donation to the program and said UDOT has already agreed to a similar donation.
Wilde is also approaching the state about donations.
Because the problem is greater on private property, Wilde said any funding would be geared toward helping private landowners with weed control. Such efforts would need to be facilitated with landowners.
With estimates between 90 and 94 percent of county land being deemed private, Morgan has a larger percentage of privately owned land than any other county in the state.
But council members weren't eager to donate.
"I feel like the (Bag Of Woad) program was a failed program," Councilwoman Karen Sunday said. "Kids would go to the middle of a big field and fill up the bags to get money. That did no good, and little to eradicate it. It is still in the field."
After losing some funding and grants, the county's Bag of Woad program has not functioned for about two years.
"We are trying to initiate the program again," Wilde said.
Sunday encouraged Wilde to take his Bag Of Woad program proposal to the county weed board in preparation for November's budget hearings.
"See if they feel this is the best way to educate the public about Dyer's Woad," Sunday said.
Lundgren is not optimistic that the weed board will recommend funding the program.
"The consensus is it just helps out a few Scout groups," said Lundgren, who is on the weed board.
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