Members of the Gila Watershed Partnership learned that noxious weeds are threatening the quality of natural resources on public and private lands and could cost Arizona residents millions of tax dollars to eradicate.

During the partnership's June 10 meeting, Kim McReynolds of the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension spoke about these invasive plants and the harm they can cause.

"Any weeds are a threat to agriculture, wildlife habitat and public health," McReynolds said. Most noxious weeds found throughout the Southwest, including Arizona, originated in the Middle East. They were spread first to Europe by agriculture, grazing and urban development, McReynolds said.

When European colonists traveled to what would become the United States, they inadvertently transported weed seeds with them in their grain seed, livestock feed and ship ballasts.

"From the New World's ports, weeds hitched rides inland with pioneers, set seed in America's farm fields and rangelands and began to spread like a slow-moving wildfire," McReynolds wrote in the partnership's newsletter.

There are many examples of noxious weed growth in Graham and Greenlee counties. For example, there are 900 acres of Russian knapweed in Greenlee and an extensive amount of sweet resin bush on Frye Mesa. The latter likely came from two ornamental potted plants in a private yard several years ago.

According to McReynolds, the Arizona Department of Transportation spends about $80,000 a year to control noxious weeds along highways. ADOT spending for noxious weed control has increased by about $10,000 since 1986.

She said noxious weeds can drastically reduce crop production by stealing soil and nutrients from agricultural crops and forage from domestic livestock. Some of these weeds are toxic to horses.

For more information contact McReynolds at kimm@cals@arizona.edu.

In an unrelated matter, the partnership voted to explore the possibility of setting up a neighborhood dumpster program in Graham County. Jan Holder, the partnership's projects coordinator, said she will begin looking for a grant to fund the project.

In other business, several partnership members volunteered to serve on the newly formed Education and Outreach Committee. The volunteers will make presentations to civic groups and organizations to meet public education requirements of state and federal grants.

"Every single grant we do requires education and outreach," Holder said.