After years of battles, the war against noxious weeds continues in Ward County.

And today it was time for some aerial reconnaissance.

Jim Olson reports on an airborne survey of the county's weed problems.

It's an annual trip for Derrill Fick - Ward County's Weed Control Officer. An annual trip into a cramped Cessna for a aerial tour of the county.

(Derrill Fick, Weed Control Officer) "You can get a better perspective of it instead of looking at it from the roadside."


Stormy weather stayed just far enough away to allow the survey to get started - and so after the engine was fired up and the plane taxied to the runway - it was off into the wild blue yonder - notice the lighting strike to the northeast - to search for leafy spurge.

(Derrill Fick, Weed Control Officer) "Just trying to see where our worst spots are so we know where to concentrate our spurge control."


This year, Fick was joined by County COmmissioner Jack NyBakken.

(Derrill Fick, Weed Control Officer) "It's all new for me. I think the'll be able to point out for me what type of things our money is going for."


He said as a new commissioner, he wanted to see where some of the county's money goes to control weeds. And the tour showed him plenty of areas where there are problems. The worst is here near Sawyer, where coal mines used to exist. Now, much of the land is covered in yellow - the yellow of the leafy spurge plant.

(Derrill Fick, Weed Control Officer) "We need to know where our worst infestations are so we can talk with those landowners and have a management plan to clean up the weeds from their property so they can have better grass growth for their pastures and raise more animals and get rid of the noxious and invasive plants."


Another hot-spot is near Carpio. Fick says these aerial tours allow him to get a handle on what swaths of land are most infested with noxious weeds such as leafy spurge. Then he and the landowner can come up with a plan for eradicating the weeds. He says the landowner benefits by increasing usable grazing land and the whole county benefits by removing the source of weeds that can quickly spread and take over valuable land. And the county pays the majority of the cost of chemicals needed for control.

(Derrill Fick, Weed Control Officer) "We cost-share with the landowner. The chemical costs the landowner 25% of the retail cost."


So by the time the wheels were back on solid ground, Fick had a better idea of where county weed control money will need to be spent this summer. Jim Olson, KX News. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list