Yellow Starthistle Information
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Weed Management Areas
Weed Management Areas (WMAs) are local organizations that bring together landowners and private, city, county, state, and federal managers in a county, multi-county, or other geographical area to coordinate efforts and expertise against common invasive weed species (Schoenig 2000a, b). The WMA functions under the authority of a mutually developed memorandum of understanding (MOU). To date, groups in California have been initiated by either the leadership of the County Agricultural Commissioner's Office or a Federal Agency employee.
The participants of WMAs have been quite diverse and can include 1) federal agencies (BLM, Forest Service, NRCS, Park Service, and the Department of Defense), 2) state agencies (CDFA, parks, Fish and Game, forestry and fire, CalTrans, UC Cooperative Extension), 3) county agencies (ag department, roadways, parks, fire abatement), 4) environmental organizations (CNPS, CalEPPC), and 5) private groups (growers, cattlemen, RCDs, industry, landowners, volunteers, pest control operators and advisors, open spaces, water districts, city officials, railroads, utilities, and nurserymen).
Some of the activities of the WMAs include developing weed identification/control brochures, organizing weed education events, writing and obtaining grants, coordinating demonstration plots, and instituting joint eradication, mapping, outreach, and other effective weed management projects (Ebright 2000). For general information on WMAs or individual information on specific WMAs see the CDFA Cooperative Weed Management Area website (www.cdfa.ca.gov/wma).
