6/12 Let's Pull Together - Community Noxious Weed Pull

Fishing in Montana made me realize how important it is to take invasive weeds seriously. Some river banks there have become completely choked with Knap Weed. Let's keep this from happening to Deschutes County! -hoc

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Noxious weed pull events begin Saturday, June 12 and continue through June 19 during Noxious Weed Awareness Week. Called Let's Pull Together, the annual weed pull events will help to preserve Central Oregon's ecosystem from noxious weeds while offering a time for the community to connect afterward at a free BBQ lunch. 

Let's Pull Together is a countywide noxious weed-pulling event. Participants include neighborhood and homeowners associations, city and county government and boards, park and school districts, utilities, private and public entities, businesses and incredible volunteers. All events are family-friendly. 

After the weed-pulling events, all volunteers are welcome to feast at the complimentary volunteer appreciation BBQ lunch, held in each participating community (Bend, Redmond, La Pine, Prineville, and Sisters). Festivities include entertainment and great prizes. 

Noxious weeds are non-native invasive species that threaten the ecosystem. They not only crowd out native plants, but they starve wildlife, use water and create allergens. Noxious weeds also provide tremendous ladder fuels that can radically change the speed and fury at which wildfires burn. 

The Deschutes County Weed Advisory Board and Let's Pull Together event organizers sponsor annual weed pulls. In recent years, the weed pulls have been some of the best-attended community service projects in the county. We are hoping for another good turnout. So, Let's Pull Together!

For more information about weed pull locations and how to participate, please visit the Let's Pull Together event web site at www.letspulltogether.com  or contact event coordinator Cheryl Howard at howard@bendcable.com or (541) 815-5558. 

For assistance and information about noxious weeds, please visit the Deschutes County web site at www.deschutes.org/weeds or contact Vegetation Manager Dan Sherwin at (541) 322-7135.