Myrtle Spurge

Purge the Spurge campaign runs through June 4

Program aims to weed out noxious plants in Garfield County

PRESS RELEASE
May 5, 2020

GARFIELD COUNTY, CO – Garfield County’s annual program to rid invasive noxious weeds is underway and participants can earn vouchers through June 4 toward landscaping or garden plants at the Mountain Valley Greenhouse in Glenwood Springs. Garfield County Vegetation Management’s Purge the Spurge and Sock the Rocket campaign urges citizens to mitigate Myrtle and Cypress spurge, and Dame’s rocket from their properties.

A $20 voucher is available for each 13-pound bag of the noxious weeds received. To earn the voucher, residents must pull and bag these noxious weeds and have them verified by a program sponsor. Residents can call Garfield County Vegetation Management to set up a verification appointment.

The spurges emit a white sap that may irritate the skin, so gloves, long sleeves and long pants are recommended, and at least four inches of the roots should be removed. These ornamental plants have been found all around Garfield County. The Dame’s rocket is another noxious weed that has been found in the No Name area of Glenwood Canyon; along Midland Avenue in Glenwood Springs; and in Castle Valley in New Castle.

More information is available by calling Garfield County Vegetation Management at (970) 379-4456; Colorado State University (CSU) Extension office at (970) 625-3969; or the Bookcliff, Mount Sopris and South Side conservation districts at (970) 404-3438.