Building Capacity to Manage Noxious and Invasive Weeds in the Southwestern United States

Abstract

Prior to the 1990s, awareness and concern regarding the negative economic and ecological impacts of invasive weeds on rangelands in the southwestern United States (the Southwest) was notably lacking. While invasive weed education and management activities were proactively being carried out in many parts of the United States during that time, only a few land management agencies in the Southwest were actively managing invasive weed populations and conducting public awareness campaigns. The need to heighten public awareness regarding invasive weeds in the Southwest was thought to be critical because the weed-infested areas in this region were considered to be relatively small and manageable compared to other regions of the United States.