The Wenatchee National Forest has turned the spotlight on weed education and awareness this year through a variety of unique media. Our objective is to increase awareness and understanding of issues relating to noxious weeds both internally and externally by utilizing multiple venues. One feature of our program was the development of a bumper sticker for use on our FS vehicles and for distribution to the public. To increase our awareness internally we initiated a Forest-wide contest to develop the bumper sticker slogan and awarded a fleece jacket AND a copy of 'Weeds of the West" as incentive. We had good response and a panel of folks narrowed the entries down to a few for selection by the Forest Supervisor. And the winner was

"Give a Hoot - Give Weeds the Boot"

We were granted permission from the Washington Office to use Woodsy Owl in this capacity and are excited about the prospect of other Forest also using this slogan.

Additional features of our outreach include the development of a (the following link is to a pdf file) two page, full color newspaper insert that was distributed in our local papers and is being distributed at unit offices and trailheads. The insert addresses the what, why, and where of weeds and offers the reader a series of prevention techniques they can employ. This product was developed in cooperation with the BLM, local County weed boards, and a local utility company. In addition, we are currently developing a short video (10 minutes) that will have a wide range of use in education. For more information regarding any of these products please contact Dottie Knecht, District Botanist, at (509) 548-6977 ext. 271, or FS email: dknecht/r6pnw,wenatchee.