Visiting the fair? Learn all about invasive species
Youwill see it at this summer’s Oregon State Fair. It will also be on display atthis week’s Deschutes County Fair and the one next week in Crook County. It’spossible you might notice ittraveling down the highway as a kind of billboardon wheels.
The Invasive Species Education Station is the new name given to anew look trailer that is literally a vehicle for outreach and education.
“Thisis something that is certainly attention-getting,” says Tim Butler, manager ofthe Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Noxious Weed Control Program. “It willhelp answer the public’s questions aboutinvasive species, their impact on ourresources, and whatrole people can play to be part of the solution and helpstop the spread of invasive species.”
Usedfor outreach and education over the past several years, the trailer had anexterior in need of a facelift. It also became increasingly clear that its oldname, the Educational Weed Wagon, was becoming a bitmisunderstood. With thelegalization of marijuana inOregon, the old trailer and its name generated someodd questions and confusion about its purpose.
DeschutesCounty Vegetation Maintenance Supervisor Jon Valley says the new name ishelpful.
“Theone comment we are no longer getting about the trailer is, ‘Weed wagon! Got anyfree samples?'”
Thetrailer is the property of Deschutes County but it is being made available freeof charge to other counties and agencies around the state. Since invasivespecies are a big problem all across Oregon, theinformation station will havegreat value no matter where itgoes.
“It’sdesigned for statewide invasive species educational opportunities and loadedwith materials,” says Valley.
Valleyand ODA’s Butler sat down for lunch last fall to discuss the trailer’s future.It needed repainting and the county commissioners suggested selecting a newname since Oregon’s marijuana laws hadchanged. Both men agreed that thetrailer should encompassall invasive species, not just noxious weeds, and berelevant to all 36 counties of the state. A small team was formed to make ithappen.
Thenext step was to come up an exterior design that would catch attention andinvite people into the trailer. Through the graphic design efforts of ODA’s LizBeeles, a colorful display now wraps the trailer. Apicturesque view of theCascades and Smith Rock, aCentral Oregon geologic icon, is the centerpiece.
The new name, Invasive Species Education Station, makes the trailer’s functionclear to the public. Examples ofkey invasive species are featured on the sidesof the trailer, including Asian gypsy moth, yellowstarthistle, zebra mussel, andspotted knapweed. The invasive species hotline number is displayed. Anymotoristsfollowing the trailer will also see a message targeted to outdoorrecreationists.
“Onthe back of the trailer is the theme ‘Come clean, leave clean’ which remindspeople of the role they can play in keeping our natural resources safe frominvasive species,” says Tristen Berg, a grantcoordinator and special projectsfacilitator for ODA’s NoxiousWeed Program. Berg, Valley, Butler, Beeles, and ODA’s Beth Myers-Shenaiformed the team that created the new exterior.
Thoseexterior messages are reinforced by what is inside the trailer.
“Stepinside, and you get more information,” says Berg. “There are brochures,posters, and displays to help people identify noxious weeds and other invasivespecies. Outside the trailer, we will have interactivegames for kids to teach them howto recreate safely withoutspreading noxious weeds in our state.”
Thosekinds of messages aren’t just aimed at youngsters. Adults will see visual tips– cleanyour hiking boots so as to not spread weed seeds, make sure you check your biketires for the same reason, transport and useclean firewood. All the staticmessaging will befortified by live bodies– experts from ODA or county weedprograms are eager to have conversations with the public and to answerquestions.
“Peopleare noticing the trailer more with the new graphics and it seems to draw themin to find out what’s inside,” says Valley.
Thenew-look trailer has been to three events prior to this week– the CentralOregon Home and Garden Show, a local weed pull event in La Pine, and the BendSummer Fest downtown. Later this month, ODAwill bring the trailer to Salem forthe State Fair, wherethe Invasive Species Education Station will get itsbiggest reception yet.
“Thiskind of outreach is something we continue to do to educate the public about theimportance of dealing with invasive species as a whole and the impact they haveon Oregon’s natural resources andeconomy,” says Butler. “The trailer isanother vehicle toaccomplish that. The trailer has received a lot of attentionover the years, allowing us the opportunity to talk with many Oregonians aboutinvasive noxiousweeds and insects. The retooled and fresh look trailer acts asa rolling billboard and will get more people’sattention, which is good.”
Inthe US, it’s estimated that invasive species are responsible for more than $137billion each year in crop damage, fisheries reduction, forest health impacts,and land management.
In Oregon, an economicimpact study shows that 25 ofOregon’s most significantinvasive weeds cause an estimated annual loss ofabout $83.5 million to the state’s economy– a figure that could be well over abillion dollars without controlefforts by state, county, and federal weedprograms. Exotic insect pests and aquatic species only add tothe costs, whichis why public outreach and education is so important.
“Overall,the public is getting tuned in to the issue and has a better understanding ofinvasive species issues as a whole,” says Butler. “But our efforts need to takeplace 12 months a year and in all areas of thestate.”
Nowagencies and organizations can literally drive home the message throughoutOregon by putting the Invasive Species Information Station in action.
