Idaho Association of Noxious Weed Control Superintendents Annual Meeting Recap

By: Chase Youngdahl, Bonner County Noxious Weed Superintendent & IANWCS Secretary

The Idaho Association of Noxious Weed Control Superintendents (IANWCS) held their annual membership meeting in the Treasure Valley January 27-28. Day one kicked off at the Canyon County Administration Building, where members heard presentations on a number of industry related topics including pollinator awareness, risk management, pesticide licensing, Ag rule making updates, state & county noxious weed program updates, as well as a panel discussion to collaborate, share insights, and enhance knowledge.

The business portion of the meeting recognized the following Noxious Weed Superintendents for their contributions: Bonnie Davis (Washington County) for 25 years of service, Dwight Lloyd (Caribou County) for 10 years of service, as well as 5 years of service for Brett Plummer (Custer County), Kelly Thomason (Lewis County), and Andrea Higgins (Power County). Additionally, Bo Billman (Clark County) was the Superintendent of the Year award recipient; nominated by Bryce Fowler (Fremont County) and voted on by the review committee, which is comprised of the previous three award recipients. To close the business meeting, Chairman Mitch Whitmill (Jefferson County) passed the baton to Michael Ottley (Cassia County), who will serve as the association’s Chairman for the next two years. Denise Helsley (Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln Counties—a.k.a. Tri-County) was nominated to serve as Vice-Chair.

Day two of the annual membership meeting included a field trip to the Idaho Capitol. The day’s events included attending the Senate Ag Committee meeting, a tour of the Capitol, discussion with Representative Ehlers on HB33, and observation of Senate and House floor action. The day concluded with a legislative luncheon, where 15 freshman legislators attended. They were briefed on the Idaho Noxious Weed statute, the purpose of Noxious Weed Superintendents, and had the opportunity to engage in one-on-one networking with the Superintendents in their respective legislative districts to gain the scope of the noxious weed related issues in their areas of constituency.