The Midwest Invasive Plant Network is offering a free distance-learning workshop on

How to Start a Cooperative Weed Management Area

Cooperative Weed Management Areas are local organizations that integrate invasive plant management resources across jurisdictional boundaries to benefit entire communities.  They allow partners to share and leverage limited resources, raise awareness about invasive plant problems, and provide a mechanism for collaborative problem-solving on both public and private lands. 

The workshop will cover the following topics:

- What is a Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA)?

- Why form a CWMA?

- Examples of CWMAs in the Eastern U.S.

- Organizing a CWMA

- Contacts and authorities in Eastern states

This will be a low-tech workshop designed to accommodate participants at field sites who are unable to travel to an in-person workshop.  Course materials will be mailed to participants, and the course will be taught via conference call and self-run slide show.

The workshop will be held on July 10 from 2:00-4:00 pm EDT/ 1:00-3:00 pm CDT.  Participation is limited to 20 participants, so please sign up early.  To register, please send your name, affiliation, and mailing address to Kate Howe at khowe@....  Registrations will be accepted until the workshop is full.

Two additional workshops will be held on August 15 and September 27 for participants unable to attend the first workshop.  The later workshops will be run via interactive web-conferencing and will require an internet connection and a phone line.  Registration information for the August and September workshops will be posted soon.

Our mission is to reduce the impact of invasive plant species in the Midwest.