Cooperative Agreement W912DQ262A001

INVASIVE SPECIES, INCLUDING NOXIOUS WEEDS AND OTHER UNDESIRABLE PLANTS, DEGRADE THE QUALITY OF PUBLIC LAND, THREATEN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, INTERFERE WITH ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES, AND CAN BE INJURIOUS TO HUMAN HEALTH. THESE SPECIES CANNOT BE MANAGED PIECEMEAL, AND VARIOUS PUBLIC LAWS AND ORDERS (E.G., EXECUTIVE ORDER 13112 OF FEBRUARY 3, 1999) RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO COORDINATE AND INTEGRATE THEIR MANAGEMENT ACROSS JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES. INTERAGENCY COORDINATION IS THE ONLY WAY TO EFFECTIVELY CONTROL NOXIOUS WEEDS ON A WATERSHED OR ECOSYSTEM SCALE, AND EFFORTS ON USACE LAND MUST BE CONSISTENT WITH THOSE ON OTHER JURISDICTIONS. THIS AGREEMENT WILL ENABLE USACE AND THE RECIPIENT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF REGIONALLY AGREED EFFORTS TO CONTROL NOXIOUS WEEDS AND OTHER UNDESIRABLE PLANTS. THE RECIPIENT OF THIS AGREEMENT WILL USE AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO WEED MANAGEMENT CONSIDERING ALL TREATMENT METHODS INCLUDING MANUAL, MECHANICAL, CULTURAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND CHEMICAL. APPROPRIATE TREATMENT METHODS TO BE EMPLOYED WILL BE DETERMINED THROUGH COLLABORATION OF EACH PARTY AND STIPULATED THROUGH A USACE-APPROVED ANNUAL PLAN OF WORK. THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF TREATMENT WILL ALIGN WITH THE MISSOURI STATE NOXIOUS WEED CONTROL RULES AND LIST OF NOXIOUS WEEDS. NO WEED MANAGEMENT TACTICS SHALL CONFLICT WITH USACE OR THE STATE OF MISSOURI DIRECTIVES.