Here is my Essay for a Noxious Weeds scholarship. The Prompt is Benefits and Responsibilities of Controlling Noxious Weeds on Private Property.
They rate the essay as follows:
Correct title 10
No more than 750 words 10
Grammar, Punctuation, and spelling 15
Proper format 15
Introduction addresses overall issues/creates interest 10
Displays knowledge of subject 15
Organizations of essay 10
Conclusion 15
For a total of 100 points. Please check to see if it contains all the needed information and is understandable.
Thanks,
CJ
CJ Hymas
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello High School
Benefits and Responsibilities of Controlling Noxious Weeds
When a person thinks about maintaining their property, whether it's a vacant field, rental house, or even a business lawn, they rarely think about checking for noxious weeds. Noxious weeds are not commonly thought about, or believed to affect the public, but in the state of Idaho alone, noxious weeds have a direct cost of three-hundred million dollars annually. This cost is often passed on to the local taxpayer, making noxious weeds an issue every citizen should be concerned about. However, not many citizens understand the damage that noxious weeds cause to our local community, or how to dispose of these noxious weeds if found, this lack of knowledge only adds to the problem of controlling the noxious weed population.
Noxious weeds are exotic, potentially harmful, and undesirable plants that became established in areas of settlement and commerce during the 1800's. These weeds have very few, if any, native insects or diseases that can control their growth. They can often out-compete the native plants in many regions, and can also invade areas of recent wildfires. Noxious weeds have many negative affect on the land.
Noxious weeds can displace native plants that wildlife need for food, shelter, and nesting. This causes the animals to seek new areas of habitation, reducing the amount of bio-diversity in not only plants but wildlife. These noxious weeds also have an adverse effect on agriculture. These plants diminish precious nutrients and resources in the soil; this forces farmers to use more land to grow the same amount of crops, or to raise the same amount of livestock as on previously unaffected soil. Also, noxious plants consumed by livestock or wildlife can be very harmful to the animals, in some cases causing death. Although an understanding of noxious weeds is important, citizens need to know how to dispose of these harmful plants if they find any on their property.
Even though Idaho law requires land owners to control noxious weeds on their property, it is the responsibility of the owner to take action against these plants. Property owners need to have enough knowledge about the noxious weeds in their area to correctly identify and dispose of the noxious weeds properly, or contact someone, such as the county weed superintendent, to help dispose of the noxious weeds for them.
Idaho has over 60 species of plants that are designated as noxious weeds. More than ten of those species, from Black Henbane to Russian Knapweed, are present in Bannock County, with over twenty more residing in adjacent counties. With this many species of noxious weeds in our area, it is vital to educate not only private property owners but every citizen of the importance of controlling these weed populations.
Education of noxious weed needs to be far reaching and informative. With the use of mass communication such as television, radio, and newspaper ads, a majority of the general public can be reached and encouraged to take their part in stopping the spread of noxious weeds. Advertisements that appeal to the logic and emotions of citizen will have the best chance of persuading them to be involved in controlling this ever-growing problem. If, through mass communication, the impact of noxious weeds was reduced by only 20%, it would save the state 60 million dollar annually. All of this can be achieved by the education of the general public.
Citizens that are responsible property owners and control the noxious weed population on their land not only abide by the laws of the State of Idaho, but also increase the value of land in their local community. With a reduced amount on noxious weeds native plants will flourish, wildlife will continue to thrive, farmers will produce more crops and livestock per acre, and tax dollars used to fight noxious weeds can be returned to the citizens. By being this responsible property owner one benefit in many ways: they receive the satisfaction in knowing they helped their community, they have helped to conserve their state and county's natural beauty, effectively lower the amount of taxes they need to pay to the state annually, and helped the agricultural economy flourish. Through the education of our citizens, we can teach them the benefits of reducing noxious weeds and the responsibility they have in helping to further the cause.
They rate the essay as follows:
Correct title 10
No more than 750 words 10
Grammar, Punctuation, and spelling 15
Proper format 15
Introduction addresses overall issues/creates interest 10
Displays knowledge of subject 15
Organizations of essay 10
Conclusion 15
For a total of 100 points. Please check to see if it contains all the needed information and is understandable.
Thanks,
CJ
CJ Hymas
Pocatello, Idaho
Pocatello High School
Benefits and Responsibilities of Controlling Noxious Weeds
When a person thinks about maintaining their property, whether it's a vacant field, rental house, or even a business lawn, they rarely think about checking for noxious weeds. Noxious weeds are not commonly thought about, or believed to affect the public, but in the state of Idaho alone, noxious weeds have a direct cost of three-hundred million dollars annually. This cost is often passed on to the local taxpayer, making noxious weeds an issue every citizen should be concerned about. However, not many citizens understand the damage that noxious weeds cause to our local community, or how to dispose of these noxious weeds if found, this lack of knowledge only adds to the problem of controlling the noxious weed population.
Noxious weeds are exotic, potentially harmful, and undesirable plants that became established in areas of settlement and commerce during the 1800's. These weeds have very few, if any, native insects or diseases that can control their growth. They can often out-compete the native plants in many regions, and can also invade areas of recent wildfires. Noxious weeds have many negative affect on the land.
Noxious weeds can displace native plants that wildlife need for food, shelter, and nesting. This causes the animals to seek new areas of habitation, reducing the amount of bio-diversity in not only plants but wildlife. These noxious weeds also have an adverse effect on agriculture. These plants diminish precious nutrients and resources in the soil; this forces farmers to use more land to grow the same amount of crops, or to raise the same amount of livestock as on previously unaffected soil. Also, noxious plants consumed by livestock or wildlife can be very harmful to the animals, in some cases causing death. Although an understanding of noxious weeds is important, citizens need to know how to dispose of these harmful plants if they find any on their property.
Even though Idaho law requires land owners to control noxious weeds on their property, it is the responsibility of the owner to take action against these plants. Property owners need to have enough knowledge about the noxious weeds in their area to correctly identify and dispose of the noxious weeds properly, or contact someone, such as the county weed superintendent, to help dispose of the noxious weeds for them.
Idaho has over 60 species of plants that are designated as noxious weeds. More than ten of those species, from Black Henbane to Russian Knapweed, are present in Bannock County, with over twenty more residing in adjacent counties. With this many species of noxious weeds in our area, it is vital to educate not only private property owners but every citizen of the importance of controlling these weed populations.
Education of noxious weed needs to be far reaching and informative. With the use of mass communication such as television, radio, and newspaper ads, a majority of the general public can be reached and encouraged to take their part in stopping the spread of noxious weeds. Advertisements that appeal to the logic and emotions of citizen will have the best chance of persuading them to be involved in controlling this ever-growing problem. If, through mass communication, the impact of noxious weeds was reduced by only 20%, it would save the state 60 million dollar annually. All of this can be achieved by the education of the general public.
Citizens that are responsible property owners and control the noxious weed population on their land not only abide by the laws of the State of Idaho, but also increase the value of land in their local community. With a reduced amount on noxious weeds native plants will flourish, wildlife will continue to thrive, farmers will produce more crops and livestock per acre, and tax dollars used to fight noxious weeds can be returned to the citizens. By being this responsible property owner one benefit in many ways: they receive the satisfaction in knowing they helped their community, they have helped to conserve their state and county's natural beauty, effectively lower the amount of taxes they need to pay to the state annually, and helped the agricultural economy flourish. Through the education of our citizens, we can teach them the benefits of reducing noxious weeds and the responsibility they have in helping to further the cause.