JCWP Weed Bounty Program pays locals to pull weeds
Every summer, the Johnson County Weed and Pest (JCWP) District oversees a Weed Bounty Program which pays locals to pull weeds in hard-to-reach places such as riparian areas, lakesides and mountains.
JCWP Assistant Supervisor Tom Schambow and JCWP District Supervisor Allen Buff say the program is a great way to monitor and control the growth of invasive species while increasing education and building community throughout Johnson County.
Program details
The JCWP Weed Bounty Program was started in 2018. It encourages locals, primarily youth, to get involved with invasive plant management by offering a by-the-pound cash bounty for designated invasive plants.
“We’re basically paying kids to go pull weeds with hopes of raising awareness about invasive species,” Schambow says. “It gets kids out and about and creates some good dialogue for JCWP.”
Schambow says the program kicks off around the first of June and continues until funds run out, which is usually in mid- to late-July.
Plants must be collected in authorized plastic bags, available for pickup at the JCWP office. The collected weeds are weighed by partners at the local landfill and then composted and burned to prevent further spread.
After weights are recorded, participants report their haul to the JCWP office which keeps track of weights and issues checks at the end of the pull season.
The designated weeds pay between one dollar to $1.25 per pound, and Schambow says it’s not uncommon for participants to show up with truck beds and horse trailers packed full of uprooted plants.
He further notes the program distributed just shy of $32,000 to hard-working locals in 2025, made possible by funding from JCWP and generous partners including local conservation districts, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Pheasants Forever, Buffalo Trails Board and University of Wyoming (UW) Extension.
Problem plants
The primary plants targeted by the bounty program are spotted knapweed, houndstongue, mullein, orange hawkweed and oxeye daisy.
Spotted knapweed, houndstongue and mullein bring one dollar per pound, while hawkweed and oxeye daisy are worth $1.25 per pound.
Mullein and houndstongue are the two most abundant threats, according to Schambow, who adds these plants favor areas like lakes and mountains where it can be difficult to apply herbicides and other weed management methods.
He also notes mullein is toxic to aquatic species, so the Weed Bounty Program has been especially helpful and important in managing numbers along bodies of water.
The program has left a visibly observable impact in the Lake De Smet area, Schambow adds, and pulling plants before they go to seed helps chip away at the problem year after year.
“This program helps keep the seed bank down,” Schambow says. “We’re not going to win the war overnight, but we are going to slowly chip away at it.”
Building community
In addition to reducing the presence of established weeds, Schambow says the program helps increase education about invasive plant species and build community in Johnson County.
Once a year, program participants, members of JCWP staff, Johnson County UW Extension specialists and other community partners gather together in a designated location for a collaborative “Weed Pull Day.”
During this annual gathering, Extension specialists and JCWP staff provide facts on how invasive species spread and why weed control is important.
Additionally, prizes are awarded across a variety of categories including most pounds collected and longest root pulled.
Buff and Schambow say the program helps connect JCWP with citizens and partners across the county.
“This program is collaborative, it’s not just JCWP,” Buff emphasizes. “Nearly every agency partners up with us – the landfill, the city of Buffalo, the county commissioners and county road and bridge. You name it, they’re part of it.”
Buff and Schambow also note the program has even led to eventual career opportunities with JCWP.
“We’ve had kids who participated in the Weed Bounty Program years prior eventually come work for us as a summer job,” Buff says. “It ends up opening doors for them and for us.”
“This program creates partnerships between the landowners, the kids and the district,” Schambow adds. “It creates more community interaction.”
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
