Organized by Summit County Cooperative Weed Management Area, the games aim to not only help control noxious weeds across the county, but also educate residents on how to best control them.
Project manager Sarah Jo Dickens says noxious weeds are more than just the dandelions that pop up in your backyard.
“They are chosen by the state from a long list of weeds that people recommend for listing because they can impact our natural resources, the economy, or some of them, the health and safety of humans and wildlife alike.”
These weeds include Musk Thistle, Dyer's [die-urs] Woad [like road] and garlic mustard.
Residents can join in the Garlic Mustard Games solo or in teams of up to 10.
Dickens says people can participate in weed-pulling events or throughout the summer whenever they are on the trails.
“We have little stations with bags and information you can pull on the trails. Leave the bag there, we'll come get it, but scan a QR code and log the number of pounds that you pulled, and at the end of the season, we have a big party for our top weed pullers.”
This year residents pulled more than 13-thousand [13,181] pounds of garlic mustard. And the fun isn’t over yet.
The county’s noxious weed ambassador program runs through October.
The organization has placed orange boxes around the McLeod Creek and Round Valley trail systems for those who want to help pull weeds.
Dickens says weed pullers have a chance to win prizes every two weeks.
