Volunteers Work To Rid Colorado Parks Of Noxious Weeds

DENVER (CBS4) - It's arguably one of the most dreaded yard work chores -- pulling weeds. But all over the state volunteers helped do just that.

It was all part of "Pulling For Colorado." Volunteers from the Denver metro area spent their Saturday helping get rid of noxious weeds from parks in Colorado.

"Noxious weeds are weeds that have come from other lands across the seas. They're plants that weren't here when we got here," said Erik Nilsen, resource specialist at Bear Creek Lake Park.

They are weeds that continue to spread because animals and insects don't eat them.

"This is a Scotch thistle. This is one of the bad ones, one of the noxious weeds that we're going after," Nilsen said.

One by one the volunteers bagged up the weeds adding to a larger stack of bags they've already collected from the park. It's fun work for the group as they participate every year.

"I like to get dirty and I like to get stuck with weeds," a volunteer said. "It was wonderful. I love to be with all the people and when I spot all these things and I pull them up I think, 'Yes, I've got it out of there.' "

The event is about more than just pulling weeds, which can easily be treated with a spray. It's about land education.

"The overall goal is to make this area as native as possible," Nilsen said.

To help identify noxious weeds at home contact the local park ranger or county extension office.