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PARTNERSHIP
AWARD
TINA BOOTON
Weld County
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Partnership Award: This award recognizes local groups or organizations that have
advanced the objectives of weed management through technique, team effort, and
communication or education efforts. This award recognizes an effort that serves as an
example to assist weed managers in meeting their integrated weed management goals.
This award may be presented to members or someone outside CWMA.
Partnership cont.
Tina Booton
I have had the privilege of working with Weld County Public Works and Tina Booton for five years.
With what started with a quick phone call for advice on an herbicide rate has led to an essential
partnership for our noxious weed program here on the Pawnee National Grassland (PNG). Over the
last few years Tina has gone out of her way, despite her own full program workload, to assist the
Forest Service (USFS) in hosting a variety of local trainings.
Tina has put on calibration trainings for our USFS seasonal employees that have focused on more
than just the mathematics of calibration. She has dived into exploring our equipment's efficiency and
functionality for our program. With Tina's input and years of knowledge and experience we were
able to upgrade our equipment to a noxious weed fleet that has enabled us to treat more acres on the
grassland. With Tina's leadership, Weld County has put on informational workshops focusing on the
rapid spread of Dalmatian toadflax within the county.
Many of our public grazing permittees were able to attend the workshops and came away with the
tools and resources to reduce the plants' spread within the county and on the grassland. This was
particularly important for the PNG as it has a grazing permittee agreement that allows them to treat
noxious weeds on their federal grazing allotments. Because of Tina's cooperative skills and
persistence, a participating agreement was signed in 2015 between the Forest Service and Weld
County.
This cooperative effort has enabled us to treat infestations together on federal lands and has led to
over 1000 additional acres of diffuse knapweed and Dalmatian toadflax being treated that PNG
efforts alone would not have been able to accomplish. Despite declining budgets, workloads, and the
increasing spread of noxious weeds within the county, Tina continues to stay positive, optimistic, and
always has a smile on her face. Tina has not only served as an essential partner for the PNG's
noxious weed program but has served as an important mentor in my professional career.
I think the heart of Weld County's weed division and Tina's outlook on noxious weed management
can be captured in a sentence I have heard countless times from her when stressing over the fight on
noxious weeds and how to accomplish the fight with reduced funds and reduced workforces; "We can
help, I can help, because it's the right thing to do".
Stephanie Magnuson
Rangeland Specialist and Noxious Weed Program Manager, Pawnee National Grassland
As the Range Staff on the Pawnee National Grassland (PNG) in Weld County, it has been my
privilege to work with Tina to create the five-year Participating Agreement between the US Forest
Service and Weld County. Federal government contracts frequently take time to be completed and
Tina's patience and thoughtfulness contributed to the success, not only in getting the document in
place, but more importantly, in implementing the cooperative noxious weeds treatment program that
proved to be extremely effective on federal, state, and private lands in Weld County. Tina has been
very gracious and generous with her time and resources in aiding/training the PNG's noxious weeds
crew to be far more efficient and effective in our program. She worked extensively with our noxious
weeds program manager Stephanie Magnuson in designing creative treatments to improve treatment
efficacy and is highly deserving of this award as her efforts produced outstanding results in the truest
sense of cooperative partnership.
Randy Reichert, Range and Noxious Weeds Staff, Pawnee National Grassland
Tina and my invasive weed staff worked very hard to establish a partnership with Weld County and
the Pawnee National Grassland that allows management of invasive species across jurisdictional
boundaries. With that in place, I have seen the number of acres treated dramatically increased in the
two years that I have been here. Tina has been a perfect partner, able to remain engaged and
understanding while we work through budget considerations and processes that do not always apply
or make sense on her side of the fence. She has further assisted the Pawnee National Grassland with
technical and professional expertise, helping to train our seasonal employees, calibrating equipment
and developing application plans. I recognize the multifaceted benefits she has provided in this
partnership, and I hope that you will as well when considering her for this award.
Curtis Youngman, District Ranger, Pawnee National Grassland
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