The Truckee River Watershed Council’s weed warriors will be leading two weed walks and two weed pulls — the June 18, July 9, June 21 and July 23, respectively.

The Weed Warriors are hoping to bring awareness to the public about invasive weeds in the area and the proper ways to dispose of them.

Weed walks, lead by volunteer weed warriors Annaliese Miller and Kathy Welch, will be in locations where infestations have been confirmed in order to learn about what plants are invasive to this area. The weed pulls, lead by botanist Susan Urie of the U.S. Forest Service, at Boca Hill on June 21 and Stampede on July 23 will show how to properly remove weeds as well as help with the infestation at locations in the Tahoe National Forest.

Invasive weeds are aggressive plants that have been introduced into an area outside of their native range and are dangerous because they out-compete native and other desirable plants. As a result, they reduce land and recreational values, damage water quality, contribute to soil erosion, degrade plant and animal habitat and increase the risk of wildland fire.

Early detection and rapid response is crucial when it comes to the invasive weeds found in the Truckee meadows.

The weed warrior program’s goal is to educate the public on how to find, report and properly dispose of invasive weeds. There are two ways to report potential weeds. The first is online, where there is a Report-a-Weed page. The second way is to report on the go. Iphone and Droid users can download the “What’s Invasive” app. When the reports are received volunteers will be sent to the location to verify the weed and log it in the database, once verified the appropriate agency will be notified to have the infestation taken care of.

Volunteers are needed. If you would like to attend a weed walk or pull, contact the Truckee River Watershed Council at truckeeriverwc.org, or call Andy Otto at (530) 550.8760, ext.3.

For more information on the Weed Warriors or to become a volunteer, go online.