The Wyoming Department of Transportation says it’s seen an increase in sign theft in southeast Wyoming over the last few months.

WYDOT spokeswoman Andrea Staley says more signs have been reported stolen each year, with common targets including the “Welcome to Wyoming” or “Entering Wyoming” signs.

“The large ‘Welcome to Wyoming’ signs cost upwards of $2,000 to $3,000 to manufacture and replace, while the smaller (ones) range from $1,500 to $2,000,” said Staley.

Staley says other signs such as stop signs, traffic signs, and road signs have continued to be stolen as well.

“Stolen stop signs cause a great risk to the traveling public,” said District 1 Traffic Supervisor Mike Ginther.

“Travelers unfamiliar with an area can blow through an intersection and involve themselves and others in a crash they normally would have stopped or yielded to,” Ginther added.

Stealing and Defacing Signs is Illegal

Staley says not only can stolen signs lead to crashes and pose dangerous conditions to travelers, but stealing them is illegal, and if you’re caught, you could potentially face up to 10 years in prison, up to a $10,000 fine, or both.

She says defacing signs with stickers or markings also carries a fine if caught.

“The cost to replace signs and posts, as well as clean defaced and damaged signs, comes out of the state highway maintenance budget, which is also used to clear snow, repair potholes, and maintain the highways,” said Staley.

To inform of a missing or stolen sign, Staley asks that you call the Laramie District Office at 307-745-2127.

CASPER, Wyo. — In a newly published paper seeking to assess the broad economic impacts that specific invasive weed species have on Wyoming agriculture, UW researchers found that one weed in particular, cheatgrass, could cause upwards of $110 million in damage yearly if left unchecked. Its greatest footholds happen to be in Natrona and Campbell counties.

The paper, titled “Current & Potential Economic Impacts of 10 Invasive Weed Species in Wyoming,” can be read in its entirety for free here. Alongside cheatgrass, the report’s authors investigated the economic impacts of hoary cress, leafy spurge, medusahead, palmer amaranth, perennial pepperweed, Russian knapweed, Russian Olive, ventenata and yellow starthistle.

However, cheatgrass stands out as the most pervasive and costliest of all the unwelcome flora Wyoming hosts. Boasting 2 million acres affected with it each, Natrona County and Campbell County could expect to feel some of the greatest economic effects if the plant were left free to spread.

Both counties are also host to many of the other invasive species spreading across the state. Notably, Campbell County is home to the second largest population of ventenata anywhere in the state, just behind Sheridan County. Roughly 80,000 acres of Campbell County land has ventenata growing on it.

Despite having nearly the same total acreage with cheatgrass present, Campbell County is significantly more impacted by the weed than anywhere in the state, with 1 million of those 2 million acres significantly impacted. In Natrona County, only about half a million acres are truly impacted, according to the report’s authors, though it has about 1 million more acres more suitable to the weed than Campbell County does.

What difference does the presence of one type of grass really have over the other? The report estimates that cheatgrass already costs the state’s agriculture industry millions yearly and could cost even more if not properly managed.

“Cheatgrass has the highest loss estimates statewide with $32 million in direct loss on observed acres and $110 million in potential loss from infestation on suitable habitat,” the report’s authors said. “Cheatgrass infestation resulted in a 13% reduction in agricultural value across Wyoming in 2021. If cheatgrass were to spread to all potential habitat in the state this loss would grow to a 43% reduction from estimated agricultural value without cheatgrass.”

Ventenata alone cost $1 million the same year where it was present.

The report also identified the number of job years potentially supported from household spending in the Wyoming economy if direct agricultural value loss from weed infestation were avoided. For cheatgrass in the entire state of Wyoming, the report estimates that almost 150 jobs don’t exist because of the plant. In Campbell County, landowners are missing out on $4.4 million in lost annual cash rent.

This is because the weed is highly competitive over other plant species, less digestible than other plant matter to livestock and much more susceptible to spreading wildfires than other grasses. Since it grows in wild rangeland where livestock feed and it is typically very dry, this weed also poses a lot of danger to property.

Identifying cheatgrass

According to Natrona County Weed and Pest, cheatgrass — a noxious weed, as declared by the county — is a winter annual plant that grows between 4 and 30 inches tall. The plant is covered in soft, dense hairs and droops at the head, where the seeds are distributed.

Natrona County Weed and Pest also gave a short description on how it is so effective at getting around. “Seeds stick in clothing, shoes, and fur,” Weed and Pest said. “Mature plants are not palatable to livestock. It invades pastures, prairies, and rangeland areas.”

Use of chemical pesticides is an option for dealing with the weed and is typically done in the late months of the year. Afterward, distributing noninvasive seeds can boost competition and limit cheatgrass growth.

It is advised that landowners contact their respective county’s weed and pest center for recommendations as to how to diagnose and properly deal with invasive cheatgrass presence. Natrona County Weed and Pest’s website can be found here, while Campbell County Weed and Pest’s website can be accessed here.

Related

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As we track localized heavy snow and wind gusts throughout the region on Thursday, some school districts have decided to cancel classes.

In Genesee County, the school districts of Batavia, Le Roy, Byron-Bergen, Oakfield-Alabama, Pavilion, Alexander, and Elba are closed. Genesee Valley BOCES is also closed.

In Wyoming County, the school districts of Warsaw and Wyoming are closed. In Monroe County, Rush-Henrietta and Wheatland-Chili are closed. In Livingston County, Geneseo, Caledonia-Mumford, York, and Avon are closed.

If you’re a school or organization that wants to post a closing, you can do so here.