| Weed Control & Inspections on Lands |
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The Government of Alberta has designated the responsibility for ensuring compliance with the Weed Control Act to individual rural and urban municipalities. In accordance with Section 5 of the Weed Control Act, Leduc County Agricultural Services duly appoints weed inspectors, who perform inspections of public and private lands throughout the growing season. Inspectors identify noxious weed infestations, investigate weed complaints, and provide information to landowners concerning weeds and control options. The inspection process involves verbal contact (where possible), followed by a "weed information letter" requesting voluntary compliance by a specified date. The letter is accompanied by weed species information fact sheets and a copy of the weed inspection report. The land is re-inspected following the compliance date and if control work has been completed, the results of the re-inspection will be recorded on the file. If control work has not been completed, the observations are recorded and the inspector may issue a "notice to remedy weed problem" (weed notice) demanding compliance by a specified date. A further re-inspection will take place on the compliance date, and where deemed necessary, enforcement action may be taken. Inspectors use AIMS (Agriculture Information Mapping Solution) software to record details of inspections. The AIMS program enables the inspectors to create a Weed Inspection Report which includes parcel information, an aerial photograph of the property, details of the degree of and the area of infestations and an actual view of the weed infestations as highlighted polygons drawn on the aerial photograph of the property. Each inspected property is assigned a case file number, which remains with the property permanently, regardless of ownership changes or title transfers. All future inspections are added to the original case file, creating a continuous permanent record of each property and instant access to historical data. The AIMS program is a series of layers that allows mapping/tracking of infestations from year to year, providing a snapshot of affected areas within the municipality, as well as increases and decreases in infestations. Implementation and use of this technology assists Agricultural Services in developing an effective, long term weed control program. |
