The impacts of invasive weeds and the importance of their management are becoming apparent to a wide variety of organizations. After habitat loss, invasive species have been recognized as the second largest danger to threatened and endangered species.

Throughout the Columbia Gorge, the Mt. Hood National Forest, and surrounding lands, there are a multitude of impacts which arise as a result of invasive weeds. Some of the most prevalent and intrusive impacts include degradation of water quality, loss of wildlife habitat, loss of rare and typical native plants in natural areas and open spaces, and increased roadside and power line maintenance costs.

The Columbia Gorge Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) exists to create and support collaborative weed management among public and private land managers and owners.

Weeds travel over the landscape and extend across multiple jurisdictions, making collaboration and partnership essential for effective management. In addition, partnering allows us to access new sources of funding and increase implementation efficiency. The CWMA is intended to provide guidance to local government, land managers, and property owners to manage noxious weed problems regardless of political boundaries. The Columbia Gorge CWMA promotes weed education/outreach, weed inventory and prevention, and weed control activities.