At 8.49 pm -0800 24/1/01, Hal Opperman wrote:

>birded around the Ilwaco area for a while.
>I was surprised to come across what appeared to be a patch of gorse
>growing on an embankment of the sewage pond near the Ilwaco marina.
>Maybe this scourge of the Oregon coast is known to have established a
>toehold in our state, but if so, this is the first I've heard about
>it. Can anybody help clarify the situation?

The WA State Noxious Weed Control Board web site is a repository of
much useful and entertaining information, including some poetry:
<http://www.wa.gov/agr/weedboard/>

Gorse is on the Class B list for WA, not the Class A list, which often
means it already has significant presence in at least some parts of the
state already. It is designated for control in most counties. Looks
like the counties that aren't trying to control it (generally either
because it's already so bad it's hopeless, or because they think they
aren't at risk due to soils/climate) amount to:

Clallam and Jefferson Counties
Snohomish, San Juan and Island Counties
Grays Harbor, Mason, and Kitsap Counties
Pacific, Lewis, Wahkiakum, Cowlitz, Skamania and Clark Counties

If you see it anywhere else in the state, you should report it to the
local Weed Board so they can deal with it.

--
Allyn Weaks allyn at tardigrade.net
Seattle, WA Sunset zone 5
Pacific NW Native Wildlife Gardening: http://www.tardigrade.org/natives/