Leafy spurge and spotted knapweed outcompete wildlife-friendly plants while offering no nutritional value of their own. Salt cedar, a spreading shrub, crowds out willows and cottonwoods favored by deer, while sucking up groundwater like a thirsty elephant. Rivers and wetlands shrink. Game animals starve. Birdsong all but disappears. Here are three things you can do to help stop the spread of these noxious invaders

AVOID parking in weedy areas at hunting and fishing access sites or swerving off dirt roads through weedy borders. Your car or truck will pick up and transport seeds and pollen.

FEED horses certified weed-free hay for at least five days before going afield—seeds in manure spread noxious weeds.

CLEAN all clothing, boots, trailers, bicycles, and vehicles, including ATVs, in your driveway with a hose after use.