In 1997 a Pulling Together Initiative effort to cooperatively control noxious weeds was started. A project in which frustrated neighbors of the past would become partners. This effort established the 6.5 million acre Utah-Idaho Cooperative Weed Management Area (U&ICWMA). It constitutes a joint venture of 15 land management and county entities along the Utah-Idaho border including Box Elder County, Bannock County, Cache County, Franklin County, Oneida County, Bureau of Land Management, Caribou National Forest, Wasatch Cache National Forest, Idaho Department of Lands, Utah State Department of Lands and Forestry, Utah Trust lands Administrations, Idaho Department of Highways, Utah Department of Transportation, Idaho Department of Agriculture, Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
Hundreds of volunteer hours, human resources, equipment, chemicals, insects, supplies, and technology were exchanged to accommodate the common cause of noxious weed control within the five county CWMA.
The focus was on trust, common goals, building relationships, establishing agreements, leadership and support groups, communications and fiscal responsibilities all which would support on-the-ground projects. Given this philosophical and organizational base we began to build support and establish the U&ICWMA organization.
The U&ICWMA specifies the partner's desire to "cooperate on public relations, education and training in the noxious weed area as well as weed eradication and other resource protection that might be agreed upon." The partners elected a Steering Committee to guide and implement the terms of agreement, develop a strategy, and accomplish cooperative noxious weed management projects. The Steering Committee divided the U&ICWMA into five distinct management zones to help organize and prioritize specific cooperative projects.