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Show Volume XXIII Issue X The Ogden Valley news Page 15 June 15, 2016 An Artistic Addition to Ogden Valley Weed Day! By Christine Jouffray Valley, and some from the other side of the mountain, too, joined forces to clear fields and Isatis Tinctoria, woad, or glastum are a few trail sides of this unwanted plant. Following of the names by which dyers woad is known. the morning’s work, lunch was provided by The French call it pastel, and the Ogden Valley Century 21; Mountain Arts and Music provided community calls it invasive. Native to Central the music and a demonstration of indigo dyeAsia, woad found its way to ing, using the woad plant. Europe and quickly became The process of preparing the the source of blue dye for the dye is exact and time conpopulations there. The websuming, but worth the effort. site Woad Inc. tells us that As the once white fabric is the Iceni tribe from Eastern pulled greenish/yellow from England used to paint their the brackish dye vat, it slowfaces blue before going into ly turns to a beautiful, pastel battle. This practice earned blue as it oxidizes; one can’t them the name “Picts” from help but have a new apprethe Romans, which means ciation for dyers woad. painted. Around 1200, when Mountain Arts and Music the Picts and the Romans is selling hand dyed T-shirts were forgotten, woad was as a fundraiser for its comstill around and still being munity activities. Each used. Regions in England, T-shirt is unique, and was France and Germany grew dyed using the centuries old rich on the profits of the blue process of woad dyeing. The dye industry, but competition T-shirts will be available at from Asian Indigo (indigothe Art Space open house fera tinctoria), and much later being held Saturday, June from synthetic blue dyes, 18, and throughout the sumMarsha Rasmussen models an item delivered the final blows mer. You will be helping to the dyers woad industry. dyed with dyers woad at the Eden Mountain Arts and Music The last woad mill closed in Bowery on May 14. support the creative arts in England in 1932. One could Ogden Valley through the speculate that when people stopped picking purchase of these hand-dyed shirts. Using woad to process for indigo, the plant popula- T-shirts dyed using natural processes also helps tion was no longer held in check and started its the environment! invasive march. On May 14, community members of Ogden Valley Elementary 6th-grade students help clean up dyers woad. Photo by Heather Lare. Sixth-annual Dyers Woad Roundup Event a Success By all accounts, the community’s sixth- pull or spray hundreds of dyers woad plants. annual dyers woad roundup (Weeds Day) in Volunteers showed up, too, from the other side Ogden Valley on May 14 was a success. of the Wasatch Front to help for the day. Again, Each spring, for many years, The Ogden a large effort was generated by Waypoint Valley news has endeavored to educate and Academy, whose students have continued to remind our readers about the responsibility of support this effort with their many helping clearing this, and other, state-listed noxious hands. weeds from their private property, which is We would also like to thank the many mandated by state law. business owners who generously donated gifts While many have made various efforts for the drawing that was held after lunch was to respond to this call, others have been less served. These businesses and donors include: conscientious or haven’t had the means to • The Oaks address the problem. Unfortunately, the com- • State Representative Gage Froerer plete eradication of dyers woad, or any other • Simply Eden noxious weed, is hampered by the same age-old • Carlos & Harleys problem; unless there is buy-in from everyone • Diamond Peak in the community to address the problem, the • Nordic Valley Ski Resort efforts of those who expend the resources to do • Valley Nursery so are hampered by those who don’t. Soon, a • Waypoint Academy self-defeating attitude is generated community- • Eats of Eden wide, which leads to little being done to address • Gray Cliff Lodge the issue at all. The task seems futile as one • Harley & Bucks neighbor clears a field, and the other, next door, • North Fork Table & Tavern does not. • Grounds for Coffee This sense of futility was, in great mea- • OFOAM sure, buried after Representative Gage Froerer • Valley Market took the cause on personally. Five years ago, • Eden Park he called a meeting with representatives from We would also like to thank others who UDOT, the U.S. Forest Service, Weber County, and a couple of concerned community mem- have continued to battle dyers woad and other bers who had approached him about the uncon- state-listed noxious weeds throughout the season and year, including personnel from the trolled spread of the weed in the valley. Now each year, volunteers work tirelessly U.S. Forest Service and Weber Pathways, who during the morning, moving throughout the assisted with organizing the Ogden Valley Valley on private and public lands to remove efforts and another, on the other side of the this noxious weed, depriving millions of poten- mountain, which is held earlier in the week. tial dyers woad seeds the opportunity of finding See more photos on The Ogden Valley news another spot in Ogden Valley to germinate and Facebook page. continue the regeneration cycle. A g a i n , many thanks to Representative Froerer for his continued support—for rallying around this cause—and for our county commissioners—Kerry Gibson and James Ebert— for their support in this year’s eradication effort. A l s o , Shown above at Eden Park, from left to right, are Rod Kramer, (Weber Pathways), thanks and Lisa Thompson, (US Forest Service), Casey Froerer, Kelly and McCarty Froerer, kudos to the (representing Gage Froerer) Commissioners Kerry Gibson and James Ebert, many volun- along with Anthony VonNiederhausern, Range Specialist who helped prepare, teers who came cook, and serve lunch at the Weed Pull Day held in Eden on Saturday, May 14. out to cut, |
