Weld County has gone full Mad Max, and the marauders aren’t driving muscle cars – they’re tumbleweeds. In her FOX31 piece, “Prairie Zombies: Weld County Residents Search for Help After Tumbleweed Takeover,” reporter Alliyah Sims paints a bleak but strangely hilarious picture of homeowners buried alive by giant, rolling weeds after fierce winds turned the plains into nature’s junk drawer.
Local resident Jeanie Haselbush, a Camfield homeowner, described mountains of tumbleweeds nearly reaching her rooftop. Her frustration grew when a county employee allegedly advised her to “just toss them over the fence” and let her neighbor deal with it – a comment that could only be described as peak prairie diplomacy. County spokesperson Jennifer Finch later called the comment “poorly worded” and promised an apology, explaining that the employee meant well but could’ve used a better filter.
The Bullet Point Brief
• Residents’ homes were engulfed in tumbleweeds so big you could hide a truck under them. So much for wide-open spaces.
• Haselbush said the county’s advice to “throw them over the fence” was shocking. Weld County called it “poorly worded.” Translation: yeah, that was dumb.
• County officials explained that Kochia and Russian Thistle aren’t noxious weeds anymore, meaning cleanup isn’t their responsibility. Bureaucracy: nature’s tumbleweed.
• Residents want dumpsters and loaders to help remove the piles, but the county says that’s on property owners. Bootstraps, meet burning barrel.
• Everyone agrees it’s a problem – but no one agrees whose problem it is. Welcome to small-town government meets big-ass windstorm.
My Bottom Line
Look, tumbleweeds suck – we all agree on that. Jeanie Haselbush and the Camfield community deserve the offered apology for the “fence it and forget it” comment. As a County Commissioner, I’ll sign on to that apology. But let’s pump the brakes before crucifying a county employee who probably tried to keep things light while wading through an avalanche of prickly complaints. That person’s a hardworking public servant, not a villain with a pitchfork full of weeds.
The real story here? Weld County is massive – over 4,000 square miles of land and big sky – and no government on earth can (or should) clean up every tumbleweed that blows across it. These rolling botanicals come from miles away, and everyone, from ranchers to homeowners (and yes, county governments), has a part in managing them. Overgrazing and neglect only make it worse. If the county started clearing every private lot, you’d have road crews buried up to their armpits and a budget collapse faster than a cheap folding chair.
So yeah – let’s have the apology, but also a little perspective. The wind’s the real enemy here, not the person answering the phone at the county shop. Sometimes Mother Nature just reminds us who’s boss – with a face full of weeds.
Hi! I’m Jeanie Haselbush. I have always enjoyed you on the radio and as a commissioner. One thing I’d like to point out about your article is the lack of information about the letter we received from the county on Sept 15th about properties out here not having their weeds maintained and how they are a fire hazard. The Galeton Fire Dept wasn’t aware of this letter, that was highlighted in the Fox31 segment. I find a double standard here, considering we in Camfield have county properties surrounding ours that they refuse to maintain themselves. So when I called asking for some possible help (not to complain) she basically laughed at me. Should I also mention that Ms. Tina (the weed specialist per the letter) said these tumble weeds could sit and rot in the easements and utility roads for all they care. So, please tell me this was an honest mistake? As you can clearly see in my photos, we take very good care of our property. Lastly, I’d like to mention that when I called Ms. Tina told me no one had called in to complain before my call so….. I was the 1st that talked to her about the problem.
Also, waiting on that apology. All I’ve seen is them saying they want to apologize. Lol