Sun sets on 33-year Weed and Pest career

Since 1980, Carbon County residents could take all their questions about Wyoming weeds, pests, bio-control and herbicides to well-known Carbon County Weed and Pest Supervisor Larry Justesen. However, on Oct. 31, Larry will officially retire from the Carbon County Weed and Pest Control District after 33 years.

When Larry began his Weed and Pest Supervisor position March 12, 1980, he had no way of knowing the impact he would make throughout Carbon County. Instead, along with his wife, Judy, and daughters Bambi and Lisa, Larry was just trying to get used to a different landscape from that of Carey, Idaho, where he had previously lived.

However, all four soon moved and adjusted to life in Carbon County.

Before long, Larry was working to clear the area of Leafy Spurge, Dalmatian Toadflax and other unwanted species, while helping other county residents do the same. Larry said he clearly remembers being invited to interview for the supervisor position in Rawlins, were he would eventually make his home for more than 30 years.

“I was invited to interview for this job from a person with Wyoming Department of Agriculture and two other weed and pest supervisors, who came to a meeting in Idaho where I met them,” he said. “We got to know each other and were at an Idaho conference for three or four days. When this job came open, they called and asked if I would be interested. I actually turned it down twice before they convinced me to come out and interview.”

Larry said he had just finished building a new home for his family in Carey, located near Sun Valley, around the time he was offered the supervisor position. He and Judy had also grown up in Carey, and happily lived there with their family before making the move to Wyoming.

“We had just built a home and just got the landscaping, the corrals, the yard and everything like we wanted put together,” he said. “It was kind of hard to think that we might want to uproot from there, after we worked so hard to get that put together, to come out here. We rented the house first, just to make sure the supervisor job worked out, but then we ultimately sold it.”

Under Larry’s leadership over the past three decades, the Carbon County Weed and Pest had grown to require three full-time employees, several seasonal employees and offices in Saratoga, Baggs and Rawlins.

“We’ve grown significantly, and we’ve expanded our operation to have offices here in Saratoga,” Larry said. “We have a satellite office in Saratoga and one in Baggs, and I have two full-time assistants. The one in Baggs is J Sheehan, while the one in Saratoga is Jaimy Cass, and Rona Snively is our office manager. For about the first 25 years I was here it was just me as the only full-time employee, plus an office and a secretary.”

Larry said he has also seen the business grow with several summer seasonal employees over the years.

“When I first moved out here, I had three to four seasonal employees that worked in the summertime mainly to spray county roads,” he said. “Now we’ve had as many as 20 summer seasonal employees, and we have expanded our operations quite a bit. Different things have changed within the law, of course, and regulations always change. There have also been a lot of changes in chemicals, and they come and go.”

Larry’s large contributions to weed management in Carbon County have been recognized throughout his career as Larry received awards on the state and national levels. Some of the most notable of these awards include a Certificate of Appreciation from the Secretary of Interior in 1995, Outstanding Achievement Award from the North America Weed Management Association, and the 2002 Governor’s Service and Volunteer Award.

Larry was also awarded the prestigious Wyoming Weed and Pest Dr. Harold Alley Award for his outstanding contribution toward the advancement of weed and pest control programs in Wyoming. These recognitions, along with many others Larry received over the years, serve to show Larry’s excellent work as the Carbon County Weed and Pest Supervisor.

Despite all of his achievements, when asked about his time and the Supervisor for the Weed and Pest, Larry is modest. He does not brag about his multiple awards and the big changes he helped foster in Carbon County weed and pest control.

“It has been an outstanding, challenging and rewarding experience to work for the weed and pest,” Larry said. “The people in Carbon County have been so good to work with, and that’s one of the things that helped us make up our minds to stay in Rawlins and Carbon County. The people were so great to us, and it has been phenomenal. They welcomed us here, being new people in the community, county and state.”

Larry said he was also grateful to move to a state where there are weed and pest control districts in all 23 of its counties.

“Every county in Wyoming has a weed and pest control, so it’s almost like one big family across the whole state,” he said. “We’re a very close-knit group that works together. When I’m in any county and I’m in trouble, I know where to go.”

Larry also thanked the board he worked for, the Carbon County Commissioners and legislators for all their support over the years.

“I worked for a five-person board that was appointed by county commissioners, and I’ve just had outstanding, supportive individuals on that board,” he said. “It has been a real pleasure and honor to work for the board, and the county commissioners and legislators have been supportive of our program.”

Larry said he looks forward to many hours spent on the golf course or racquetball court in his retired years.

“Racquetball and golf are my two favorite sports, and I’m looking forward to playing more of both every time I get the chance,” Larry said. “I also plan to stay active with the Lions Club too. I’ll miss dealing with people in work situations everyday, and I’ll miss dealing with employees, landowners and agencies. I’ll still be around and know people I’ve worked with, but it will all be on a different level now.”

The Justesens also plan to stay in Carbon County after Larry’s retirement, primarily because of their love for the people and the nearby recreational opportunities.

“Judy and I like Rawlins, Carbon County and Wyoming, and we want to stay here where our friends and activities are located,” Larry said. “We’re not in any hurry to leave. We’re looking at some options and opportunities to be closer to family down the line, but we’re not in a hurry right now.”

The two also look forward to having extra time to travel throughout the United States, making special stops to visit their friends and family, along with their daughters and grandchildren.

“I have loved my job and am happy I had the opportunity to work as long as I did, but I’m looking forward to spending more time with Judy and my family,” Larry said. “We’re both very healthy and can still do what we want to do, so that’s another good reason to retire. It’s good to retire when you’re still able to do things, and change is good because sometimes you get in a position where you become stale about things. I hope the new supervisor from South Dakota comes in and improves on the program to make it even better than it was.”

The community is invited to share in telling Larry goodbye and good luck at a retirement party from 6 to 9 p.m., Friday, at the Jeffrey Memorial Community Center, 315 W. Pine St. in Rawlins.