San Miguel River is Finally Tamarisk-Free
An eight year conservation project to rid the San Miguel River of the invasive species, tamarisk, has finally come to completion.
Yesterday marked the final day of the cleanup effort that has involved volunteers, agency staff and contractors from various organizations since the start of the decade.
The tamarisk control project, which was led by The Nature Conservancy, has involved agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, county weed management programs, Marathon Oil Company, the Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Tamarisk Coalition.
Thanks to the tamarisk removal project, around 200 kilometers of previously tamarisk-infected river is now tamarisk-free.
About Tamarisk
The tamarisk tree, sometimes referred to as “the wickedest weed out West”, is a non-native, invasive species that severely depletes rivers and watersheds. In fact, a single tree can go through as much as 200 to 300 gallons of water per day. Tamarisk is known for drying up springs, streams, and wetlands.
Tamarisk also exudes natural toxins and excess salt from foliage or roots, which prevents other plants from becoming established nearby. This not only prevents native seed from geminating, it also causes existing plants to die out as the tamarisk grows.
It’s believed that a single tamarisk tree can produce up to half a million seeds per year. In some parts along the Colorado River, there are an estimated 15,000 tamarisk seedlings per square yard.
Next Tamarisk Control Project?
The project team will concentrate their next efforts on the Dolores River, which runs through some of the most rugged and remote areas in Colorado.
Peter Mueller from The Nature Conservancy, who also directs the North San Juan Mountain Program in Colorado, said “We’ve been very successful in tamarisk removal on the San Miguel River, but the Dolores will be a more difficult river to tame. It will require a much more involved restoration effort and we’ll need to scale up the number of agencies and groups to work with us”.
Mueller also said “On the Dolores we’re talking not just about tamarisk removal, but about restoration of the river way. There we’ll have to look at our water management and do some re-seeding and planting of native species”.
Tags: Conservation, nature conservancy
