Cal IPC NewsCal-IPC News Fall/Winter 2004 3 Wildland Weed NewsNewsNewsNewsNews The 120-page Weed Workers’ Handbook is designed for on-the-ground weed workers and those who organize

Vol. 12, Nos. 3/4, Fall/Winter 2004 Newsletter of the California Invasive Plant Council

Protecting California’s Natural AreasProtecting California’s Natural AreasProtecting California’s Natural AreasProtecting California’s Natural AreasProtecting California’s Natural Areas fr fr fr fr from Wildland Wom Wildland Wom Wildland Wom Wildland Wom Wildland Weedseedseedseedseeds

Cal IPC News-----

Inside:Inside:Inside:Inside:Inside:A tale of two invaders: The dynamic history of pampas grass and jubata grass in California .. 4WaipunaTM not? Steaming your weeds ............. 6One man’s fight against broom ...................... 122004 Symposium in photos .............................. 8

Amber waves of...Amber waves of...Amber waves of...Amber waves of...Amber waves of... Phalaris aquatica? Phalaris aquatica? Phalaris aquatica? Phalaris aquatica? Phalaris aquatica?Amber waves of...Amber waves of...Amber waves of...Amber waves of...Amber waves of... Phalaris aquatica? Phalaris aquatica? Phalaris aquatica? Phalaris aquatica? Phalaris aquatica?Harding grass is one of sixty-three invasiveplant species identified for mapping andcontrol by the Catalina Island Conservancy.Photo by John Knapp of the Conservancy,winner in the “Landscape” catagory of our firstphoto contest. Other contest winners on pages10-11.

22222 Cal-IPC News Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004

CaliforniaInvasive Plant

Council1442-A Walnut Street, #462

Berkeley, CA 94709(510) 843-3902

fax (510) 217-3500www.cal-ipc.org

A California 501(c)3 nonprofit organization

Our MissionOur MissionOur MissionOur MissionOur Mission

To protect California’s natural areasfrom wildland weeds through

research, restoration, and education.

StaffStaffStaffStaffStaff

Doug Johnson, Executive [email protected]

Elizabeth Brusati, Project [email protected]

Board of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsBoard of DirectorsBoard of Directors

Steve Schoenig, President (2005)California Dept. of Food & Agriculture

Alison Stanton, Vice-President (2005)BMP Ecosciences

Carri Pirosko, Secretary (2005)California Dept. of Food & Agriculture

Jennifer Erskine-Ogden, Treasurer (2005)U.C. Davis

Joe DiTomaso, Past-President (2004)U.C. Davis Weed Science Program

Jon Fox (2005)California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo

Mark Newhouser (2005)Sonoma Ecology Center

Dan Gluesenkamp (2005)Audubon Canyon Ranch

Bobbi Simpson (2005)National Park Service - Exotic Plant Management Team

Jason Giessow (2005)Santa Margarita/San Luis Rey Weed Management Area

Wendy West (2005)El Dorado County Agricultural Commissioner's Office

David Chang (2006)Santa Barbara Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

Joanna Clines (2006)Sierra National Forest

Christy Brigham (2006)Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area

Bob Case (2006)California Native Plant Society

Affiliations for identification purposes only.Last year of term noted.

Cal-IPC NewsCal-IPC NewsCal-IPC NewsCal-IPC NewsCal-IPC NewsFall/Winter 2004 - Volume 12, Numbers 3 & 4

Editor: Doug Johnson, [email protected]

Cal-IPC News is published quarterly by the CaliforniaInvasive Plant Council. Articles may be reprinted withpermission from the editor. Submissions are welcome.

We reserve the right to edit all work.

From the Director’s DeskFrom the Director’s DeskFrom the Director’s DeskFrom the Director’s DeskFrom the Director’s Desk

TTTTTrrrrransitionsansitionsansitionsansitionsansitionsAs we move into the rainy season of the new year, we have a new line-up here in the Cal-IPCoffice. Brianna Richardson, after a year of outstanding work as our first Project Manager, isnow Project Director at the 609-acre Arastadero Preserve in Palo Alto. Despite all her newduties, Bree continues to contribute to Cal-IPC efforts.

In December, Cal-IPC hired ElizabethBrusati as our new Project Manager.Elizabeth recently received her PhD inEcology from UC Davis, and herdissertation focused on the impacts ofinvasive Spartina species in SanFrancisco Bay. Elizabeth’s backgroundin weed impacts will be valuable in herprimary task of organizing our weedlist revision process.

In addition to these staff transitions, Irecently made the transition tofatherhood. Born August 27, Leomade last year’s Symposium even moreadventurous than usual!

Taken together, these transitions put ahitch in our publication schedule, andthus you have in your hands a doubleissue of Cal-IPC News. It’s a good issue,with articles ranging from the biogeo-graphical (John Lambrinos onCortaderia distribution) and the practical (Mandy Tu on the Waipuna hot foam treatmentsystem) to inspirational (Jim Johnson’s Symposium address) and the personal (BriannaRichardson on Bob Connick’s committed work on broom in the East Bay Hills). Not to

mention photos from the Symposium and the firstannual photo contest!

Cal-IPC also welcomes four new members to theBoard of Directors: David Chang, of the Santa BarbaraAgricultural Commissioner’s office; Joanna Clines, ofthe Sierra National Forest; Christy Brigham, of theSanta Monica Mountains National Recreation Area;and Bob Case of the California Native Plant Society,recently retired from the Contra Costa CountyAgricultural Commissioner’s office. Thank you toleaving members Deanne DiPietro, Scott Steinmaus,Bill Winans, and Peter Warner for your service on theboard.

Here’s to a great 2005!

Brianna on the ArastaderoPreserve in Palo Alto.

Elizabeth taking samples on San FranciscoBay mudflats.

Cal-IPC News Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004 33333

Wildland Weed NewsNewsNewsNewsNews

The 120-page Weed Workers’ Handbookis designed for on-the-ground weed

workers and those who organizeremoval projects. Especially valuable

for volunteer training.

$13.00 includes S/H. Order fromwww.cal-ipc.org or call 510.843.3902

S 144, the Noxious Weed Control Act passedthe US House and Senate and has beensigned by President Bush. Annual expendi-tures authorized were reduced to $15 millionfrom the $100 million originally proposed.Nevertheless, those who worked so hard to getthis bill passed see this as a great success. Thenext step is to get funding appropriated,

which will be a major focus at this year’sNational Invasive Weeds Awareness Week(NIWAW) in Washington, Feb 28-Mar. 3.<www.nawma.org>

Gov. Schwarzenegger signed AB 2690August 27, making it legal for restorationprojects to utilize volunteers without paying“prevailing wages” (see Cal-IPC News Spring2004). The bill was authored by AssemblyMember Loni Hancock, and was unani-mously approved by both the House andSenate. <www.leginfo.ca.gov>

In a study at Stanford University's JasperRidge Preserve that mimicked the naturalorder of species loss in a grassland ecosystem,researchers found that declining biodiversitygreatly reduced resistance to invasive speciesand that the presence of even small numbersof rare species had profound functionaleffects. <currents.ucsc.edu/04-05/11-15/biodiversity.asp>

USDA-APHIS has published its AdvanceNotice of Proposed Rulemaking for revisingits regulations governing importation ofplants. Comment period ends March 19.<www.archives.gov/federal_register/public_inspection/public_inspection_list.html>

Steve Young’s final research findings onnatural-based herbicidal alternatives forCalTrans (see article in Cal-IPC News 10(4)Winter 2002) has been published in WeedTechnology 18:580-587.

Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 2631, whichwould have created a California InvasiveSpecies Council, saying that it would create“an additional costly layer of bureaucracy,including unfunded mandates, at a timewhen we are promoting government effi-ciency.” Schwarzenegger has requested fromCDFA and the Resources Agency a review ofexisting invasive species prevention anderadication efforts. <www.leginfo.ca.gov>

The USDA-APHIS solicited comments on aproposal aimed at Caulerpa taxifolia, theMediterranean “killer algae” that was alreadytreated once in Southern California. Cal-IPCjoined other organizations in recommending aban on the entire genus, since the differentspecies are difficult to distinguish. This is seenas the best strategy for eliminating its use inthe aquarium trade, the prime pathway forintroduction. <www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/weeds/caulerpa/>

The U.S. Coast Guard has publishedregulations establishing a national mandatoryballast water management program for allvessels equiped with ballast water tanks thatenter or operate within U.S. waters. Theseregulations increase the Coast Guard’s abilityto prevent the introduction of nonindigenousspecies via ballast water as required by theNonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Preventionand Control Act and the National InvasiveSpecies Act. <www.uscg.mil>

The Peace Corps, working with the NationalInvasive Species Council (NISC), recentlyissued guidance to Peace Corps volunteersworldwide on preventing and mitigating thespread of potentially harmful invasive species.<www.peacecorps.gov>

Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced$16 million in grants to help conserve 150threatened and endangered wildlife species in42 states. About $2.4 million will supportprivate efforts to control invasive species thatare a threat to ecosystems and wildlife.<www.doi.gov>

Got It YGot It YGot It YGot It YGot It Yet?et?et?et?et?

2005 MembershipPlease check the mailing

label on your newsletter tomake sure that you have

renewed your membershipfor 2005. If you need to

renew, please use the formon the back of this newslet-

ter, or give us a call at510/843-3902. Thanks!

2nd Annual2nd Annual2nd Annual2nd Annual2nd AnnualInvInvInvInvInvasivasivasivasivasive We We We We Weed Aeed Aeed Aeed Aeed Awwwwwarararararenessenessenessenesseness

Day at the CapitolDay at the CapitolDay at the CapitolDay at the CapitolDay at the CapitolMarch 9, 2005

An opportunity for weed workers attendfrom around the state to discuss their

work with agency managers and electedofficials. Voice your opinions and help

Sacramento make weeds a top priority.

For info, visit link at<www.cal-ipc.org>

Since the portion of the USDA’s Animal andPlant Health Inspection Service responsible forborder inspection was shifted to the Deparmentof Homeland Security (DHS) eighteen monthsago, there has been a growing shortage of

continued p.19...


FFFFFeatureatureatureatureatureeeee

By John G. Lambrinos, Department ofEnvironmental Science and Policy, UC Davis

ne of the more vexing aspects of plantinvasions is their inconstancy. Our ability topredict important traits like how fast anintroduced plant will spread or what kind ofimpact it will have on native vegetation iscomplicated by the fact that basic characteris-tics of invasions can change. Malleableecological and evolutionary forces continuallyshape the interaction between an introducedplant and native ecosystems. Far from beingstatic events, plant invasions are convolutedprocesses with often murky pasts and equallyopaque futures.

Nearly thirty years ago in Fremontia BruceCowan (1976) and Martha Costas-Lippmann(1977) alerted us to the invasive threat posedby two species of South American tussockgrass in the genus Cortaderia. Costas-Lippmann identified the two species as C.jubata and C. selloana. Both she and Cowanreported that C. jubata was highly invasivealong the central coast, but that C. selloanadisplayed few weedy characteristics and wasonly rarely encountered outside of cultivation.In the years immediately following thesereports, many management and controlactivities were based upon the view that onlyC. jubata posed an immediate and seriousinvasive threat.

I certainly held the same view when Ibegan a study in 1995 comparing theinvasive ecology of the two species onVandenberg Air Force Base, Santa Barbara Co.As part of this study I surveyed Cortaderiapopulations throughout the state. To mysurprise, nearly all the invasive populations Ifound in southern California were of thesupposedly non-aggressive C. selloana. Now,thanks largely to the educational efforts of Dr.Joe DiTomaso, Alison Stanton, and Cal-IPC,both C. jubata and C. selloana are more widelyrecognized as serious threats to native plantcommunities.

The abrupt change in the perceivedinvasiveness of the two Cortaderia species

A tale of two invadersThe dynamic history of pampas grass and jubata grass in California

O

prompted me to look more closely at theirhistory in California. Was this a change inperception only, or did C. selloana actuallybecome more aggressive? If so, why? Could wehave acted sooner if we had been morevigilant in our monitoring? As is often the casein the study of human history, this botanicalhistory provides few cut-and-dried answers.However, it does provide important cluesabout the critical processes shaping the stillongoing invasion by both species. It alsohighlights the importance of taking intoaccount the inherent dynamism of invasionswhen developing management plans.

A Muddle of NamesA Muddle of NamesA Muddle of NamesA Muddle of NamesA Muddle of NamesEarly botanical accounts of Cortaderia in

California are confusing. Descriptions in earlyCalifornia floras and herbarium records use atleast six separate names. The confusion partlystemmed from a general taxonomic uncer-tainty over the genus. Since South Americanspecimens were first collected in the 19thcentury, 17 distinct scientific names have

been applied to material of what we wouldnow call C. jubata and C. selloana. H.E.Connor and Elizabeth Edgar rectified thisconfused nomenclature in 1974. Working inNew Zealand, which has four native species ofCortaderia in addition to introductions ofboth C. jubata and C. selloana, they produceda standardized list of valid names for all themembers of the genus. Yet it was still unclearexactly which of these taxa had becomenaturalized in California until Costas-Lippmann clearly identified C. jubata and C.selloana as the culprits.

Even after Costas-Lippmann's work,however, confusion still lingered. The twospecies are rather difficult to distinguish,particularly when plants are young or whenonly vegetative parts are available for study. Inaddition, because of the perception that C.jubata was the more aggressive species,invasive populations of Cortaderia were oftensimply assumed to be C. jubata. Finally, thesingle common name “pampas grass” wasapplied equally to both species, which only

Cortaderia jubata invading Baccharis scrub on Vandenberg Air Force Base, Santa BarbaraCounty. Although a severe problem in central and north coast plant communities, C. jubata israre elsewhere in California. Photograph by the author.

Cal-IPC News Fall/Winter 2004 Fall/Winter 2004 Fall/Winter 2004 Fall/Winter 2004 Fall/Winter 2004 55555

muddled things further. Dr. DiTomaso andCal-IPC’s Cortaderia working group havedone much to set matters straight by (1)publishing an informational pamphlet whichincludes a key to identification (DiTomaso etal. 1999), (2) listing both species on the Cal-IPC list of pest plants of greatest ecologicalconcern, and (3) establishing distinctcommon names for the two species (“jubatagrass” for C. jubata and “pampas grass” for C.selloana).

A Not-So-Passing FadA Not-So-Passing FadA Not-So-Passing FadA Not-So-Passing FadA Not-So-Passing FadCortaderia selloana is native to the

lowlands of southern Brazil, Uruguay, andArgentina. Despite the image its commonname connotes, C. selloana is not a majorconstituent of the formerly vast Pampasgrasslands. In its native land it is mostcommonly found in riparian and other wethabitats such as poorly drained depressions.

There are indirect indications that C.selloana was available in the exotic nurserymarkets of San Francisco as early as the1850's, but by far the single most salient datein the history of C. selloana in California is1872. It was in this year that Joseph Sexton, apioneering nurseryman in Santa Barbara,received either seeds or a clump of C. selloanaat his Goleta ranch. Starting with thisshipment, Joseph Sexton launched a brieflyflourishing commercial industry for pampasgrass plumes. He marketed the plumes to eastcoast and European markets and launched acraze for the dried plumes. For several decadesthe plumes adorned everything fromfashionable ladies’ hats to parade floats. WalkerTompkins (1964) reports that at the height ofthe industry Sexton had nearly 5,000 plantsunder cultivation and exported nearly500,000 plumes a year.

Following this brief fanfare, however, C.selloana slipped into obscurity. In 1958,Phillip Munz and David Keck reportedpopulations of what they identified as C.selloana naturalized from Ventura toMonterey Counties, and ten years later Munz(1968) expanded this range northward toHumboldt County. Based on their descrip-tion and the geographic distribution,however, it is likely that most of their reportedmaterial was in fact C. jubata.

Discounting Munz and Keck's probablyerroneous report, it is not until 1988 that C.selloana is reported again in MitchelBeauchamp's flora of San Diego County. Thislack of documentation probably partly reflectsthe taxonomic confusion, however, because

naturalized populations of C. selloana arerecorded in herbarium records. The firstnaturalized record of C. selloana was collectedin 1929 beside a pond in MandevilleCanyon, Los Angeles. After 1940, thenumber of herbarium records of naturalizedC. selloana expanded dramatically. In the past60 years the spatial expansion of C. selloana asestimated by these herbarium records hasbeen twice as fast as that of C. jubata.

The majority of this expansion hasoccurred insouthernCalifornia, butinfestations arecommon in theSan Francisco BayArea as well. C.selloana can befound invading adiverse range ofhabitats, fromriparian corridorsand the marginsof coastalwetlands to dryhillsides of coastalsage scrub. It haseven beendocumented onserpentine soils.Both coastal andinland popula-tions exist, butonly coastalpopulationsappear to be seriously invasive.

Interestingly, the invasiveness of C.selloana in California seems to have evolvedgradually. The first herbarium records areeither clearly ornamentals or plants that havestrayed only a few feet from human pamper-ing. Over the past 80 years, however,collections have increasingly been of plantsfound invading native vegetation or found inlarge self-sustaining populations. This is incontrast to collections of C. jubata that havealways been predominately from self-sustaining naturalized populations.

Additionally, populations of C. selloanahave changed morphologically over thisperiod. During the commercial pampas plumeindustry, Joseph Sexton purposely selectedplants with full, platinum white plumes,which presented a striking appearance whendried. When the plume industry ended, sodid Joseph Sexton's intensive selection, andever since the plumes of naturalized C.

selloana have gotten darker and less full.

From Darkest PeruFrom Darkest PeruFrom Darkest PeruFrom Darkest PeruFrom Darkest PeruCortaderia jubata is native to the western

slopes of the Andes bisecting Ecuador, Bolivia,and Peru. Here it inhabits an impressivealtitudinal range from sea level to nearly14,000 feet in the shadow of snow-cappedvolcanic peaks. We have few details of itsarrival in California, but it probably wasimported sometime in the late 1800's as an

ornamental plant. Although there is no directevidence, it seems likely that at least oneimporter was Joseph Sexton, who imported anumber of Cortaderia varieties in an effort toimprove his plume industry.

It is difficult to be certain, however,because for a considerable time, C. jubata wasnearly invisible in the California landscape.Compared to C. selloana, its use as anornamental plant was minimal. In 1924 L.H.Bailey described C. selloana as widely plantedin California, while C. jubata was onlysometimes cultivated in California. FollowingBailey's description, there are no otherpublished accounts of the presence of C.jubata in California (either as an ornamentalor as a naturalized species) until Munz andKeck's probable report in the late 1950's. Thefirst herbarium record documenting anaturalized population is not encountered

Pampas grass plumes adorned nearly everything at the end of the 19thcentury. This is a First Prize winner in the Flower Carnival parade,Colorado Springs, Colorado sometime during the 1890's. Photo courtesyof the Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library.

continued page 15...


TTTTToolsoolsoolsoolsools

Reprinted with permission from The NatureConservancy’s Wildland Invasive Species Teamwebsite, www.tncweeds.org.

Out of a New Zealand company namedWaipuna comes this hot foam system forsteam-killing vegetation. This system employshot foam to deliver and trap superheatedsteam onto foliage to kill weeds. Waipunastates that the surfactant foam is a biodegrad-able mixture of corn and coconut sugarextracts, and that the foam is an “organic,”naturally-occurring compound. As such, it isnot regulated (or labeled) as a herbicideproduct by the U.S. EPA.

The DeThe DeThe DeThe DeThe Device and Hovice and Hovice and Hovice and Hovice and How it Ww it Ww it Ww it Ww it Workorkorkorkorksssss

The Waipuna™ Hot Foam system iscomprised primarily of a diesel-powered boilerand foam generator, which deliver hot waterwith a foam surfactant to target weeds via asupply hose and a treatment wand. Thesuperheated hot foam is applied to thetargeted vegetation at a precise temperature(93 degrees C, 200 degrees F) and pressure;the foam traps the steam, giving it time to“cook” the vegetation. This causes a cellularcollapse of the aboveground vegetation.Waipuna claims that the hot foam can killboth annual and perennial weeds by starvingtheir root systems (for some perennials, repeattreatments may be necessary).

In addition to the boiler/burner-foamgenerator system, applicator hose and wand,the Waipuna system also includes an internalcomputer that monitors the flow and pressureof all functions. To make the system fully

operational, however, you will have toprovide the following additional equipment:

1. A truck to transport the system (a 2-tonflatbed truck works well)

2. A large water tank - a 1,140 liter (300-gallon) baffled tank is recommended

3. Foam concentrate solution - purchasedby the barrel (100 liter/55 gal) fromWaipun

4. Insulated hoses - 60 meters (200 ft) inlength

There are two types of foam systems currentlyavailable: a single- and a double-burnerversion. Both are designed mostly formunicipal use. The single-burner model is foruse by a sole operator (comes with oneapplicator wand), and can be mounted onthe back of a trailer or truck. The double-burner model is to be operated by two people(comes with two applicator wands), andrequires a minivan or large truck to transport.Waipuna states that the double-burner modelis the most cost-effective method. A mechani-cal boom can also be used with the double-burner model. Waipuna plans to have smallergarden-use machines available soon.

Field DemonstrationField DemonstrationField DemonstrationField DemonstrationField Demonstration

To see how well the Waipuna system works inthe field, I tested a double-burner model onthe perennial rhizomatous grass,Brachypodium sylvaticum (false brome). Afterall tanks were filled and the hoses unrolled,the Waipuna system was turned on andheated up. The foam was ready to bedeployed!

The system is noisy (about as loud as a deep-toned snowmobile), but was very easy to useonce everything had been set-up. To releasethe hot foam, you depress a small trigger onthe application wand. This releases a constantstream of hot foam/steam (which came outmuch faster than I expected!). You simplydraw the nozzle over any target vegetation toachieve good coverage of foliage with thefoam. The hot foam achieves full kill onannuals immediately after contact. Someperennials can also be killed after only onetreatment, but perennials with extensive rootand rhizome systems may need to be treatedseveral times for full kill.

Costs to Use the SystemCosts to Use the SystemCosts to Use the SystemCosts to Use the SystemCosts to Use the System

As of this writing (March 2004), theWaipuna system is not available for individualpurchase. To obtain a system, you must lease itfrom the company for about $700 per month(minimum lease period is 2 years).

Chuck Fairchild (BLM-Oregon) notes thatthe foam concentrate costs about the same asRoundUp® herbicide. A 100-liter (55-gallon)drum of the foam concentrate costs about$900. Because of the equipment lease andcost of foam, Chuck estimates that the overallcost of using the Waipuna system is approxi-mately three times that of using herbicide. Hejudges that treatments of open areas can take20 to 25% longer than treating the same areausing herbicide because of applicationequipment differences and equipmentmaintenance (filling water tanks, etc.).Although using this system is more expensive,Chuck adds that a big advantage of the hotfoam over herbicide is that the foam can beapplied in variable weather conditions. Hotsunny weather is ideal for treatment, butwindy, cool, moist (light rain) weather will

WWWWWaipuna not? Hot faipuna not? Hot faipuna not? Hot faipuna not? Hot faipuna not? Hot foam good foam good foam good foam good foam good for moror moror moror moror more than lattese than lattese than lattese than lattese than lattesReview by Mandy Tu

Genista monspessulana (French broom)seedlings before (above) and after (below)treatment with Waipuna.

TMTMTMTMTM

A nozzle is used to spread hot foam generatedby the truck-based burner system.

Cal-IPC News Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004Fall/Winter 2004 77777

TTTTTaxaxaxaxaxonomonomonomonomonomy Notesy Notesy Notesy Notesy Notes

Rubus armeniacusby Brianna Richardson

A blackberry by any other name will still ruin a good pair of jeans.Nevertheless, the true name for Himalayan blackberry is Rubusarmeniacus. For many years, this weed has been known inCalifornia as Rubus discolor or Rubus procerus. The Rubus genus is socomplicated that another Latin phrase has also been applied to it:Rubus crux botanicorum, or "Rubus is the botanists’ cross." In fact,botanists who study the Rubus genus have earned their own specialname: batologists (bramble botanists).

Rubus procerus is not a legitamate name for Himalayan blackberry,since it is a taxonomic synonym for R. praecox, which is not a weedy

species. Rubusdiscolor, similarly, isa synonym for R.ulmifolius. So eventhough callingHimalayanblackberry Rubusarmeniacus won'tmake it any easier toget rid of, it's stillthe right thing todo. Now we just need the taxonomists to figure out why a blackberryfrom Armenia is called Himalayan.

Taxonomic explanation from Ceska, Adolf. 1999. "Rubus armeniacus-Acorrect name for Himalayan blackberries." Botanical Electronic News.No.230. <www.ou.edu>

© 2

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also work. Further, depending on state pesticide regulations, anapplication permit is likely not needed when using this system.

.....

Waipuna machine lease (Waipuna machine, foam generator,wands) - $700/month

Foam concentrate - $900 per 100 liter (55 gallon) barrel. Ifyou were to use a 1,140 liter (300 gallon) water tank, youwould add 4 liters of foam concentrate. A barrel of concentrateshould last through one year of near-continuous use.

1,140 liter (300 gallon) water tank - allows two applicators torun the machine for about one hour before it must be refilledwith water (it goes through water fast!). A 1,140 liter tank cancover about 0.4 mile long swath on each side of road (about 5to 10 ft deep), with solid weed infestations. If the roadsideinfestation is patchy, you may be able to cover about 4 miles ofroad per day.

Diesel gas for Waipuna machine - 5 gallon tank (can last threedays of treatment).

Gas for generator.

Gas for transportation.

CautionCautionCautionCautionCaution

Protective clothing and gloves are recommended when using theWaipuna system. The foam can cause eye irritation. The foam shouldalso not be applied to surface water, as concentrations of foam at 3mg/liter can be toxic to fish. When applied to soil, the foam isgenerally applied at concentrations of 0.0004 mg/liter and it isdegraded by soil microorganisms within 28 days, so the foam is likelyto be benign to soil organisms. The California Department ofPesticide Regulation has determined that the Waipuna hot foamsurfactant is not a pesticide, so it does not require registration as apesticide product.

AAAAAdvdvdvdvdvantantantantantages oages oages oages oages of the Wf the Wf the Wf the Wf the Waipuna Hot Faipuna Hot Faipuna Hot Faipuna Hot Faipuna Hot Foam soam soam soam soam syyyyystemstemstemstemstem

No chemically-produced herbicides are used, so dependingupon your location there may be no need for permits.

It can be used in windy or moist/light rain conditions (heavyrain may breakdown foam quickly and lower temperatures).

It can be very specific—as long as the target plants are spatiallyseparated from the surrounding vegetation, the system can beapplied to a single plant or to a small population of plants, withlittle to no disturbance to the surrounding vegetation.

Seedlings or annual herbs are instantaneously killed. Someperennials may be killed after one application.

Results are instantaneous - the user can see wilted, cookedvegetation and the areas where the foam was applied.

DisadvDisadvDisadvDisadvDisadvantantantantantages oages oages oages oages of the Wf the Wf the Wf the Wf the Waipuna Hot Faipuna Hot Faipuna Hot Faipuna Hot Faipuna Hot Foam Syoam Syoam Syoam Syoam Systemstemstemstemstem

The system has a large start-up cost: Machinery lease, foamsolution, 2-ton truck, water tank, hoses, gas for diesel generator,gas for transport, etc. Depending on how often it is used, it canbe expensive to operate.

It may not thoroughly kill deep-rooted plants or those withextensive rhizomes with one application; perennial plants withdeep roots may require several treatments for full kill.

Depending on how intermixed the weeds are with desirablevegetation, it may be difficult or impossible to provide target-specific control.

The system uses water very quickly - a water source must benearby for continual use.

Because of the 60 m (200 foot) hose, it can only be used in siteseasily accessible and navigable by truck.

It is relatively noisy, may not be applicable in areas with sensitiveanimal populations.

The effects of the “organic” foam on the environment, whileprobably benign, have not been extensively studied.

More Information:More Information:More Information:More Information:More Information:

For information on leasing and advantages of the Waipuna™ HotFoam system, see their website: www.waipuna.com. For personalaccounts on using the Waipuna system in natural areas, contact ChuckFairchild, Bureau of Land Management, Eugene, Oregon541-683-6207, [email protected], or Janet Klein, MarinMunicipal Water District, California 415-945-1192,[email protected].

88888 Cal-IPC News Fall/Winter 2004 Fall/Winter 2004 Fall/Winter 2004 Fall/Winter 2004 Fall/Winter 2004

2004 Symposium, V2004 Symposium, V2004 Symposium, V2004 Symposium, V2004 Symposium, Venturenturenturenturenturaaaaa

A record 320 attendees participated in a full agenda featuring 44 presenta-tions and 14 working groups, plus posters and exhibitors.

Working group session Ventura-style (Dunes WG, of course).

Thursday night’s mixer/poster session/auction at the Masonic Temple.

2004 Award winners, from left: Ken Moore of the Wildlands Restoration Team in Santa Cruz, won the Golden Weed Wrench Award for Weed Managerof the Year (pictured with Doug Johnson, Cal-IPC); Wendy West of the El Dorado County Agriculture Department won the Catalyst Award for coordi-nating the first annual Invasive Weeds Awareness Day at the Capitol (pictured with Steve Schoenig, Cal-IPC Board President, and Bobbi Simpson of theNational Park Service with the Weed Godzilla Award for NPS Resource Manager of the Year, which went to Christy Brigham of the Santa MonicaMountains NRA); Mike Kelly of Friends of Los Penasquitos Reserve in San Diego and a founder of Cal-IPC, won the Jake Sigg Award for Service andVision; and Nicholas Staddon of Monrovia Nursery won the Progressive Policy Award for collaboration on development of landscaping alternatives.

Joe DiTomaso and Carri Pirsoko auction off a pair of handmade quiltsdonated by Dianne Nygaard. Other hot items included vintage wine, aweekend cabin, a weedy wall clock, and a Jepson Herbarium course.


Super-volunteer Gina Skurka and Board Member Mark Newhouser showjust how crazy a raffle can get.

On top of the world on the Santa Cruz Island field trip.

Who needs a fork? Board Secre-tary/Auction Diva Carri Pirosko.

Field trippers discuss the complexities the Park Service faces on Santa CruzIsland, with rare endemics, challenging access, and historic features.

Jo Kitz of the Mountains Restoration Trust describes work on a bluffsrestoration site along the coast.

Marching into Arundo on the Santa Clara &Ventura Rivers field trip.

So who saw The Perfect Storm? 120 participantshead to Santa Cruz Island for the day.

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1111100000 Cal-IPC News FFFFFall/Winter 2004all/Winter 2004all/Winter 2004all/Winter 2004all/Winter 2004

11111st st st st st Annual Cal-IPC Photo ContestAnnual Cal-IPC Photo ContestAnnual Cal-IPC Photo ContestAnnual Cal-IPC Photo ContestAnnual Cal-IPC Photo ContestWWWWWeed Weed Weed Weed Weed Warriorarriorarriorarriorarriorsssss Specimen WSpecimen WSpecimen WSpecimen WSpecimen Weedeedeedeedeed LandscapesLandscapesLandscapesLandscapesLandscapes

1st PlaceDune restoration volunteers

Aquatic Adventures, San Diego

1st PlaceCirsium vulgare in seed

John Knapp, Catalina Island Conservancy

1st PlacePhalaris aquatica


2nd PlaceCirsium vulgare

Douglas Burgess, Martinez

2nd PlaceOxalis pes-caprae

Brianna Richardson, Acterra, Mt. View

2nd PlaceTiny with iceplant

Aquatic Adventures, San Diego

3rd PlaceFour-legged spray rigs

Kristin Cooper-Carter, Chico

3rd PlaceCirsium vulgare seed snow


3rd PlaceMustard

Phillip Roullard, San Diegowww.philliproullardphotography.com

Cal-IPC News FFFFFall/Winter 2004all/Winter 2004all/Winter 2004all/Winter 2004all/Winter 2004 1111111111

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WWWWWeed Impacteed Impacteed Impacteed Impacteed Impactsssss

1st PlaceCarduus pycnocephalus over deer trail


2nd PlaceCoastal scrub smothered by annual grassesJohn Knapp, Catalina Island Conservancy

3rd PlaceIsland endemic St. Catherine’s Lacecompeting with Genista linofolia


1st Place (series at left)Aggressive iceplant at Bodega Marine Reserve

Peter Connors,Bodega Marine Laboratory

3rd PlaceIceplant in palm treeJohn Hyde, Carlsbad

Oxalis pes-capraeKim Munyer, Sacramento

Onopordum acanthiumJosh Huntsinger, Placer County Dept. of Ag.

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Mark Newhouser, Sonoma Ecology Center


An Army of OneAn Army of OneAn Army of OneAn Army of OneAn Army of OneOne man’s fight against broomOne man’s fight against broomOne man’s fight against broomOne man’s fight against broomOne man’s fight against broomin Tilden Pin Tilden Pin Tilden Pin Tilden Pin Tilden Parkarkarkarkark

Interview by Brianna Richardson

Throughout California, there are individuals who take it uponthemselves to sustain one-person battles against invasive plants in theircommunities. Robert Connick is one of these people. Robert retiredfrom a career teaching chemistry at UC Berkeley, and now spends hisfree time pulling broom in Tilden Park in the East Bay hills. I met withRobert in September to tour his personal battleground and talk abouthis one-man stewardship of public land.

We arrived at a trail stretching along the ridgeline, the place thatgot Robert started pulling broom. When he began, the trail wasentirely overgrown with Scotch broom. His original goal was just tomake the trail passable, but once that was done, he just kept going.

Robert began pulling broom over 30 years ago on family propertyin Humboldt County. They had a portion of the property logged tohelp pay taxes and broom came in onthe trucks, sprouting up along all theroads the trucks used. Robert pulled itregularly, but eventually the familymoved, and he says it’s still a big messup there.

The area he’s clearing now is justdownslope from the ridgeline, wherelarge, mature broom plants share spacewith poison oak, Himalayan black-berry, and coyote bush. “As you cansee,” he says, “this is pretty messy totake out.” He’s right. The broom isentirely enmeshed in blackberry. I ask ifhe ever uses a weed wrench along withhis trusty clippers, hand saw and smalldigging tool, and he says no, it wouldbe “a pain to carry.” I see what hemeans. The narrow track we followleads steeply downhill through thebrush. Descending requires the use ofall four limbs.

We reach a small spot, clear ofbrush and overtopped by oaks. Thisarea had been entirely covered in broom before Robert cleared it. Hewill continue uphill until he reaches the ridgeline—a year’s work hefigures.

A tall mound of dead broom occupies the clearing where Roberthas neatly piled the plants he’s pulled. It’s hard to distinguish from thewood rat’s nest a few feet away. Robert has seen areas where the tops ofbroom seedlings have been nipped off, and he suspects the wood rats.He doesn’t know if the rats eat them or build with them, but he sayshe's seen small plants kept under control this way.

As we start pulling the numerous small seedlings that dot theclearing, I ask Robert about his motivations for what he's doing.

BR: When you clear an area of large plants, and come back in thespring to find an infinite number of seedlings, what keeps you goingthrough what must be sheer frustration?

RC: The knowledge that it’s always worst in the beginning. Yougain that by seeing it in action. Pulling repeatedly, you see a steadydecline in what comes back. I remember one spot where the trail wascovered in plants 3 and 4 inches in diameter. Once I cleared them, theground was covered in leaf litter, and when the seedlings came up theylifted the litter layer into the air. It was frightening. But it’s not hard tokeep going when you know you’ve made a dent.

BR: East Bay Regional Parks doesn’t know you’re out here. No one isexpecting you to do this work. You long ago achieved your initial goal ofmaking the trails passable, what impels you to keep going—do you feel asense of responsibility to keep clearing the broom?

RC: Well I started to just clear the trails, but I knew it was a weed. Iknew it’s good to get rid of it. You don’t have to hate the plant. It’sreally a beautiful plant, and an interesting plant, all the ways it canadapt to our climate. But I know if I don’t pull it it will take over. It’sreally a pest, but all the invasive exotics are pests. It’s a pest in the sensethat it’s a threat, a real threat to what humans value.

BR: Not everyone is moved to care forthe natural landscape around them. Didyou have any naturalist influences thatyou credit for your desire to do so?

RC: When I was young, eachsummer we’d go camping for a monthor more on our family property inHumboldt County. The property wasthe tail end of a sheep ranch. When theranch was sold, the family kept 120acres that stretched to the south fork ofthe Eel River. Being out in nature somuch growing up created an apprecia-tion in me. And my mother and fathergrew up in the country, they had anappreciation.

BR: What's more fun—pulling lotsof little seedlings or a few big plants?

RC: Big plants are much morefun. If you get out enough of the rootto know it’s not coming back, you canfeel you’ve really accomplished

something. But the art or skill of clearingan area of broom is one of perseverance. People who want to get rid ofthe plant need to understand the commitment it requires, over severalyears. It’s not a one-time job.

On the walk back to his house, Robert expressed concern aboutwhat would happen in the area when he could no longer get out thereto pull the broom. There’s nobody poised to take over when he stops,and he’s afraid the broom will come right back if allowed. He may beright, but then again, there may be another lone weed warrior outthere, just looking for their spot to pitch in.

ProfileProfileProfileProfileProfile

Robert Connick stands in front of a dead broom pile.

Generous DonationsMario A. Abreu (Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Albion)Doug Allshouse (Friends of San Bruno Mountain, Daly City)Linda Brodman (CNPS, Santa Cruz)Zelda Bronstein (Berkeley)Lysa Carmody (Tahoe WMA, Kings Beach)Darlene Chirman (Chirman Biological Consulting, Santa Barbara)John B. Copeland (Chico)Elizabeth Crispin (Mount Shasta)Sheila Daar (Daar/IPM Consulting, Berkeley)Tom Dodson & Associates (San Bernardino)Dudek & Associates (Encinitas)Joshua Fodor (Ecological Concerns, Inc., Santa Cruz)James & Nancy Harris (CNPS, Huntington Beach)Christie & John Hastings (Lafayette)Virginia Havel (CNPS Marin Chapter, Greenbrae)Ken Himes (CNPS Santa Clara Valley Chapter, Belmont)Vanessa Johnson (The Land Trust of Napa County, Napa)Kenneth C. Johnson (Santa Clara)Larry M Jones (SPAWNERS, Richmond)Jane and Tom Kelly (Friends of Strawberry Creek, Berkeley)Betty Kipp (CNPS, Berkeley)Jo Kitz (Mountains Restoration Trust, Woodland Hills)G. Fred Kramer (San Diego)Julie Kummel (Santa Barbara)


New and Contributing MembersNew and Contributing MembersNew and Contributing MembersNew and Contributing MembersNew and Contributing MembersThank you for your generous support! This list reflects donors and new members since the last newsletter.

New MembersLucie Adams (Roseville), Lisa Acree (Yosemite NP, El Portal), Timothy Adelsperger (H.E. Julien & Associates, Inc., Oxnard), CourtneyAlbrecht (CDFA, Sacramento), Bruce April (CalTrans District 11, San Diego), Amanda Armington (The Nature Conservancy, Irvine), ErikAschehoug (The Nature Conservancy, Ventura), Rebecca R. Atiles (Merkel & Assoc., San Diego), Richard Atmore, Jr. (RA Atmore & Sons,Inc., Ventura), Keli Balo (Helix Environmental Planning, Inc., La Mesa), Karen Bane (Coastal Conservancy, Oakland), Dianne Bangle (LakeMead NRA, Boulder City, NV), Katie Barrows (La Quinta), Tanya Baxter (GGNRA, Sausalito), Joseph A. Betzler (Las Vegas, NV), TammyBeyerl (EDAW, Sacramento), Jonathan Boow (NPS, Ventura), Carol Bornstein (Santa Barbara Botanic Garden), Robin Breckenridge (CDFA,Brooks), Cara Brents (PAPA, Salinas), Casey Brierly (Target Specialty Products, Pleasanton), Cyndi Brinkhurst (Grass Valley), AngelikaBrinkmann Busi (San Pedro), Melissa Brosnan (Berkeley), Cynthia Brown (Colorado State University, Ft. Collins), Michelle Brown (USFS,South Lake Tahoe), Ramona J. Butz (EDAW, Davis), Jeffrey Caldwell (Cupertino), Jon Campo (Natural Areas Program, San Francisco), JimCanaday (San Bernardino County Regional Parks), Janet Canterbury (Santa Cruz Island Restoration Project, Los Angeles), Tony Charness(Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, Malibu), Bernardo Chavez (BLM, Santa Fe, NM), Cara Clark (Moss Landing MarineLab, Santa Cruz), Jennifer Codianne (SCVWD, Aptos), Keven Ann Colgate (Entrix, Inc., Ventura), Christina Crooker (NPS, San Francisco),Holly Crossen (UC Davis), Sheila Daar (Daar/IPM Consulting, Berkeley), Wendy Dabrowolski (Los Padres National Forest, Ojai), SallyDavis (Glenn Lukos Associates, Lake Forest), Daula Dawson (Mill Valley), Bruce Delgado (BLM, Marina), Eli Dickerson (Santa MonicaMountains NRA, Thousand Oaks), John DiGregoria (CNGA, Oceanside), Lisa Dillon (GGNRA, San Francisco), Roger Ditrick (HelixEnvironmental Planning, Inc., La Mesa), Philippa Drennan (Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles), Chris Dye (NPS, Daly City), LilaErickson (GGNPC Site Stewardship, San Francisco), Tish Espinosa (Cali Consulting Service, Inc., Herald), Krista Farey (San Francisco),Margaret Fillius (San Diego), Ed Finley (CDFA, Redding), Julie B. and Arnie Fishman (Los Angeles), James Fitzgerald (Lake Mead NRA,Boulder City, NV), Erin A Fleming (GGNPC Site Stewardship, San Francisco), Mike Forbert (West Coast Wildlands, Pacifica), Susan Forbes

Dean W. Lloyd (Grass Valley)Tamia Marg (Claremont Canyon Conservancy, Berkeley)Fritz Maytag (San Francisco)Cheryl Miller (Amphion, Oakland)T. Charles Moore (Sunnyvale)David Hrovich & Daniel Muñoz (Los Angeles)Katy Pye (Woodland)Craig Schriefer (Sacramento)Jim Sharp (Berkeley)Susan Schwartz (Friends of Five Creeks, Berkeley)Jean Starkweather (Marin Conservation League, San Rafael)Rick Theis & Carolyn Johnson (Sebastopol)Robin Thompson (El Dorado Hills)Jennifer E. Tillman (La Jolla)Therese Tuttle (Tuttle & Van Konynenburg, L.L.P., Modesto)Samuel Valdez (San Francisco)Jane Valerius (Sebastopol)Jean Vandevort (Felton)Jessie Walker (AMEC Earth & Environmental, Encinitas)Washburn Grove Management (Hemet)Annette Wheeler, (Los Altos Hills)Andrea Woolfolk (Elkhorn Slough NERR, Watsonville)Matthew & JoAnn Zlatunich (San Francisco)

New Life MembersDawn Cope (Monterey)Jean Conner (Friends of Glen Canyon Park, San Francisco)

continued next page...


(Stanislaus NF, Sonora), Karen Fortus (Angeles NF, Glendora), Norman Frank (Berkeley), Julie Garren (USDA-ARS, Davis), Mike Gerel(Sustainable Conservation, San Francisco), Sibdas Ghosh (Dominican University of California, San Rafael), Henry Gonzalez (MontereyCounty Ag. Dept., Salinas), Suzanne Goode (State Parks, Calabasas), Dan Grant (San Luis Obispo), Allison Green (San Jose State Univer-sity), Fred Greenlaw (Pacific Coast Seed, Rocklin), Brenda Grewell (USDA-ARS, Davis), Sara Grove (Yosemite NP, El Portal), Danny J.Hamon (USDA-APHIS, Sacramento), Nancy Hanson (Angeles NF, Saugus ), Stan Harpole (University of Minnesota, St. Paul), Kara Heckert(Sotoyome RCD, Santa Rosa), Brad Henderson (Aspen Environmental Group, Lawndale), Josh Hoines (Lake Mead NRA, Boulder City,NV), Allan D. Hollander (Information Center for the Environment, Davis), Katherine Holmes (UC Davis), Valerie Kay Hubbartt (LosPadres NF, Santa Barbara), David T. Hughes (Bonterra Consulting, Pasadena), Kristin Hulvey (UC Santa Cruz), Jonathan Humphrey(Sequoia-Kings Canyon NPs, Three Rivers), Lesley Hunt (Walnut Creek), Alissa Ing (Wildomar), Kyle L. Ince (Merkel & Assoc., San Diego),Ellen James (NRCS, Somis), Jay Jamison (Western Sierra Landscapes, Moorpark), Brent Johnson (Yosemite NP, Midpines), Russell Jones(NPS, Sebastapol), Steve Junak (Santa Barbara Botanic Garden), Laura Kadlecik (Humboldt Water Resources, Arcata), Dennis Kanthack(Ventura County Watershed Protection District, Ventura), Joanne Karlton (State Parks, Gustine), Annie Kearns (Mojave National Preserve,Barstow), Keep the Sespe Wild (Ojai), Nathan Keller (GGNRA, San Francisco), Elizabeth Kellogg (Tierra Data, Inc., Escondido), Jane andTom Kelly (Friends of Strawberry Creek, Berkeley), Dian Kennedy (Dian Kennedy Designs, Inc., Tarzana), Josh Knox (Earth Care, MillValley), Mietek Kolipinski (NPS, Oakland), Sally Kotnik (San Diego), Kenneth Krueger (Los Padres NF, Santa Barbara), John Lambrinos(UC Davis), Donald Lee (Antelope), Dean Lehman (Los Angeles DPW), John Leonard (Yosemite NP, Mariposa), Laura Lee Lienk (WatershedInstitute, Seaside), David Syck and Angela Lopopolo (Target Specialty Products, Santa Fe Springs), Angela Lortie (State Parks, SantaBarbara), Christopher Lortie (University of Nevada, Reno), Jeremy Lougee (Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo), Karen Lowerison (SanLuis Obispo Ag. Dept., Paso Robles), David Lundby (Campbell Timberland Management LLC, Fort Bragg), Ellen Mackey (LA/SG RiversWatershed Council, Los Angeles), Jennifer A. Malcolm (CalTrans, Sacramento), Blane Manchester (Alameda County Ag. Dept., Hayward),Julie Simonsen Marchant (AMEC Earth & Environmental, San Diego), Erik Martin (GGNPC Site Stewardship, San Francisco), HalliMason (CNPS, Tarzana), Michelle Mattson (Aspen Environmental Group, Oceanside), Ken McDonald (Westminster), Melissa McDowell(Gold Beach, OR), Mary McFadzen (CIPM, Bozeman, MT), Milt McGiffen (UC Riverside), Jodi McGraw (Boulder Creek), BrentMelbourne (UC Davis), Kyle Merriam (USGS-BRD, Three Rivers), Cecilia Meyer Lovell (EDAW, San Diego), Pat Minogue (Alligare, LLC,Redding), Judith Mitchell (Mission RCD, Fallbrook), Tom Moorhouse (Clean Lakes, Inc., Westlake Village), Adam Morrill (Boating &Waterways, Sacramento), Adrianna Muir (UC Davis), Carrie Nazarchyk (Lake Mead NRA, Boulder City, NV), Peter Nelson (Moss LandingMarine Lab, Marina ), Janet Nickerman (USFS, La Crescenta), Kathleen Nolan (Nolan, Walmsley & Assoc., Inc., Ojai), Cully Nordby (UCBerkeley, Pasadena), John Nowak (CalTrans, Buena Park), Diane Nygaard (Preserve Calavera, Oceanside), Christopher Oelsch (Dudek &Assoc., Encinitas), Meredith Osborn (Fish & Game, San Diego), Julie Owen (Boating & Waterways, Sacramento), Ken Owen (ChannelIslands Restoration, Santa Barbara), Ron Paolini (Marin County Parks & Open Space, San Rafael), Steven Perkins (NRCS, Victorville), MikePerlmutter (GGNRA, San Francisco), Wendy Poinsot (Point Reyes NS), Mike Powers (Mendocino Redwood Company, Fort Bragg), KatyPye (Woodland), Richard Quinn (The C.R.E.W., Ojai), Patricia A. Raggio (State Parks, Arnold), Johanna Rahman (GGNRA, San Francisco),Adrienne Ratner (Menlo Park), Heather Reading (USFS, Ramona), Drew Ready (LA/SG Rivers Watershed Council, Los Angeles), YvetteRedler (USDA-APHIS, Sacramento), Lewis Reed (Livermore Area Recreation & Parks, San Jose), Sabine Reynaud (GGNPC Site Stewardship,San Francisco), Sally Reynolds (San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Newark), Kate Reza (Circuit Rider, Windsor), Greg Reza(Marin County Open Space District, San Rafael), Danny Richards (Pacific Restoration Group, Corona), James Roberts (Student Conserva-tion Association, Apple Valley), Jim Robertson (CNPS, Santa Monica), Becca Robertson (Student Conservation Association, Oakland), JimRoberstson (CNPS, Los Angeles), Paul Robins (Yolo County RCD, Woodland), Chris Rogers (Environmental Science Assoc., Oakland),Cheri Rohrer (USFS, Vallejo), Kelly Rose (Friends of Ballona Wetlands, Playa del Rey), Loretta Rose (George F. Canyon Nature Center,Torrance), Peggy Rose (Ventura County Arundo Task Force, Somis), Brad Roth (Carlsbad Watershed Network, Cardiff ), Rick Roush (UCIPM, Davis), Les Rowntree (San Jose State University, Berkeley), Barbara and Alfred Sattler (CNPS, Rancho Palos Verdes), Susan Scatolini(CalTrans District 11, San Diego), Kurt Schasker (Lakeview Terrace), Paul Schlitt (City of San Diego), Anna Schrenk (Oceanside), MeganSchwartz (AMEC Earth & Environmental, Santa Barbara), Anna Sears (Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, Santa Rosa), Gina Skurka(CDFA, Sacramento), Christina Sloop (UC Davis), Philomene C. Smith (Sacramento), Sue Smith (Circle Bar Ranch, Sonoma), RobertSnyder (City of Davis, Davis), David Spencer (USDA-ARS, Davis), Jon B. Stafford (Habitat West, Inc., Escondido), Melanie Stalder (UCRiverside, Monrovia), Barbara Stauss (Richmond), Kenneth Stella (Point Reyes Station), David Strickland (CalTrans District 11, San Diego),Lew Stringer (GGNRA, San Francisco), Adrian Stroganoff (CNPS, Pacifica), Katharine Suding (UC Irvine), Mathew Sutton (Santa CatalinaIsland Conservancy, Avalon), Mark Swearingen (Marko Enterprises, Santa Barbara), Kirra Swenerton (San Anselmo), Hannah Swimmer(Channel Islands NP, Ventura), Judi Tamasi (Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, Malibu), Robert Taylor (NPS CoastMediterranean Network, Thousand Oaks), Pat Tennant (Orange County Water District, Corona), Jeff Thomas (EDAW, San Francisco), RobThompson (Santa Lucia Conservancy, Carmel), Diane Thomson (Keck Science Center, The Claremont Colleges, Claremont), Heather Todd(Yosemite NP, El Portal), Peter J. Tomsovic (RECON Environmental Consultants, San Diego), Noreen A. Trombley (Yosemite NP, El Portal),Sherrie Althouse and Phil Van Soelen (California Flora Nursery, Fulton ), Elizabeth Van Wyhe (GGNRA, Sausalito), Jorge Vargas (ContraCosta County Ag. Dept., Concord), Karen Vaughn (Yosemite NP, El Portal), Manjunath Venkat (AMEC Earth & Environmental, SantaBarbara), John Warner (NRCS, Hollister), B. Lynn Watson (Santa Barbara), Ralph Waycott, Jr. (Malibu), Chris White (El Cerrito), SteveWilliams (Santa Monica Mountains RCD, Topanga), Joe Williams (NRCS, Visalia), Greg Wolford (CNPS, East Bay Chapter, Berkeley),Susan J. Woolam (Dept. of Water Resources, Glendale)

New Members, cont’d

until 1946 when an individual growing alongSan Antonio Creek in Ventura County wascollected.

Following these first signs of trouble, C.jubata caused increasing concern as itcontinued to expand along coastal California.In an interesting contrast to its diverse nativerange and to the more diverse habitat range ofC. selloana in California, C. jubata in Califor-nia is restricted to a narrow coastal band.While it is currently naturalized fromHumboldt to San Diego counties, itsdistribution is centered in northern California.Ninety-one percent of all documentednaturalized populations are located north ofPoint Conception. Also, in contrast to C.selloana, both the invasiveness and morphol-ogy of C. jubata has changed little over thelast 100 years.

The impact of this spread on central andnorth coast plant communities has beensevere: thousands of acres of logged redwoodforest in Humboldt County have beeninvaded; Bureau of Land Managementpersonnel have fought a continuing battle tokeep C. jubata out of Baccharis and northerncoastal scrub communities on the former FortOrd Military Reservation; and on VandenbergAir Force Base the highly restricted andunique Burton Mesa Chaparral is under directassault from C. jubata invasion. Outside ofthese communities, however, in most instancesC. jubata seems to require high levels ofdisturbance in order to become established.Over 83% of the C. jubata populations thathave been documented come from ruderalhabitats such as roadsides, vacant lots, andcleared areas.

Some Revisionist HistorySome Revisionist HistorySome Revisionist HistorySome Revisionist HistorySome Revisionist HistoryIn retrospect, we can understand some of

the forces that have shaped the contrastinghistory of the two Cortaderia species inCalifornia. The more rapid spread of C.selloana was undoubtedly aided by itsextensive horticultural use. Ever since theenterprise of Joseph Sexton, the Cortaderiaspecies sold in nurseries and used in landscap-ing has been almost exclusively C. selloana.Every new use in a back yard garden or inroadside landscaping has therefore createdpotential new foci of infestation.

That is not the entire story, however. Themore rapid spread of C. selloana relative to C.jubata was also a consequence of C. selloana'sgreater habitat breadth. It seems that Califor-

nia populations of C. jubata represent onlyone of the probably many ecotypes that existin its native range. In addition, C. jubatapopulations are entirely asexual, withextremely low levels of genetic variation, andconsequently scant ability to adapt throughnatural selection to different conditions. Incontrast C. selloana has naturalized in anumber of different habitats, and this abilityseems to have gradually developed over thelast 130 years. Populations of C. selloana inCalifornia are exclusively out-crossing. Thegenetic variation that this out-crossingpromotes might have afforded C. selloanagreater evolutionary flexibility in adjusting toCalifornia's diverse habitats.

Finally, the impact that both species havehad on native vegetation has also changedover time with the tumultuous changes inhuman land use that have swept throughCalifornia. The native vegetation alongCalifornia's coast is increasingly fragmented,isolated, and disturbed. In southern Califor-nia, in particular, the native patches ofshrublands and wetlands now sit amidst a vastmatrix of urban sprawl. The increasing abilityof C. selloana to invade native vegetation isprobably related as much to these landscapechanges as it is to any evolutionary adjust-ments. Along the central coast, as well, thedamage that C. jubata has inflicted on nativeshrublands has increased dramatically in thelast 50 years, hand-in-hand with the dramatichuman-induced loss and degradation of thesehabitats.

Lessons from HistoryLessons from HistoryLessons from HistoryLessons from HistoryLessons from HistoryThe tale of these two

species in California illustratesthe critical importance ofcomprehensively monitoringplant invasions. The ecologicaland evolutionary forces thatshape invasions are by theirvery nature fluid. Managementstrategies that are not equallydynamic will be doomed tofailure.

In her 1976 dissertation,Martha Costas-Lippmanndescribed a population of C.selloana in Orange Countythat seemed to be escapingfrom a roadside planting intocoastal sage scrub. She warnedthat, although C. selloana wasgenerally not consideredaggressive, the progress of this

population should be monitored. Unfortu-nately, little monitoring seems to have beendone. Perhaps more importantly, at the time,there was no central clearing house forconcerned people to share information aboutinvasive plants. If there had been, it mighthave been realized that there were othersimilarly aggressive populations in southernCalifornia.

Today the situation is much better. TheCalifornia Department of Food and Agricul-ture (CDFA) has shifted away from itshistorically exclusive focus on monitoringagricultural pests to also monitor wildlandnoxious weeds, although the department'snoxious weed programs have been severelycut during the state's latest fiscal crisis. Inaddition, Cal-IPC has emerged as a criticalresource for wildland weed monitoring in thestate. Currently, Cal-IPC is working on arevision to its list of wildland weeds that willinclude references to documentation detailingthe rationale for each species' listing. Thedatabase supporting the list will be continu-ally adjusted with new and up-to-dateinformation.

Without clear, verifiable, and contempo-rary documentation such as this, perceptionscan be hard to change. Although both speciesof Cortaderia are now on the Cal-IPC list,only C. jubata is currently listed on the CDFAnoxious weed list. As a consequence, C.selloana can legally be sold and transportedthroughout the state. Government agenciessuch as CalTrans have stopped using

Tale of two invaders, cont’d from page 5...

C. jubata &C. selloanaboth present

C. jubataonly


Distribution of Cortaderia jubata and C. selloana inCalifornia. From University of California Weed Researchand Information Center.

C. selloana

Cortaderia for landscaping and erosioncontrol, but the nursery trade continues to bea source of C. selloana. The horticultureindustry often reiterates the still lingeringperception that C. selloana is not aggressive.Moreover, some claim that only female plantsare sold, thus limiting the potential of sexualpropagation. However, juveniles of C. selloanapropagated from seed are impossible to sexusing the naked eye, and consequently manyornamental populations of mixed gender haveprobably been established from stock sold atnurseries. In addition, at this point, sellingonly female plants does little to hinder spread,since large mixed-gender populations arealready established throughout the state, andduring the flowering season of late summerand early autumn there is an ample supply ofpollen for all but the most isolated femaleplants. On the bright side, many newhorticultural varieties of Cortaderia are sterile,and these could provide a minimally disrup-tive alternative for the industry.

In 2003, a Cal-IPC member in the SanDiego area successfully lobbied Wal-Mart tostop selling C. selloana in its California stores.Currently, Cal-IPC is working collaboratively


with nurseries to reduce the sale of invasiveplants. Understandably, the horticultureindustry has been generally reluctant to takeaction voluntarily without clear evidence of aproblem. This is even more so in cases such asC. selloana where the status of a specieschanges.

Finally, the monitoring of invasive plantsshould go beyond the basics of rangedistributions and habitat associations, andattempt to document quantitatively theimpact that species have on native ecosystems.The damage caused by an introduced plantcan vary between regions and also change overtime. Tracking these differences and changes isvitally important for steering policy andallocating management resources.

Invasions are inherently historicalprocesses, whose dynamics can and often dochange with time. As the awareness of thethreats posed by invasive plants grows, aconcerted emphasis should be placed oncontinued and comprehensive monitoring ofthe status of invasive plants across the state. Inthe absence of monitoring, invasive threatscan quietly develop into major problemsbefore anyone notices.

ReferencesBailey, L.H. 1924. Manual of cultivated plants mostcommonly grown in the continental United States andCanada. Macmillan. New York.

Beauchamp, M.R. 1986. A Flora of San DiegoCounty, California. Sweetwater River Press. NationalCity, CA.

Connor, H.E. and Edgar, E. 1974. Names and typesin Cortaderia Stapf (Graminae). Taxon, 23, 595-605.

Costas-Lippmann, M. 1976. Ecology andreproductive biology of the genus Cortaderia inCalifornia. Ph.D. thesis. University of California,Berkeley.

Costas-Lippmann, M. 1977. More on the weedy"pampas grass" in California. Fremontia 4(4):25-27.

Cowan, B.D. 1976. The Menace of Pampas Grass.Fremontia 4(2):14-16.

DiTomaso, J.M., E.H Healy, C.E. Bell, J.D.Drewitz, and A. Tschohl. 1999. Pampas grass andjubata grass threaten California coastal habitats.California Exotic Pest Plant Council leaflet #99-1.

Munz, P.A. 1968. Supplement to a California Flora.University of California Press. Berkeley, CA.

Munz, P.A. and D.D. Keck. 1958. A CaliforniaFlora. University of California Press. Berkeley, CA.

Tompkins, W.A. 1964. Fourteen at the table: aninformal history of the life and good times of the Sextonfamily of old Goleta. Privately Printed, Santa Barbara,CA.

GOLD SPONSORMonsanto Company

SILVER SPONSORSAgri Chemical & SupplyAll Seasons Weed ControlCal-Native Plants, LLCCalifornia Native Plant SocietyHabitat West, Inc.Mission RCD & SM/SLR WMAThe Nature ConservancyNatures Image, Inc.RECON Environmental, Inc.San Elijo Lagoon ConservancySanta Ana Watershed AssociationUC IPM

BRONZE SPONSORSAlligare, LLC BASF Corporation Caprine Restoration Services Centerfor Invasive Plant Management Center for Natural Lands ManagementDeAngelo Brothers, Inc. Dendra, Inc. Dow Agrosciences EcosystemsRestoration Associates Environmental Science Associates ESRIHedgerow Farms Intelli-Spray National Park Service, EPMT SierraConsulting & IPM Stockton USFWS Stover Seed Company TargetSpecialty Products UAP Timberland, LLC USFWS, Pacific RegionVentura County Arundo Task Force

GREEN SPONSORSAnteon California Landscape Technologies California Native GrassAssociation EDAW, Inc. Forevergreen EcoWeeders Go Native Nurs-ery, LLC Rana Creek Habitat Restoration Regional Council of RuralCounties SF Estuary Invasive Spartina Project Shelterbelt Builders, Inc.The Student Conservation Association Sycamore Associates, LLCWilbur-Ellis Co./John Taylor Fertilizers

Symposium SponsorsSymposium SponsorsSymposium SponsorsSymposium SponsorsSymposium SponsorsWe thank the record number of sponsors for the 2004 Symposium. Your support is invaluable to Cal-IPC’s work.

Tale of two invaders, cont’d...

[Jim Johnson is Streamkeeper for San Francisquito Creek Watershed in SantaClara and San Mateo Counties. This the text of his address at the Cal-IPCSymposium in Ventura, October 7, 2004.]

From earliest days, watching luminous, disembodied animal eyesstaring at us from just outside the circle of campfire light, we humanshave had a relentless drive to understand, to render safe and to controlfor our comfort the inexorable forces of nature. Only an eye-blink ago ingeologic time our surging brain began to plant wheat, forge metal, chantmagic names. And then came science, a tool so powerful that we can nowdestroy what we fear at the touch of a button from half a world away.Now we are everywhere, multiplying and transforming natural resourcesto serve us, moving restlessly about the globe and transporting immensequantities of goods, including plants, animals and microbes between thecontinents.

About 240 million years ago, the giant landmass Pangaea began tobreak apart, sending the rudiments of the present continents and theircargo of life forms on separate and divergent evolutionary journeys.Along the way intricate, balanced and interdependent webs of life slowlydeveloped, separated by vast oceans into the diffusion of life forms. Onlyoccasionally did continents collide or landbridges form.

But today, we think nothing of jetting in a day from Sydney to SanFrancisco or from New York to New Delhi. Inadvertently or purpose-fully, all manner of biological entities are transported between ecosystemswhich have been separately evolving for a quarter of a billion years. Theinteractions of these reunited life streams can be surprising and devastat-ing.

So great is this mixing of life forms today, that it has been suggested,only half-facetiously, by Dr. Gordon Orians the eminent University ofWashington ecologist, that the present geologic period be henceforthknown as the Homogocene. Indeed our ongoing change of the globalclimate due to the accumulation of anthropogenic greenhouse gases inthe atmosphere, the massive alteration or destruction of marine andterrestrial habitats, the rapid extinction of species, the human race's sheardominance of most areas of the globe and our incipient alteration ofspace and other planets, would seem to require a new designation for thisgeologic time period.

Even more surprising, we are now mixing the genomes of biologicalkingdoms, never mind different species, inserting, for example, coldresistance genes from deep ocean fish into strawberries to improve theirfrost tolerance. Thus the very concept of species, previously inviolate, isthrown into question. How about inserting plant chloroplast DNA intoour own, so we can walk about naked, green and proud, fixing the sun’senergy as we go. Now there’s a 21st century energy independenceplatform for a truly Green Party presidential candidate.

Perhaps the great question, answerable only in retrospect, is: Are weentering merely a new period, or a new epoch, age or eon? What, truly, isthe impact of the evolution of consciousness on the history of Earth?

Welcome to the Homogocene!

But seriously, the problems caused by non-native invasivespecies of all taxa is great, is global and is not going away. Dr. HalMooney of Stanford, one of the world’s leading authorities on thesubject, states, “Invasive species are one of the most serious environ-mental threats of the 21st century.”

The threat to agricultural systems from plant, animal, fungaland microbial pests has been known and fought vigorously formillennia. But the problems invasive species cause to the broaderenvironment has been seriously studied only since 1958 when anecologist, Dr. Charles Elton, brought the subject to the attention ofthe scientific community in his landmark book, The Ecology ofInvasions by Animals and Plants.

Twenty-five years ago he wrote, “We must make no mistake; weare seeing one of the great historical convolutions of the world'sfauna and flora.” Since then, the problems he heralded, from killerbees to cheat grass to AIDS, have become evident to multitudesaround the globe.

In 1992 world leaders met in Rio de Janeiro for the first EarthSummit where they agreed upon the value of biodiversity, “acombination of life forms and their interactions with each other andwith the rest of the environment that has made Earth a uniquelyhabitable place for humans.” They agreed upon a comprehensivestrategy for “sustainable development.” One of the key documentsto come out of this summit was the Convention on BiologicalDiversity which “sets out commitments for sustaining the world'secological underpinnings as we go about the business of economicdevelopment.” Almost 100 nations have signed this convention.The United States is not among them.

Even the Work Bank, recognizing the serious threats tobiodiversity and world-wide economic stability, established GISP,the Global Invasive Species Program. Since then international,national, state and regional entities, as well as private organizationssuch as Cal-IPC have begun to grapple seriously with the threatscaused by what have been called “biological pollution.”

No remote spot on the globe is free from the changes we haveset in motion. We have treated this planet which has given useverything, even life itself, thoughtlessly and shamefully andtherefore owe a sacred debt to Earth and to future generations. Thewhole planet is, by our interference, a managed landscape and wemust therefore work tirelessly to heal the rift we have created in thefabric of life. And then pass the torch to those who come after us.

Fortunately, there are many willing hands, and governments arecoming to the table to help. We are becoming smarter about whatwe do and are enlisting environmentally safe chemical and well-tested biological helpers where appropriate.

Tonight we honor some of the fingers in the leaky dike with thehope that the townspeople awaken and spring to action before thebreach debouches.

WWWWWelcome telcome telcome telcome telcome to the Homogocene:o the Homogocene:o the Homogocene:o the Homogocene:o the Homogocene:The Environmental Threat of Non-Native Invasive Species


By Jim Johnson


Readings &ResourcesUpdated List: The Oregon Invasive SpeciesCouncil has reissued its list of the Top 100most dangerous invasive species, whichincludes nine aquatic plants and 21 terrestrialplants, none of which are horticulturallysignificant. <www.oda.state.or.us/plant/Inv_spp/>

New Book: Biological Control of InvasivePlants in the United States was published byOregon State University in October 2004. Itincludes information on 39 target plants, 94biocontrol agents, and features over 300 colorphotographs. <oregonstate.edu/dept/press/a-b/BioControl.html>

Seed Law: The 2004 edition of the publica-tion, States Noxious Weed Seed RequirementsRecognized in the Administration of theFederal Seed Act has been released.<www.ams.usda.gov>

Special Issue: The August 2004 issue of thejournal Risk Analysis focuses on invasivespecies. <www.blackwell-synergy.com/>

ID DVD: The Interactive Encyclopedia ofNorth American Weeds, a new softwareprogram to aid in identification of almost 500weeds in the US and Canada, is available as aDVD-ROM with 2,400 photographs, anillustrated glossary of 565 botanical terms,professionally-narrated lessons that provideinteractive instruction on the basics of planttaxonomy, distribution maps, a habitat key,weed history articles, and the unique visualweed and crop identification key.<www.thundersnow.com/weedid>

Handbook: The US Forest Service NortheastArea has released the Invasive and ExoticPlant Species Playbook, listing info sourcesand contact numbers. <www.na.fs.fed.us>

New Book: In Alien Species and Evolution(Island Press, 2004), biologist George W. Coxreviews and synthesizes emerging informationon the evolutionary changes that occur inspecies when they colonize new geographicalareas, and on the evolutionary responses ofnative species with which alien speciesinteract. <www.islandpress.org/books/>

Website: The National Wildlife Federationand eNature have launched a website forgardeners giving state-by-state information oninvasive plants to avoid and native plants thatwork well in the garden setting. <enature.com/native_invasive/natives.asp>

Clearinghouse: The Western Weed ResourcesCatalog, from the Center for Invasive PlantManagement, is a compilation of more than1,000 brochures, booklets, videos, and othereducational materials. The searchable databaseis available. <www.weedcenter.org>

Grass and Grass-like Weeds ofCalifornia Identification CD-ROM, by Dr. Joe DiTomaso ofUC Davis and the WeedResearch & Information Center,is now available from Cal-IPC.This CD allows you to identify200 weedy grasses using onlyplant parts visible to the nakedeye. The intuitive keys offer agreat way of self-tutoring ongrass identification.

$32.00 + $3.00 s/hCall Cal-IPC at 510.843.3902

Website: Member Lynn Watson helpedprepare a detailed webpage on Santa Barbara-area invasives for the More Mesa PreservationCoalition. <www.moremesa.org/mesa_weed_int.htm>

Photos: The Mid-Atlantic EPPC has com-piled an image library of invasive plantphotos. <www.invasive.org/maweeds.cfm>

Sargasso Sea of iceplant As the tide of holiday season rolls in, it’s always good to rememberfearless weed warriors of times past, including the many poor privateers who went to DavyJones locker in gales of surging Carpobrotus. (Halloween display in Pacifica)


The WILDLAND WEED CALENDAR

California Native Grasslands AssociationApril 14-16, 2005Woodland

15th Anniversary Annual Conference,“Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned: 15Years of Native Grassland Restoration inCalifornia” <www.cnga.org>

Invasive Weed Day at the CapitolMarch 9, 2005Sacramento

The 2nd annual education and advocacyevent organized for weed workers to meetwith agency managers and elected officials todiscuss weed work in the state.<www.cal-ipc.org >

National Invasive Weed Awareness WeekFebruary 27-March 4, 2005Washington D.C.

Your chance to talk directly to legislatorsabout invasive plants and their impact.Californians will join delegations from otherstates to discuss weed policy with legislatorsand federal agency managers.<www.nawma.org>

American Society for Testing and Materials:Symposium on Invasive SpeciesApril 19-20, 2005Reno, Nevada

“Invasive Species: Their ecological impacts andalternatives for control” is the title of thisSymposium hosted by one of the largestvoluntary standards development organiza-tions in the world.<www.astm.org>

Invasive Plants in the Mediterranean TypeRegions of the WorldMay 25-27, 2005Montpelier, France

An international workshop organized by theThe World Conservation Union (IUCN),Center for Mediterranean Cooperation,Mediterranean Botanic Conservatory, theCouncil of Europe and the European andMediterranean Plant Protection Organization.<www.ame-lr.org/workshop>

Quotable:

Know of an event that be posted here?

Please contact [email protected].

”

“A

”

“W

laska is our 50th chance to get it right. We have screwed it up 49 othertimes, and the economic and environmental losses are in the billions [ofdollars].

Jamie Snyder, coordinator for the University of Alaska FairbanksCooperative Extension Service, speaking about the incipient invasionof non-native, invasive plants on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.

e have all heard the breathless tales of the dangers of “invasive alienspecies,” but what does science say about them? Did you know that studiesshow that purple loosestrife does not affect species richness of native plants?That saltcedar supports native birds and insects in high numbers and athigh levels of diversity, including endangered species? That the “invasivealien” hydrilla supports the highest bird species diversity in Florida, and itsupports higher fish species density and many times the fish biomass thannatives? That the zebra mussel increased the catch of yellow perch five-fold,and that it improves water quality? That in all cases, including even oceanicislands, introduced species have increased biodiversity?

David I. Theodoropouloss, fromInvasion Biology: Critique of a Pseudoscience

Steve “Letterman” Schoenig’sSteve “Letterman” Schoenig’sSteve “Letterman” Schoenig’sSteve “Letterman” Schoenig’sSteve “Letterman” Schoenig’sTTTTTop 1op 1op 1op 1op 10 Definitions o0 Definitions o0 Definitions o0 Definitions o0 Definitions of a Wf a Wf a Wf a Wf a Weed:eed:eed:eed:eed:

[as read at the 2004 Symposium Banquet]

10. Landscaping for the Global Village.

9. Nature’s weapons of mass destruction.

8. Nature’s way of telling you something’swrong.

7. The Starbucks of the plant world.

6. Alien exotic non-native non-indiginous,not-necessarily-noxious invasive opportunis-tic pest plants out-of-place.

5. Those pretty plants you see weird peoplekilling when you’re out walking the dog.

4. This is your landscape on drugs.

3. The only thing ranchers and environ-mentalists agree on.

2. Plants in need of a little TLC: TotallyLethal Control

1. Job security!

agricultural experts qualified to detectintroductions of dangerous pests at USborders. According to the DHS, 375 of the1,800 positions at 145 ports of entry arecurrently unfilled. However, the NationalAssociation of Agriculture Employees, a laborunion representing government workers,calculates the shortage at more than 500.<www.stltoday.com>

U.C. Berkeley is wrapping up a fire preven-tion project that will remove almost 6,000eucalyptus trees from the hills surroundingthe campus. <www.berkeley.edu>

A new study conducted by the EPA hasfound pollen from genetically modified,Roundup-resistant bentgrass developed byMonsanto and Scotts can reach and pollinatebentgrass plants up to 13 miles away (seestory Cal-IPC News 12(1) Spring 2004). Thestudy will be publiched in the Proceedings ofthe National Academy of Sciences.<www.nytimes.com>

USDA-ARS scientists working on revegeta-tion of western rangelands are experimentingwith planting small native grasses “islands” toserve as seed sources. <www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/nov04/plants1104.htm>

Weed News, cont’d from p.3...

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Documents

Cal IPC NewsCal-IPC News Fall/Winter 2004 3 Wildland Weed NewsNewsNewsNewsNews The 120-page Weed Workers’ Handbook is designed for on-the-ground weed workers and those who organize