Eradicate Siberian elms, non-native thistles, & knapweeds in riparian areas on public land

These 3 invasive species obliterate our native plants and create monocultures of each weed. Removing them will help people enjoy our publicly owned riparian areas. The potential project will not consist of occasional weed-pulls (which rarely have long-term benefits). Instead we hope to (1) Work with City staff to select 5 to 10 publicly-owned and potentially-beautiful riparian areas with weed problems, (2) Tally individuals in each of the 3 focal species in Year 0, (3) Have the City use chainsaws and poison to reduce them to nearly zero within 2 years, (4) Recruit a dedicated volunteer (person or group) for each riparian area to maintain the weeds near zero every year. Each year, the volunteer will walk with the City supervisor on a 2-hour weed search to confirm the work is being done.

No Siberian elms, no Scotch thistles, and no knapweeds here! 

Key partners: City of Flagstaff Stream Steward Program, Coconino County, Coconino National Forest. The Rio de Flag Watershed Plan (see blog entry below) allows Friends of the Rio to apply for Bureau of Reclamation grants to plan and implement them. Much of the work can be done by volunteers, but the work is much harder than most volunteer jobs.

Paul Beier holding a non-native Scotch thistle he removed from the ecosystem

If you (as an individual or a small group) would like to volunteer to be trained and work 10-20 person-hours every year, please contact us at deflagrio@gmail.com, and we will direct you as to how to proceed.