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(pROPOSED) lO-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN ON COMPREHENSIVE REMOVAL OF TAMARISK AND THE COORDINATED RESTORATION OF COLORADO'S NATIVE RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEMS COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES. . Executive Summary Riparian lands in Colorado have been severely impacted by many activities and actions, but none so much as the invasive plant tamarisk (Tamarix spp., also known as saltcedar). Tamarisk is a tenacious shrub/small tree that has a deep root system (up to 100 feet) and leaves a salt residue on the soil surface. These characteristics enable it to quickly replace native cottonwoods, willows, grasses, and forbs. The resulting tamarisk thickets crowd out rivers and streams; provide poor habitat for livestock, animals, and birds; increase fire hazards; limit human use of the waterways, and generally use more water than native vegetation. Infestations in Colorado are roughly estimated to occupy 55,000 acres and consume 170,000 acre-feet of water per year more than the native replaced vegetation. Governor Owens recognized this problem and issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Natural Resources in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture to develop a 10-year plan for tamarisk control within the state. This 10- Year Strategic Plan was developed through a working group composed of representatives from these two departments and the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado State University (CSU), Denver Botanic Gardens, Mesa State College, The Nature Conservancy, Tamarisk Coalition, University of Denver, and the U.S. Forest Service. Congress also recognizes the importance of the tamarisk problem and has pending legislation that could provide $25 to $50 million per year throughout the West for tamarisk control, revegetation, and research. Colorado's congressional delegation is taking a leadership role in both the House and Senate on formulating and moving this legislation forward. It is anticipated that a bill will be passed in early 2004 with funding potentially available in 2005. The 10-Year Plan is founded on 19 principals that provide a solid foundation for the Plan. Some of the . more important principals are: . the objective of tamarisk control is the reestablishment of native vegetation that can be sustainable; . the tamarisk problem in Colorado is significant but success is achievable; . control activities should occur on a watershed scale, be partnerships between all affected interests, and have local control; . success requires control, revegetation, monitoring, maintenance, and appropriate funding; . existing water rights, river management infrastructure, and property rights must be respected; . education is essential to help establish with the public the importance of the tamarisk problem, methods for solving the problem, and the need for appropriate levels of funding; . research is important to reduce costs and improve effectiveness; and . ifno action is taken, the problem will continue to grow and degrade the state's river systems. Tamarisk is the primary non-native phreatophyte of concern in Colorado and thus has the dubious distinction as the "poster child" of non-native plants impacting the riparian zone of the state's rivers and streams. Other non-native invasive plants, notably Russian olive, co-habit with tamarisk and also deserve attention. If only tamarisk is controlled, the potential for Russian olive to take over much of the riparian areas is high. Therefore, within the context of the 10- Year Plan, whenever the term "tamarisk" is used it also includes Russian olive as the other principal invasive plant that may be important to control within riparian areas. The I O-Year Plan represents a strategic approach to solving the tamarisk problem and describes specific measures to take that will support the formulation and implementation of watershed level solutions (tactical plans) for controlling tamarisk within the state. It is composed of the following ten components that include both actions and responsibilities. It is important to note that progress on many of these components is already underway.