BOARD01807

• Board Meeting Date: 5/24/2004
• Description: CWCB Director's Report
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

Reclamation and USDA are expanding their biological control research to a second site on the Arkansas
River.
4) CSU Tri-Rivers Cooperative Extension and the Tamarisk Coalition are developing educational materials
on the tamarisk problem. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Park Service, BLM,
Reclamation, USDA, CSU, and Denver Botanical Gardens are providing support for this work.
5) CDA has tentatively received a grant from EP A to develop adaptive management strategies for various
degrees of tamarisk infestation. This information will be compiled as a Best Management Practices
(EMFs) manual for land managers dealing with tamarisk infestation. This work is being conducted with
collaboration with CSU, University of Denver, Reclamation, and Upper Arkansas weed management
cooperatives.

Local activities:
1) The Tamarisk Coalition, with a grant from the National Forest Foundation, has acquired specialized
equipment that is reducing the cost of tamarisk control by 80 to 90 percent. This equipment is scheduled
for use in Mesa, Delta, San Miguel, and Eagle counties during 2004.
2) The Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District in conjunction with the Lower Arkansas Valley
Water Conservancy District is developing a comprehensive tamarisk control plan for the entire
Arkansas River watershed. The Tamarisk Coalition, DNR, DOW, CWCB, CDA, Fort Carson, The
Nature Conservancy, the Corps, and Reclamation are supporting the planning. It is anticipated that work
will begin this summer on control activities. This watershed approach will be the single largest tamarisk
control effort in the country of this type.
3) Local control projects underway include:
. The Nature Conservancy is the lead organization on the removal of tamarisk from the entire San
Miguel River watershed, which has over 100 miles of riparian lands infested with tamarisk. This is
the largest on-going project in the state and by the end of 2004, more than half of the infestations
will be under control
. Yuma County will be performing tamarisk control along the entire shoreline of Bonny Reservoir,
. In Mesa and Delta counties, the Tamarisk Coalition is working with DOW, City of Grand Junction,
Fruita, and private land owners to control tamarisk on 12 separate sites with a grant from the
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
. The Colorado River Water Conservancy District and Grand County are controlling tamarisk on 17
miles of shoreline at Wolford Mountain Reservoir.

Federal activities:
1) The National Park Service is having a celebration in June at Bents Old Fort National Historic Site to cut
the last tamarisk after working since 1994 to clear nearly 350 acres of infestation. The Colorado
National Monument is clearing adjacent BLM lands of tamarisk after a four-year program of
successfully removing tamarisk from the Monument. Dinosaur National Monument continues to
remove tamarisk from both the Yampa and Green Rivers.
2) Team Tamarisk: On March 31, 2004 in Albuquerque, NM, over 300 federal, state, local, and tribal
representatives from all levels of government, the public and private sectors came together to discuss the
challenges of managing tamarisk and developing sustainable habitats in their place. The conference
included representatives from approximately 19 states, with the focus on the Southwestern states where
tamarisk is a problem. Colorado had over 40 representatives. The conference was sponsored by the
U.S. Departments of Interior and Agriculture, the National Invasive Species Council, the Tamarisk
Coalition and 13 other organizations and was called Team Tamarisk: Cooperating for Results. The
outcome of the three-day workshop was a set of 12 guiding principals that can help to establish a
framework for forging close working partnerships among states and federal agencies. See
<http://ww\v .in vas} vespec i es .2.ov/tearrltam/>
3) Legislation: The two bills before Congress (HR 2707 and S1516) continue to be moved and supported
by Colorado's delegation. The House bill was passed in late February and the Senate bill is anticipated
to be passed in May based on discussions with Senator Allard's office. A strategy for final passage has
been worked out between the House and Senate with appropriations as a priority in fiscal year 2005.
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