Newsletter Vol 19 Issue 1, 2011 – California Invasive Plant Council

Vol. 19, No. 1

Spring 2011

Cal-IPC News
Protecting California’s Natural Areas from Wildland Weeds
Quarterly Newsletter of the California Invasive Plant Council

Spongeplant
spreading
in the Delta

Lars Anderson, USDA Agricultural Research
Service, hold a mature South American
spongeplant (Limnobium laevigatum).
Spongeplant was first reported in northern
California in 2003 and is now spreading into
the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Photo:
USDA-ARS

Inside:
South American spongeplant ……………4
John Randall, first president ……………..6
Arundo maps and impacts report ……..8
20th Annual Symposium ………………… 10
Hybrid Spartina Forum ………………….13

From the Executive Director’s Desk

Criticism is a good thing
Cal-IPC
1442-A Walnut Street, #462
Berkeley, CA 94709
ph (510) 843-3902 fax (510) 217-3500
www.cal-ipc.org info@cal-ipc.org
A California 501(c)3 nonprofit organization

Protecting California’s lands and waters
from ecologically-damaging invasive plants
through science, education, and policy.
STAFF
Doug Johnson, Executive Director
Heather Brady, Outreach Program Manager
Elizabeth Brusati, Science Program Manager
Suzanne Harmon, Field Mapping Coordinator
Ginny King, Program Assistant
Agustín Luna, Business Manager
Bertha McKinley, Program Assistant
Dana Morawitz, Mapping Program Manager
Tony Morosco, Mapping Specialist
Cynthia Powell, Mapping & Modeling Specialist
Falk Schuetzenmeister, Mapping & Modeling Specialist
Arpita Sinha, Training Program Specialist
Jen Stern, Training Program Manager
DIRECTORS
Jason Giessow, President
Dendra, Inc.
John Knapp, Vice-President
Native Range, Inc.
Doug Gibson, Treasurer
San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy
Julie Horenstein, Secretary
California Department of Fish & Game
Edith Allen
University of California-Riverside
Peter Beesley
Pacific Gas and Electric
Jason Casanova
Los Angeles/San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council
Edmund Duarte
Alameda County Department of Agriculture
Valerie Eviner
University of California-Davis
Kim Hayes
Elkhorn Slough Foundation
Sue Hubbard
Federal Employee
Deb Jensen
El Dorado Arts Council
Brent Johnson
Pinnacles National Monument
Shawn Kelly
Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project
Shea O’Keefe
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Peter Schuyler
Ecological Consultant
Andrea Williams
Marin Municipal Water District
STUDENT LIAISONS
Annabelle Kleist, UC Davis
Lynn Sweet, UC Riverside
Affiliations for identification purposes only.

Cal-IPC News

Spring 2011 – Volume 19, Number 1
Editors: Doug Johnson, Elizabeth Brusati, Heather Brady, and
Bertha McKinley
Cal-IPC News is published quarterly by the California Invasive
Plant Council. Articles may be reprinted with permission from
the editors. Submissions are welcome. Mention of commercial
products does not imply endorsement by Cal-IPC. We reserve
the right to edit all work.

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

“J

ust as America is a nation built by waves of immigrants, our natural landscape is a
shifting mosaic of plant and animal life… Designating some as native and others
as alien denies this ecological and genetic dynamism. It draws an arbitrary historical
line based as much on aesthetics, morality and politics as on science, a line that creates a
mythic time of purity before places were polluted by interlopers.”
There are many things wrong with comparing human diversity with invasive species, as
Hug Raffles does in his recent op-ed in the New York Times (April 3, 2011). However
it is not an uncommon viewpoint to encounter; protection of native biodiversity can
sound like outright nativism. After wildfire swept through Griffiths Park in Los Angeles
in 2008, a local elected official dismissed the need for post-fire invasive plant control
based on a respect for diversity. (Some people will even take this argument so far as to
point out that the Nazis were big on protecting native flora.)
Of course, human diversity might be better compared to the endemic biodiversity
we are working to protect from invasive species. Less than 1% of all non-native plant
species in California are considered invasive due to their impacts. There’s no moral
argument being made against all non-native species. Scientists do their best to gauge
impacts, which the author of the op-ed (an anthropologist) believes are actually a net
positive.
Challenges to the validity of our work are frustrating. For instance, a recent panel at the
Public Interest Environmental Law Conference 2011 at the University of Oregon in
March was titled “Environmentalism Gone Awry: The War on Invasive Species”. Talks
at the conference addressed “invasion biology’s scientific failings” and “the widespread
poisoning of plants and animals.”
But I think these challenges are good. For one, increased attention, even (or especially)
critical attention, reflects a broader recognition of the issue of invasive species. More
than that, it provides an opportunity to engage people in thinking about the issue and
about ecology in general, which I think is key for creating a sustainable future.
If you enjoy contemplating the moral aspects of invasive species control, I recommend
T.C. Boyle’s new novel When the Killing Stops. He fictionalizes past campaigns to control invasive rats and pig populations on California’s Channel Islands, which produced
a strong backlash from local animal rights groups. The book is an exciting read, and
Boyle ably demonstrates something we all need to remember: absolutism and selfrighteousness serve no one well.
Cal-IPC Staff. Diagonal left to right: Tony
Morosco. Row 2: Heather Brady, Falk Schuetzenmeister. Row 3: Jen Stern, Bertha McKinley,
Elizabeth
Brusati, Doug
Johnson.
Row 4: Arpita
Sinha, Ginny
King. Suzanne
Harmon. Row
5: Agustin Luna
Dana Morawitz.
Not pictured:
Cynthia Powell

Wildland Weed NewsNewsNewsNewsNews
The California Dept. of Food & Agriculture proposes to eliminate its programs
addressing weeds. See article p. 15.
Releasing Asian beetles to eat invasive saltcedar results in water savings.
Researchers at UC Santa Barbara, USGS,
and USDA have published the first substantive data showing the water conservation benefits of this biocontrol. During
the first year of large-scale defoliation
by the tamarisk leaf beetle (Diorhabda
carinulata) in northern Nevada, approximately 2,500 acre-feet of water remained
in the ground rather than being lost to
the atmosphere, equivalent to the water
required to irrigate 1,000 agricultural

Cal-IPC Updates
Sierra recommendations
Cal-IPC used expert opinion data
and suitability modeling
to create
“risk maps”
and develop
recommendations
on eradication,
containment, and
surveillance for
43 invasive plant
species in the Sierra
Nevada. The report,
including statewide
maps, is available on
CD or online at www.
cal-ipc.org/ip/mapping/sierra.
20th anniversary
The 2011 Symposium will be our
20th! (See p. 10 for details.) Do
you have photos or memorabilia
from past Symposia (especially
prior to 2003) to contribute to a
retrospective display? Send digital
photos with credit info and a caption
to symposium@cal-ipc.org. Send prints
or slides to our mailing address, and
we will scan and return them to you.
See you at the Symposium!

acres. (Oecologia, 2010 165:605-615.
Mar. 2, 2011, www.sciencedaily.com)
A study of 26 invasive plant species on
four continents found little difference
between numbers in introduced and
native ranges. Instead, they found that
increases in species abundance are unusual, contradicting the common assumption
that invasive plants are more abundant
in their new settings. The authors believe
that the success of a plant in its native
range may be used to predict its spread
at introduced sites, a criterion which
currently is not included in biosecurity
screening programs. (Science Alert, Feb.
7, 2011, www.sciencealert.com.au)

Arundo’s impacts
Another new Cal-IPC report quantifies
the distribution and impacts of Arundo
donax (see article on p. 8.) This
report and the accompanying
geodatabase are available at
www.cal-ipc.org/ip/research/
arundo.
Call for nominations
The Cal-IPC Board of
Directors is accepting
nominations until July 1 for
new board members. Know
someone that has a lot to
offer? Or maybe you want
to nominate yourself?
Elections will be held in late summer
with new board members announced
at the Symposium in October. Board
terms are two years, beginning in
January 2012. The board meets four
times each year at locations around the
state, and requires a commitment to
fundraising, working on a committee,
and attending the Symposium. Please
direct nominations and questions to
board@cal-ipc.org. Learn about current
board members at
www.cal-ipc.org/about/staff.php

Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae) is the first well-established weed
to be proposed for the Federal Noxious
Weed List. Forest Service Employees
for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE) has
petitioned to have it listed by the US
Dept. of Agriculture under the Plant
Protection Act of 2000. Medusahead
invades millions of acres of western states
and is considered a serious threat to
habitat needed by the endangered greater
sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus).
FSEEE hopes that adding medusahead
to the noxious weed list will allow for
regulations to prevent its spread by
…continued page 16

Call for student nominations
The Cal-IPC student chapter is
accepting nominations for student
liaisons to the Cal-IPC board.
Liaisons attend board meetings
in their part of the state and help
Cal-IPC provide more services to
students. Please send nominations to
students@cal-ipc.org.
New staff
Cal-IPC welcomes Mapping
Specialist Tony Morosco. Tony
co-founded and developed Calflora.
org, and worked as Curator of Living
Collections at the San Francisco
Botanical Garden. He has served on
the boards of the East Bay Chapter of
CNPS and the California Botanical
Society.

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

Feature

Spongeplant: A new aquatic weed threat in Delta
By Lars Anderson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, and Pat Akers, California Department of Food & Agriculture

o, we’re not talking about Brazillian
waterweed (Egeria densa). The new
threat is South American spongeplant
(Limnobium laevigatum (Humb & Bonpl.
Ex Willd.Heine)). This is a prolific, floating, flowering plant in the “frogbit” family
(Hydrocharitaceae), the same family containing hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata), well
known as one of world’s worst submersedtype aquatic weeds. As its name implies,
South American spongeplant is native
to South America, Central America and

Underside of spongeplant leaves showing
buoyant, spongy aerenchyma tissue.
Central Mexico, and the underside of its
leaves has spongy air-filled tissue called
aerenchyma which provides buoyancy.
In the US, it has so far only been
reported in California, where the California Department of Food & Agriculture recently listed it as an “A” rated pest. Other
closely related species such as European
frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) have

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

invaded eastern
regions of the US.
The first
known spongeplant infestations
were found in
small ponds in
Redding and
Arcata in 2003,
but more widespread, patchy
populations were
noted along
several miles of
the San Joaquin
River by CDFA
and the USDAAgricultural Research Service in
2007, and in the
Example of mature South American spongeplant from the SacraSacramento-San
mento-San Joaquin Delta near Brannan Island.
Joaquin Delta in
starting in 2008.
outwardly look like duckweed (e.g. Lemna
The combination
spp.)
and are easily dispersed by wind,
of greatly increased discharges from
currents,
tidal action and no doubt as
Friant Dam down the San Joaquin River
hitchhikers
on waterfowl, boats and even
beginning in 2009 coupled now with the
trapped
on
water
hyacinth plants. For
current large spring runoff will certainly
example,
a
single
handful
can contain over
create even better dispersal conditions.
60 fully expanded seedlings. In contrast,
Worse than water hyacinth?
seeds of water hyacinth usually need cycles
Spongeplant’s dispersal capacity may
make it even more able to spread in the
Delta than water hyacinth (Eichhornia
crassipes). Mature plants resemble small,
densely packed water hyacinth, but rather
than the very showy, purple flowers of
that more common floating invader,
spongeplant flowers are quite small (ca.
1 cm across) and inconspicuous, since
they are formed near the base of the
petioles. Like water hyacinth, spongeplant
spreads vegetatively, as well as through
abundant seed production. Spongeplant
Spongeplant flowers.
seeds germinate rapidly to produce
extremely small, floating seedlings that

of exposure to air in order to germinate,
and first form rooted seedlings with straplike leaves that only begin to float several
days to weeks later.

Arcata

Redding

Little is known about growth rates,
nutrient requirements and cold-tolerance
for spongeplant, so our USDA-ARS laboratory is examining those characteristics
now. But it is clear from the past winters
that the small seedlings (e.g. from 0.2cm
to 2 cm diameter) can easily withstand
frost and our mild freezes since they are
well protected as they float on the water
amongst the taller statured frost-bitten
water hyacinth, cattails and tules.
Even in February the floating seedlings
are green and ready to rapidly increase
their growth as both temperature and day
length increases. Under summer conditions, spongeplant has the capacity to
cover large areas of open water and thus
render them ill-suited for healthy fish and
wildlife habitat and problematic for critical Delta pumping and irrigation delivery
systems.

Can spongeplant be stopped?
This invader is still in its early dispersal and establishment phase. CDFA
crews have had some success in gradually

2003: first located

Sacramento
Antioch
reducing the
Located 2007-2010
populations that
were first noted
through the use
of hand removal,
mechanical removal
Fresno
and herbicides such
as diquat. The key, as
with all new infestations,
is quickly containing,
Distribution of South American spongeplant in
removing or killing the plant.
California. Map courtesy of Pat Akers, CDFA.
However, controlling the
infestations in the Delta will be
a challenge due to tidal flows, net river
already focusing on the long-term
flows, and the
management of water hyacinth in the
likelihood of
Delta and these crews are on the water
widely disregularly. To strengthen control efforts,
persed populathe USDA-ARS Exotic and Invasive
tions, some of
Weed Research laboratory on the UC
which will be
Davis campus has included L. laevigatum
“out of sight”
in its rapid reponses research program
behind the
and will be indentifying herbicides
taller plants.
that are effective as well as initiating
longer term research into discovery of
Any
potential biological control agents from
effective
spongeplant’s native range.
rapid response

Over 60 South American spongeplant seedlings in a handful.
The smallest plants are duckweed.

approach will
need to be a
coordinated
effort between
CDFA and
the California
Department
of Boating and
Waterways
since Boating
and Waterways
crews are

In the meantime, please notify CDFA
if you think you see this plant! You can
“report a pest” at www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/
reportapest.
For more information contact Lars
Anderson at lwanderson@ucdavis.edu. All
photos by USDA-ARS.

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

Profile

From bull thistle in Yosemite to ants on islands
An interview with Cal-IPC’s first president, John Randall
by Gina Darin, California Department of Water Resources

s part of Cal-IPCs 20th year, we are
interviewing some of the organization’s founders. John Randall, the first
president of the Cal-IPC Board, is currently based in San Diego and working
for The Nature Conservancy’s California
Field Office. I caught John on the phone
in February to get some of his thoughts
on Cal-IPC’s twenty years.

John’s beginning with invasive plants
John was introduced to invasive plants
in 1982 when he followed his girlfriend
(now wife) Lesley to Hawai’i for an
internship at National Tropical Botanical
Garden on Kauai. Not a bad gig! His internship included time for exploring Kauai’s bogs and high elevation forests where
invasive plant problems were all-too-obvious, especially after Hurricane Iwa struck
in November of that year. John’s interest
in invasive plants went dormant for a few
years after he returned to the mainland in

1983 to study coastal ecology at Louisiana
State University but then really bloomed
when he moved to UC Davis to study under Dr. Marcel Rejmanek in 1986. Within
a year he had begun his dissertation
project on the ecology and control of bull
thistle in Yosemite National Park and the
Sierra Nevada.
John served on the Cal-IPC Board of
Directors from 1992 to 2000, and was the
board’s first President. John worked with
fellow Cal-IPC founders Carla Bossard
and Marc Hoshovsky of California Fish
& Game to publish Invasive Plants of
California Wildlands (UC Press 2000).
For many years, John led The Nature
Conservancy’s Global Invasive Species
Team (GIST) at UC Davis. GIST provided valuable resources to weed workers,
including Element Species Abstracts
describing biology and management
methods for many invasive plants; the
Handbook of Weed Control Methods;

and an extensive photo gallery. Sadly,
the GIST was a victim of TNC budget
cuts in 2009 and most staff were laid off.
(GIST’s website and its resources are preserved at www.invasive.org/gist.) As part of
his work with GIST, John became TNC’s
representative for the PlantRight coalition
to reduce the sale of invasive ornamental
plants.
Fast-forward to 2011 and you may
find John cruising the farmer’s markets
in San Diego where he has been based
with The Nature Conservancy’s Southern
California field office since 2009. His
work focuses on a variety of conservation
issues in the southern third of the state,
ranging from assessing conservation values
of California’s deserts to inform renewable
energy siting and mitigation decisions,
to promoting implementation of MultiSpecies Habitat Plans. Not surprisingly,
invasive species are still part of his work,
but animal invaders now draw more of his
attention: feral pigs in San Diego County
where they were first detected about four
years ago, and Argentine ants on Santa
Cruz Island. John’s weed work at UC
Davis and for TNC’s Global Invasive Species Team surely prepared him with the
patience and determination to deal with
these mobile pests!

John’s favorite Cal-IPC memory

John Randall accepting the Jake Sigg Award for Vision and Dedicated Service
at the 2008 Cal-IPC Symposium. John received the award based on his years of
tireless service and leadership on invasive plant issues in California.

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

“It was exciting to be part of the
first Symposium in 1992 at Morro Bay.
Around 150 people attended, and after
a day and a half of great talks, the final
session brought everyone back together
to discuss whether we should form a
new invasive plant organization. Each
of the folks who helped organize the
Symposium, and others who signed on
there, had a distinctive personality, skills
and strengths. Some of us were great at
drawing out the interest and enthusiasm
of the folks there, but not so skilled at

directing the discussion to a conclusion.
Fortunately, one of the organizers, Greg
Archibald, was focused on keeping to
the agenda, staying on time and coming
to some conclusion – Were we going to
form a group or not? If so, what were
the organization’s top priorities? Who
would help lead? What would they
commit to do? Folks were enthused and
full of energy. We emerged from that
meeting with a clear mandate to form
an organization and a great group of
people who volunteered and followed
through to make it a reality.”

John’s hopes in starting Cal-IPC
“We hoped that Cal-IPC would
boost the profile of invasive plants in
conservation areas, and prompt agricultural and land managing agencies and
organizations and businesses to take
action to prevent and control the worst
invaders. We also hoped to engage the
research community to gain under-

standing of the ecology, prevention and
control of invasive plants. Many conservation land managers in California were trying to figure out how to deal with invasive
plant threats by the early 1990s but didn’t
know where to turn for more information
on the effects of invasive plants on native species, communities and ecological
processes, as well as on control methods
and the effects of controlling invasives on
native species and communities.”
John thinks Cal-IPC has had
major impacts on the prevention and
management of invasive plants and the
restoration of native plant communities
throughout the state and beyond. But
these are tough, tough times for federal, state and local agencies and organizations and it remains to be seen how
looming budget cuts will affect their
priorities. John sees Cal-IPC working
with regulators and businesses to prevent
new introductions of species likely to

cause problems. Cal-IPC has a big role to
play in setting priorities in this brave new
world.

Advice to weed workers
“Keep your focus on what you
are working to protect – the species,
communities and ecological processes
you want. Look for new ways to achieve
those ends, including new ways to
prevent and control the invasive plants
that threaten them, and to new paradigms for managing mixed systems of
native and introduced species that allow
the natives to thrive and persist. The
idea of managing mixed communities
(or “novel ecosystems”) has been getting
more attention in the past few years and
it’s worth testing approaches to this,
especially in situations where the invaders are beyond our ability or resources to
control.”

Ecologist E.O. Wilson speaks at UC Merced
By Chelsey Carey, UC Merced

wo-time Pulitzer Prize winning
author and scientist Edward O.
Wilson delivered a keynote address on the
management of natural areas, focusing on
the role of National Parks in sustaining
our ecosystems, as part of the National
Parks Institute Executive Leadership
Seminar at the University of California
Merced on April 9. In attendance were
National Park staff and senior executives of land management organizations
representing six continents, University of
California faculty and students, and interested locals from the Central Valley.
I was fortunate enough to be one of
twelve UC Merced faculty and graduate
students who sat down with Wilson for an
intimate hour and a half discussion prior
to his formal keynote address. During
this time, we discussed the importance
of research from taxonomy to climate
change. When I told Wilson that my
Ph.D. project focuses on invasive plant

species, he responded by saying, “Those
are the bad actors that we need to concentrate on and somehow keep out [of our
native ecosystems].” To extend the point,
Wilson spoke of the negative impacts of
the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis)
on the native bird population in Guam.
Wilson went on to say that he would like
to investigate the range and impacts of the
invasive fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata) in New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
An hour later, Wilson’s keynote
address to an excited room started with
him reliving his childhood memories of
“hunting for fireflies and ants, one glorious expedition at a time” through what
later became a forest in the National Park
system. With a combination of solemnity
and wit, Wilson elegantly tackled some
of the major issues facing the National
Park system and the world today. “If we
save the living environment,” Wilson said,
“we will automatically save the physical
environment. If we save only the physical

environment, we will ultimately lose them
both.”
Wilson’s main thesis was clear:
America needs to become more involved
in studying and saving biodiversity for its
own sake. This effort, he claimed, includes
joining global efforts to save species that
are on the brink of extinction. A major
part of this should focus on preventing,
managing, and eradicating invasive
species, since, as he pointed out, “Climate
change, the spread of invasive species,
overpopulation and overharvesting are
among the causes of species extinction.”
The keynote address ended with Wilson
encouraging the audience to consider biodiversity in every scientific and managerial
endeavor, and his applauding the work
of the National Park Service in their
continual efforts to maintain America’s
natural ecosystems.
Chelsea Carey is a member of the Cal-IPC
Student Chapter

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

New Release

Mapping Arundo and its impacts
by Jason Giessow, DENDRA, Inc., Jason Casanova, Los Angeles/ San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council,
and Rene Leclerc, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants, Inc.

ustifying invasive plant management
often relies upon the assumption that
the benefits gained outweigh the expense
of the project itself. Managers would
prefer a more rigorous justification based
on a comprehensive analysis of the plant’s
impacts, but this is difficult to perform. In
a recently completed multi-year project,
Cal-IPC provides such comprehensive
analysis for one of California’s worst
invasive plants, Arundo donax (giant reed).
The project entailed two complementary efforts. First, we mapped Arundo
distribution in each coastal watershed
from Monterey to San Diego at highresolution. Second, we compiled and
augmented the best available information
on a range of impacts from Arundo and
used our distribution maps to estimate
the impacts in each watershed. The effort

began in 2007, funded by a grant from
the State Water Resources Control Board.
Arundo is a high-impact invasive plant
in California, densely infesting many
coastal watersheds with canes growing
twenty feet and higher. Historic photos
show approximately 8,907 gross acres
of Arundo in the study area prior to
initiation of control programs in the last
two decades. Over 34% of this acreage has
been treated to date, costing more than
$70 million. A high level of control (over
90%) has been achieved in two highly
invaded watersheds, and infestations in
other watersheds have been controlled to
a level of 50% or more, indicating that
effective watershed-based control is a
realistic objective.
Our Arundo mapping integrated
several techniques. Using high-resolution
georeferenced aerial imagery, we drew
polygons around apparent Arundo
infestations and stored the information
in a GIS. This information was carried
into the field on tablet computers,
where its accuracy could be
checked and corrected. Field
work also allowed us to
characterize Arundo
stands. Arundo

Arundo donax populations were mapped in each coastal watershed
from Monterey to San Diego County. Arundo populations are shown
here in black and watershed boundaries are shown in white. High
resolution maps from this report are available at www.cal-ipc.org.

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

within the study area was taller (average
6.5 m (21 ft.), maximum 9.9 m (32.5 ft.))
than reported by many previous studies.
Biomass was confirmed as being extremely
high (15.5 kg/m2). Leaf area was extremely high at 15.8 m2/m2 (leaf area per
area of ground), which is consistent with
other studies in California, but higher
than reported in Texas where stands are
shorter. Stand structure data is an important factor in quantifying water use. In
addition, we studied the impact of Arundo
on fluvial processes, fire risk, and habitat
for listed species.

Water Use
Combining our leaf area measurements with published leaf transpiration
rates produced high water use for Arundo
stands (40 mm/day). Few studies to date
have measured Arundo water use. Our
results agree with one study in California
(41.1 mm) and are higher than a study in
Texas on the Rio Grande (9.1 mm). This
translates into a potential water savings
from restoration of 20 ac-ft/yr, adjusting
for replacement vegetation. This large
potential water use reduction has significant implications for both ecosystems and
human water use.

geomorphic structure of
the habitat, all of which
alter the ecosystem.

Fire
Both fires and
fire suppression have
significant impacts in
riparian areas. Arundo’s
high biomass and
stored energy are wellestablished based on field
and published data. In
addition, Arundo stands
have a tall, well-ventilated
structure containing dry
fuels throughout the year.
Because of this, Arundo
stands may convey wildfire
across a riparian zone better than native vegetation.
The Simi fire in the Santa
Arundo donax was first mapped on high-resolution
Clara watershed was one
georeferenced aerial imagery. These populations were
then ground-truthed. Note the house on the right side of the clearest examples of
an upland wildfire spreadof the photo for scale.
ing across a riparian zone
Fluvial Processes
dominated by Arundo, and
then
igniting
fuels
on a separate mountain
Arundo affects fluvial processes that
range.
determine the shape and flow of a river
and regulate the riparian ecosystem. Such
alterations are usually negative for native
species adapted to pre-invaded ecosystem
function. Our field investigations and hydrologic modeling compiled by consulting
firm NHC, Inc. suggest that large stands
of Arundo functionally increase elevations
by 1.5 m (5 ft.), in addition to increasing
stream flow ‘roughness’ when flows exceed
this height. Together these factors result in
a significant reduction in flow capacity.
Arundo stands occur predominantly
in the floodplain and terraces, and are
nearly absent from the low-flow and active
channels. Hydrologic modeling indicates
that Arundo stands result in a deepening
of the channel and a transformation
of the system from a dynamic set of
small braided channels to a single stable
channel. Smaller sized flow events result
in sediment removal from channel areas.
During large flow events sediment aggregates on floodplains and river terraces
with Arundo stands. These changes affect
sediment transport budgets, vegetation
succession following flow events, and the

Perhaps more importantly, this study
documented a new class of fire events that
are fully ascribed to Arundo, in which
transient encampments and highway
overpasses serve as ignition sources. Fires are
now starting in riparian
areas, which did not
occur historically. Over a
ten year period Arundoinitiated fires were
estimated to impact 557
acres of Arundo and 732
acres of riparian habitat
in the study area, while
wildfire initiated outside
the riparian area burned
544 acres of Arundo.

and co-occurrence between Arundo and
the species. Avian and fish species were
the most impacted by Arundo, with
amphibians also ranking high. Plants
and mammals were much less affected.
The two most severely impacted species
were least Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus)
and the arroyo toad (Bufo californicus),
followed by the southwestern willow
flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus),
southern steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss),
and tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius
newberryi). Arundo also impacts several
species that occur in estuary and beach
habitat near river mouths. The Santa Margarita, Santa Ana, San Luis Rey, and Santa
Clara watersheds had the highest impacts
to federally-listed species.

Costs vs. Benefits
We calculated benefits in economic
terms, and compared them against
the costs of Arundo control. Cost was
determined based on completed control
work on numerous watersheds over the
past 15 years. Benefits are based on each
impact (water use, sediment trapping,
flood damage, fire, habitat, and beach
debris) applied across the study area and
at the watershed level. We valued benefits
conservatively, and also noted additional
…continued page 18

Listed Species
Impacts to plants
and animals were
explored by examining
22 federally-listed
species and assessing types of impact

Arundo canes grow densely in riparian areas. This new
report quantifies impacts and provides high-resolution
maps to aid treatment.

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

20th Annual

Cal-IPC Symposium
Invasive Plants and
Ecological Change
October 4 – 7, 2011
Granlibakken Conference Center, Tahoe City
Join us under the trees at the
Granlibakken Conference Center
and Lodge in Tahoe City to celebrate Cal-IPC’s 20th anniversary!
Special sessions will address the
many facets of ecological change,
especially the impacts of climate
change in the Sierra Nevada.

Lake Tahoe, the jewel of the High
Sierra, is the highest lake of its size
in the United States, with 72 miles
of shoreline. Tahoe City is perched
on the shore of Lake Tahoe at the
headwaters of the Truckee River.
Field Course
Presentations
Discussion Groups
Posters
Awards
Photos
Raffle
Exhibitors
Field Trips

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

Field Course: On Wednesday, October 4,
we will host a course on Field Techniques for
Reporting Invasive Plants. Topics include datarecording standards, vouchering techniques,
estimating distance and cover, occurence
reporting, data management, communicating
about your program, field safety, and
landscape level planning. Register with the
Symposium and receive a discount!

Keynote speaker: Carla D’Antonio, now at
UC Santa Barbara, was the keynote speaker at
our first Symposium. She will address change
over the last twenty years, and planning for
the next twenty.
Discussion Groups: Best Management
Practices for Prevention; Aquatic Invasive
Plants; Contractor/Client Relationships;
Management Q&A, and more.

Field Trips: On Friday, October 7, come
explore Lake Tahoe Basin’s invasive plant sites
by boat, bike, foot or car. Visit the Angora Fire
area, a demonstration garden and restoration
projects, invasive detection and eradication
projects of the local WMA or aquatic weed
control projects at Emerald Bay.

. . . See next page
More at www.cal-ipc.org

2010 Golden Weed Wrench Award Winner Sandy
DeSimone is congratulated by Cal-IPC Board Member
Katharine Suding at last year’s Symposium.

Cal-IPC

20
1992-2012

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

More on the Symposium. . .
Registration, Transportation, Lodging

Call for Papers & Posters: Due June 20

Registration opens in June! Register online for faster
processing and choose from several payment options.
Registration includes meals, lodging, and 2012 Cal-IPC
membership.

Submit your abstracts on invasive plant biology,
management, or outreach programs by Monday, June
20. We especially encourage presentations that address
this year’s theme of “Ecological Change”. Full details and
instructions for abstract submission are available at
www.cal-ipc.org/symposia/presenters.php.

Rates: Regular: $290 ($315 after Sept. 2, $340 on-site)
Student: $100 ($125 after Sept. 2, $150 on-site)
Symposium Volunteer: $185 (before Sept. 2 only)
Restoration Volunteer: $185 (before Sept. 2 only)
Field Course: $145 ($165 without Symposium)
Getting There: Tahoe City is located on the north shore of
Lake Tahoe, two hours northeast of Sacramento and
50 minutes southwest of Reno, NV. Granlibakken offers
transportation from the Reno/Tahoe International Airport for
$40/person each way, with 7 days advance notice.
Lodging: Granlibakken Conference Center offers a variety
of room options. See our website for more information.
Some rooms are reserved at special rates for government
employees. Attendees receive free internet and parking.
Reserve your room through our website by Sept. 3 to receive
the discounted group rates.

Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsoring the Symposium is a great way for your
organization to reach California’s natural resource managers
while supporting the event. Five levels of sponsorship offer
benefits including free registration, exhibit space, and
recognition in Symposium materials. Info at www.cal-ipc.org.

Student Contest
Students are invited to enter our fourth annual Student
Paper and Poster Contest. First place in each category
receives $250. First, second, and third places will be
recognized at the Symposium and in Cal-IPC News. Info
at www.cal-ipc.org.

Award Nominations: due July 9
The Symposium is an opportunity to honor individuals and organizations who have made exceptional
contributions to invasive plant research or management.
We welcome nominations for: the Jake Sigg Award for
Vision and Service; the Golden Weed Wrench Award for
Land Manager of the Year; the Ryan Jones Catalyst Award;
the Invasive Plants Policy Award; and the Organization of
the Year Award. Send nominations to awards@cal-ipc.org.
See past honorees at www.cal-ipc.org/symposia/awards.php.

Photo Contest: Due September 2
Show off your photographic talents in the annual Cal-IPC
Photo Contest! Photos will be displayed at the Symposium
and attendees will choose Best in Show. Entries can include
specimen photos of individual plants, landscape photos,
or action photos of weed workers. We especially encourage
photos that illustrate the impacts of weeds. Send entries to
photos@cal-ipc.org.

Auction and Raﬄe
The Symposium is not just about learning the newest
research results and management techniques; it’s also about
having fun with fellow weed workers! Our Wednesday
night happy hour includes a raffle with a variety of great
prizes: tools, trips, wine, books, artwork, clothing, and
more. The banquet later in the evening features a live
auction of a few special items. Come mingle with likeminded folks from around the state and recharge your
batteries. Contact raffle@cal-ipc.org if you have a special
item to contribute.
Cal-IPC staﬀ member Bertha McKinley and attendees enjoy
the keynote address at the 2010 Symposium.

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

Workshop

Hybrid Spartina Forum: Defining eradication for a genetic invader
by Ingrid Hogle, San Francisco Estuary Invasive Spartina Project

ighty-five land managers, agency
personnel, representatives of
environmental organizations and worldclass scientists gathered for two days
to discuss the “end game” of invasive
cordgrass eradication at the recent Hybrid
Spartina Forum in Oakland, California.
The forum was timely as the State
Coastal Conservancy (SCC) marks the
tenth year of its San Francisco Estuary Invasive Spartina Project (ISP). The
SCC initiated the ISP in 2000 with the
goal to reverse the spread of invasive
Spartina, and to eradicate it from the
estuary if possible. This invasive Spartina
is primarily a result of hybridization
between the native Pacific cordgrass
(Spartina foliosa) and smooth cordgrass
(Spartina alterniflora) from the East Coast,
which was introduced by the Army Corps
of Engineers in the 1970s. The resulting
hybrid plants, discovered and documented
by scientists at UC Davis in the late
1990s, are extremely invasive “ecosystem
engineers” that threaten the integrity of
marshes, mudflats, flood control channels,
mosquito abatement efforts and habitat
restoration efforts around the bay.
Successful, coordinated, regional
treatment of invasive, hybrid cordgrass
by the ISP since 2005 has led to a nearly
90% reduction in hybrid Spartina acreage
throughout the estuary. However, genetic
results indicating presence of hybrid
Spartina in sites that appear to contain
only pure Pacific cordgrass complicate the
issue of when and what to treat, and thus
complicate the definition of eradication.
The devil is truly in the details of how one
defines the target of eradication.
SCC Project Manager Marilyn
Latta kicked off the forum with the
announcement that the Conservancy
expects to complete control by 2013,
and expects continued monitoring for
zero net acres through 2016. ISP Project

Director Peggy
Olofson explained
that eradication
of all discernable
hybrids is possible, and that the
challenge is now
to determine what
to do about those
hybrids that are
not discernable.
The question, she
posed, is “how far
do we go?”
The forum
was designed to
provide an opportunity for thought- Forum participants were challenged to identify native vs.
invasive hybrid Spartina plants in 19 hands-on displays.
ful consideration
“Votes” were tallied using red and green dots, after which the
of this question
true identification was revealed. The verdict? “It’s not easy!”
in light of the
Photo by Jude Stalker, Invasive Spartina Project.
management
objectives of the
Witham discussed his work on hybrid
region’s many stakeholders. Participants
cottonwoods, eucalyptus and other species
were asked to consider the likely impacts
which indicates that minor variation in
of continued elimination of discernable
genotypes within a species can impact
S. alterniflora x foliosa hybrids from the
marshes and mudflats of the San Francisco the accumulation of heritable traits, and
that changes to the genetic structure of
Bay in light of their organization’s
missions and the tidal ecosystem goals for a species within a site can change the
community of other plants and animals
the entire estuary.
supported by that species, and may ultiTo inform the consideration of this
mately affect the evolution of the entire
question, a multitude of invited speakers
community.
gave presentations on topics ranging from
Joy Zedler, University of Wisconsin,
genetics to restoration, and from ecology
discussed
the ecology of native Spartina
to federal endangered species policy. The
foliosa,
especially
as it grows in southern
full list of speakers and talks is available at
California,
where
it appears to have great
www.spartina.org/Hybrid_Forum.htm.
phenotypic plasticity in response to wet
Geneticist Valerie Hipkins, USDA
or dry years, and where she has found a
National Forest Genetics Lab, spoke
long period of low salinity a requirement
about the unique challenges of
for its establishment in restored marshes.
conducting management-based genetic
Dan Simberloff, University of Tenneswork. Malika Ainouche, University of
see, discussed examples of other invasive,
Rennes, France, explained work done
hybrid species and cautioned that no
in her lab on similarly closely related
hybrids of different Spartina species. Tom
…continued page 16

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

Thank You for Supporting our Work!
Recent Donors

New Members

Your tax-deductible donations are
extremely valuable in supporting our
programs. Thank you!

As a Cal-IPC Member, you join a
powerful network of land managers,
researchers, volunteers, and concerned
citizens. Welcome!

Patron ($500-$999)
Edith Allen (Riverside)

Douglas Anthony (DriWater, Inc.,
Point Richmond), Charles Baughman
(Boulder Creek), William Bianco (West
Sacramento), Mark Bibbo (Westervelt
Ecological Services, Sacramento), Fred
Booker (Alameda County Master
Gardeners, Berkeley), Ian Boyd
(Restoration Resources, Rocklin), Greg
Bringelson (Santa Clara County Parks
& Rec., Los Gatos), Hattie Brown
(Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation),
Tish Brown (San Francisco), Cherilyn
Burton (CDFG, Sacramento), Rosemarie
Calzontzi (Santa Rosa), Scott Carnegie
(W.M. Beaty & Associates, Inc., Fall
River), John Chapman (Santa Clara
Valley Water District, San Jose), Kathleen
Chasey (CNPS, Napa), Heather
Clayton (Yorba Linda), Kara Doolin
(Sonoma Land Trust), David Dzuik
(Chico), Shama Ejaz (Fremont), David
Emmerson (La Costa Canyon HS,
Carlsbad), Loren Eppler (Hazleton,
PA), Scott Kent Fowler (Woodmans
Pest Control & Horticultural Pest
Management, Oroville), Gretchen
Garwood (Western Shasta RCD,
Anderson), Holly Gellerman (CDFG,
Sacramento), Zoe Glas (Oak Run),
Jonathan Gomes (Alameda County
Dept. of Agriculture, Livermore),
Joanne Greer (Alameda County Dept.
of Agriculture, Livermore), Alyssa
Hernandez (San Mateo RCD, Half
Moom Bay), Bruce Heublein (Cayucos),
Bridget Hilbig (Riverside), Brandon
Hill (Fresno), John Holson (ICF
International, Sacramento), Melissa
Howe (Bon Terra Consulting, Consta
Mesa), Andrew Isner (UCCE, Tulare),
Matt James (Coastal Restoration
Consultants, Carpinteria), Bill Johnson
(City of Novato Public Works), Sally
Krenn (PG&E, Avila Beach), Chris
Long (California National Guard, San
Luis Obispo), Mark Lujan (Audubon
Canyon Ranch, Stinson Beach),

Champion ($250-$499)
Peter Beesley (Grass Valley)
Valerie Eviner (Davis)
Doug Gibson (Encinitas)
Jason Giessow (Encinitas)
Kim Hayes (Moss Landing)
Peter Schuyler (Santa Barbara)
Andrea Williams (Corte Madera)
Contributor ($100-$249)
John Anderson (San Francisco)
Peter Brastow (San Anselmo)
George Stigall (Woodside)
Friend (up to $99)
Rebecca Andrade (Santa Rosa)
David & Louise Beesley
(Nevada City)
Jason Casanova (Los Angeles)
Rosemary Corbin (Richmond)
Athena Demetry (Sequoia NP)
Ed Duarte (Livermore)
Ingrid Hogle (Berkeley)
Kate Howe (Indiana)
Sue Hubbard (Salinas)
Gigi Hurst (Escondido)
Deb Jensen (Placerville)
Brent Johnson (Paicines)
Doug Johnson (Albany)
Jean Kaiwi (San Diego)
Shawn Kelly (Oxnard)
Annabelle Kleist (Davis)
Fred Kramer (San Diego)
Shea O’Keefe (Escondido)
Katherine Schmerzler
George & Helene Strauss (Berkeley)
Jeff Swager
Mike Taylor
Sue Wickham (Benicia)
Chino Yip (Napa)
John Zentner

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

Alejandra Martinez-Berdeja (UC
Riverside), Kathryn McEachern (USGS
Channel Islands), Chelsea Moller (San
Mateo County RCD), Max Neale
(Tahoe RCD, South Lake Tahoe), Jesse
Patterson (Santa Ynez Banch of Chumash
Indians), Raynelle Rino (Literacy for
Environmental Justice, San Francisco),
Ginny Short (Center for Natural Lands
Management, Thousand Palms), KC
Sorgen (Sacramento Area Flood Control
Authority), Jennifer Steele (San Luis
Obispo County Ag Dept., Arroyo
Grande), Steven Swain (UCCE, Novato),
Ashenafi Tadesse (Alameda County
Dept. of Agriculture, Livermore), Lina
Valenzuela (San Joaquin Valley Parkway
Trust), Hannah Wallis (Watsonville),
Catherine Waterston (Peninsula
Open Space Trust, Palo Alto), Shana
Welles (Riverside), Christina Williams
(Atascadero), David Williams (Fremont)

New Organizational Members
Organizational Members advance
Cal-IPC’s mission to protect California’s
wildlands from invasive plants.
Big Sur Land Trust
Cabrillo National Monument
Cache Creek Conservancy
City of Walnut Creek
CNPS – Los Angeles Chapter
County of Marin Flood Control &
Water Conservation District
Contra Costa County RCD
Cooley Ranch, Inc.
County of Santa Clara
DeAngelo Brothers, Inc.
Fallbrook Land Conservancy
Go Native, Inc.
Huntington Library
Inyo County Water Department
Olofson Environmental, Inc.
Orange County Water District
Presidio Trust
Restoration Resources
Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency
Tom Dodson & Associates
Tule River Tribal Council
Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation

Policy Update

Cuts and More Cuts
by Doug Johnson, California Invasive Plant Council

s much as natural resource managers
desire secure, steady funding to
maintain effective programs, public
funding for invasive plant management
has been anything but steady in recent
years. After last year’s injection of federal
stimulus funding (benefitting the work of
Cal-IPC, among others) California state
government funding for weed work is
crashing.
Funding for Weed Management Areas
through the California Dept. of Food &
Agriculture’s general fund budget has been
eliminated. It’s not the first time. In 2006,
after the program’s initial funding sunset,
Cal-IPC led a statewide letter-writing
campaign that convinced the legislature to
restore program funding.
At the current juncture, however, it is
clear that the state is bent on squeezing
general fund programs out of CDFA,
leaving the department to exist on federal
and industry funding. There may be
potential to engage the California Natural
Resources Agency in the future, given
that the WMA program serves a public
environmental purpose.
Having the WMA program within
CDFA has always presented a challenge
– support for weed programs, especially

when they address wildland weeds as
much as agricultural weeds, always takes a
back seat to support for high-impact crop
pests. This is understandable, but unfortunate.
Despite this imperfect fit, the historic
relationship between CDFA and the
statewide network of county agricultural
commissioners is a tremendous asset in
coordinating weed work. Although the
state’s noxious weed list leaves out many
invasive plants with an ecological impact,
the list and ratings provided a framework
for coordinated action. WMAs were also
able to address plants from Cal-IPC’s
Inventory.
So it is a significant blow that CDFA
is also cutting all funding for its centuryold terrestrial weed eradication program,
which provided a network of regional
field biologists to work with county
agricultural commissioners on identifying
and managing high priority weed
populations. CDFA has also cut the entire
weed biocontrol program, which serves to
distribute appropriate biocontrol agents to
counties. In addition, the CDFA Botany
Lab, which helps identify plants and
maintain what may be the state’s largest
collection of herbarium specimens, has
been cut significantly. Needless
to say, Cal-IPC
will be working
with partners in
the departments
and the legislature
to find creative
solutions.

Some of the crew from the 8th Annual Invasive Weeds Awareness Day at the Capital.

On March 16,
40 intrepid weed
workers came to
Sacramento for
the 8th Annual
Invasive Weeds

Cal-IPC Executive Director Doug Johnson at National Invasive Species Awareness Week, Washington, DC. Photo by
Janet Clark.

Awareness Day at the Capitol. We walked
the halls of the state legislature, visiting
the offices of all 120 Assembly Members
and State Senators. We were met with
near universal support, and a high degree
of understanding of the issue, due in large
part to previous years’ efforts. (One staffer
had four species of plastic weeds in his
office from past visits!) We particularly
noted interest from several Los Angeles
area representatives.
Earlier in March, I joined other
invasive species specialists in Washington,
DC, for National Invasive Species
Awareness Week. Panel sessions explored
coordination needs across the country for
WMAs, state invasive species councils,
and mapping networks. The National
Environmental Coalition on Invasive
Species held a well-attended lunchtime
meeting at Defenders of Wildlife offices
that covered topics ranging from Asian
carp spread to forest pest prevention
campaigns and animal import screening
law.
While funding for invasive species
management is not encouraging at this
point, there are grounds for optimism in
the evolving potential for collaboration.
Such collaboration holds promise for
strengthening the case for renewed
support for invasive species management.

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

Marc Holmes, San Francisco Bay Joint
Venture, described the history of tidal
marsh restoration in the San Francisco
Bay, putting into perspective the impressive size and extent of current restoration
projects underway in the Bay Area and
emphasizing how each project builds
on the successes of previous ones. John
Bourgeois, South Bay Salt Pond Restoration, discussed the challenges in moving
forward with restoration knowing that
invasion by hybrid Spartina threatens the
success of restoration, and creation of new
habitat for invasion threatens to delay the
success of invasive Spartina eradication.
Diane Elam, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, presented an impressive number of
case studies involving endangered species
and hybridity.

In honor of National Invasive Species
Awareness Week, National Public Radio
produced a segment on “The Art of War
on Invasive Species”. The program profiles an artist and volunteer weed worker
in Washington, D.C. who uses weeds
pulled from Rock Creek Park to create
handmade paper, paint brushes, and art.
For instance, he derives ink from English
ivy. (February 28, 2011, www.npr.org)
The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act
(S. 432), introduced in Congress on
March 2, would provide $415 million
over ten years to improve water clarity,
reduce the threat of fire and restore the
environment of the Tahoe Basin. Among
other provisions, the bill would authorize

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

The Presidio’s Log Cabin

June 21 – Strategic Approaches
June 22 – Control Methods

San Diego
Tijuana River NERR

August 3 – Mapping
August 4 – Control Methods

Tahoe City
Granlibakken Conference Center

Oct. 4 – Field Techniques for
Reporting Invasive
Plants NEW!
d

ine
a
r
T

$20.5 million for watercraft inspections
and removal of aquatic invasive species.
It was originally introduced last year but
stalled in Congress. Information on the
bill’s status is at thomas.loc.gov.
The EPA and conservation groups
reached a settlement to limit the
introduction of invasive species into
the Great Lakes. The agreement requires
the EPA to issue a new permit regulating ballast water discharges from commercial vessels in settlement of lawsuits
brought by a dozen conservation groups
challenging the legality of the EPA’s
existing permit. Ballast water, water taken
into tanks on commercial ships to main
stability, is a major transport mechanism
of invasive aquatic species. (Natural Resources Defense Council, March 8, 2011,
www.nrdc.org)

ild

lan

ager

…News from page 3
livestock and machinery. (FSEEE Stay
Informed Newsletter, Spring 2011,
fseee.org)

San Francisco

Man

On each day, participants were assigned to one of four break-out groups to
discuss a question and then report back
to the whole group. On Day 1, their

At the end of the forum, participants
seemed to reach a consensus that the conservation community should prioritize the
big picture goal of restoring tidal ecosystem functions, and needed to accept that
the detection and removal of all hybrid
alleles was simply not feasible. Fears that
those alleles left behind might be able to
recombine and allow the re-emergence
of invasive traits in future generations of
plants was a strong concern, however, for
such a re-emergence of invasive Spartina
would once again threaten the ultimate
goal of maintaining and restoring tidal
ecosystem function.

2011
Field Course
Schedule

IPC

successful eradication has ever faced an
issue of hybridization. With regard to
the eradication of hybrid Spartina, he
pronounced:“If you succeed…it would be
the greatest triumph of invasion biology.”

exercise was to describe the main impact
of invasive, non-native Spartina in terms
of the mission of their organization, and
to describe their organization’s current
goal with regards to Spartina. On Day
2, the question was, “Do you care if any
hybrid alleles are left? If so, why? If not,
why not?” In other words, does it matter
to you and/or your organization if any genetic variability not present in pure native
S. foliosa prior to the introduction of S.
alterniflora, remains in any of the Spartina
left behind by the ISP that is not visually
discernible as hybrid Spartina.

Cal-

…Spartina from page 13

Cal-IPC Field Courses give you
access to expert instructors and core
information needed to manage invasive
plants. Take more courses and work
towards your Cal-IPC Trained Wildland
Manager certificate.
Register for courses, or learn more about
course curricula and the certificate
program at www.cal-ipc.org, or
call us at (510) 843-3902.

Order your 2011
subscription
today!
2011 Individual
Subscription Prices
(includes regular shipping)

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$48

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$75

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(Non-North America)

$85

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V
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s www.wssajournals.org
for more information.

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Habitat Management Services
Expertise in Exotic Pest Plant Control
Landscape Contractor Lic # 672030
(760) 735-9378 Escondido, CA

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IPM Service
www.ShelterbeltBuilders.com
Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

Readings &
Resources
Know of a resource that should be shared
here? Send it to edbrusati@cal-ipc.org.
Online Training Program
Southeastern Community College in
North Carolina offers an online, college-level training program in invasive
species management. Students may
complete classes for continuing education
requirements, a Certificate of Invasive
Species Management, or an Associate in
Science degree in Environmental Science
Technology with a second year focus in
invasive species management. www.invasiveplantcontrol.com/ManagementTrainingProgram-Overview.pdf
Every Plant
The Plant List is a working list of all
known plant species (vascular plants and
bryophytes). It provides the accepted
Latin name for most species, with links
to all synonyms by which that species
has been known and includes 620 plant
families and 16,167 plant genera.
www.theplantlist.org

Weed of the Month
The Monthly Weed Post is a two-page
pdf bulletin featuring a noxious weed,
interesting research finding, or other weed
management issue, followed by a crossword puzzle or other educational activity
to test your knowledge. msuextension.org/
invasiveplantsMangold/extensionsub.html
Weeds and Climate Change
The new book Weed Biology and Climate
Change provides a synthesis of known
information on the probable impact of
environmental change on weed biology,
including impacts of weed biology on
agriculture, invasive species that limit
ecological diversity, and weeds that are
health risks. In addition, it looks at current weed management strategies.
www.wiley.com
Climate Adaptation
The Climate Adaptation Knowledge
Exchange (CAKE) is a joint project of
Island Press and EcoAdapt aimed at
building a shared knowledge base for
managing natural systems in the face of
rapid climate change. It features a virtual
library, case studies, a project directory,
and climate modeling tools.
www.cakex.org

…Arundo from page 9
funds invested. This confirms a significant
benefit in controlling Arundo in the study
area.

Recommendations
We encourage programs to implement
control starting in the upper reaches of the
watershed, particularly if the watershed is
heavily invaded. Treatment priorities in
the region include: continuing treatment
of Arundo in areas that have already been
treated (protecting initial investment);
controlling Arundo in watersheds where
it is not yet abundant but could spread
(early control is more cost effective);
and controlling Arundo in more highly
invaded watersheds in a ranked order. We
ranked watersheds based on four impact
classes (water use, geomorphology, fire,
and listed species) and two classes of

Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

Teacher Resources
The Aquatic Invasive Species Toolkit is
a comprehensive set of fun, challenging,
inspiring lessons and activities designed to
help kids understand what invasive species
are, how they affect the environment, and
what we can all do about them. Produced
as a collaboration between Sea Grant
and teachers in Oregon, Washington and
California. seagrant.oregonstate.edu
Recreation Prevention Videos
“Playing Smart against Invasive Species”
by the USDA Forest Service explains
how people can avoid spreading invasive
species while enjoying the great outdoors.
Videos range from 6-27 minutes, can be
viewed online, and cover camping, horseback riding, canoeing, snowmobiling,
cross-country skiing, and biking.
www.fs.fed.us
Humboldt Bay Maps
New full-color, digital aerial photographs
and benthic habitat maps of Humboldt
Bay and Eel River Estuary are now available. The images, all orthorectified and
GIS-compatible, provide a detailed inventory of intertidal and subtidal bottom
habitats. www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/
index.html

Advertise in
existing program capacity (experience and
regulatory permits).
This study provides a foundation for
justifying investments in Arundo removal
in coastal watersheds from Monterey
to San Diego, and it’s methods allow
for assessing particular benefits in each
watershed. The reports detailed maps
also provide a blueprint for planning
management efforts in each watershed,
and we hope it will be used to catalyze
future work protecting the region’s
riparian areas.
The complete report, along with maps
and a geodatabase of the mapping results,
may be downloaded from www.cal-ipc.org/
ip/research/arundo.

Cal-IPC News
Cal-IPC is now accepting
advertisements for our quarterly
publication, Cal-IPC News, which
has been in circulation for 18
years and reaches several thousand
natural resource managers
throughout California each year.
We will consider advertisements from individuals,
organizations and companies
that provide goods and services
beneficial to natural resource
management.
Please contact Heather Brady,
Outreach Program Manager, to
reserve your space in an upcoming
issue. hjbrady@cal-ipc.org or (510)
843-3902.

The WILDLAND WEED CALENDAR
May – July
SERCAL’s 18th Annual Conference
May 10-12
San Diego
www.sercal.org/conference.htm
Cal-IPC Bio & ID and Control Courses
May 17 & 18
Redding
www.cal-ipc.org
CNGA Workshops:
Grassland Monitoring
May 27, Davis
Intro to CA Grasslands Workshop
June 11, Santa Rosa
Grass ID Wrksp
June 25-26, Point Reyes Station
www.cnga.org

California Invasive Weeds Awareness Week
July 18-22, Statewide
Sponsor an event!
www.cal-ipc.org/policy/state/ciwaw.php
51st Aquatic Plant Management Meeting
July 24-27
Baltimore, MD
www.apms.org

August & September
Cal-IPC Mapping and Control Courses
August 3 & 4
San Diego
www.cal-ipc.org
Ecological Society of America
August 7-12
Austin, TX
www.esa.org/austin

Cal-IPC Strategic Approaches and Control
June 21 & 22
San Francisco
www.cal-ipc.org

SER Int’l Congress on Ecological Restoration
August 21-25
Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
www.ser2011.org

ESRI International User Conference
July 11-15
San Diego
www.esri.com/events

Weed Science School
August 30 – Sept. 1
UC Davis
wric.ucdavis.edu

55 Annual Weed Day
July 14
UC Davis
wric.ucdavis.edu

Int’l Conf. on Alien Plant Invasions
August 30-September 3
Szombathely, Hungary
www.emapi2011.org

October & beyond
Cal-IPC’s 20th Annual Symposium
October 4-7
Granlibakken, Tahoe City
www.cal-ipc.org
Continental Dialogue on Non-Native
Forest Insects & Disease
October 5-6
Boulder, CO
www.continentalforestdialogue.org
Natural Areas Conference
November 1-4
Tallahassee, FL
www.naturalarea.org
North America Congress for Conservation
Biology
July 15-18, 2012
Oakland
www.scbnacongress.org
CNPS Conservation Conference
January 10-14, 2012
San Diego
www.cnps.org/cnps/conservation/
conference/2012
CA Weed Science Society Conference
January 23 – 25, 2012
Santa Barbara
www.cwss.org

Quotable
“By turning weeds into art that honors weeds, he found the meta in the
metamorphosis.”
~ Linton Weeks, NPR, discussing artist Patterson Clark of Washington, DC, “The Art of War on
Invasive Species”, www.npr.org, February 28, 2011.

“It’s easy to get burned out if you chainsaw honeysuckle eight hours a day”
~ Claire Nicholson, natural resource technician in Illinois, describing her interest in a variety of control methods, in “Techs bring the heat to rid the region of invasive plant species” by Annie Getsinger,
www.herald-review.com, November 25, 2010
Cal-IPC News Spring 2011

Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
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Permit No. 1435

California
Invasive Plant
Council
1442-A Walnut Street, #462
Berkeley, CA 94709
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Get ready for
Cal-IPC’s 20th Annual
Symposium in Tahoe
October 4-7!

Join Us!
We’re working to protect California’s wildlands from invasive plants—join us!
Cal-IPC’s eﬀectiveness comes from a strong membership that includes scientists, land managers, policy makers, and concerned citizens.
Please complete this form and mail with check or credit card number. Additional donations support our projects. We are a 501(c)(3) nonproﬁt organization and donations beyond regular membership rates are tax deductible. Join or donate online at www.cal-ipc.org.
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