Newsletter Vol 15 Issue 1, 2007 – California Invasive Plant Council

Cal-IPC News
Protecting California’s Natural Areas
from Wildland Weeds

Vol. 15, No. 1/2

Spring/Summer 2007

Newsletter of the California Invasive Plant Council

Trouble in Paradise

Several species of palm trees, those
quintessential icons of Southern California
landscaping, are invading the region’s riparian
areas. Palms in this courtyard of Rancho Santa
Maria de los Peñasquitos (shown c. 1920) are
likely the source of Phoenix canariensis in
Peñasquitos Canyon today, downstream from
this historic adobe ranch. Story page 4.

Inside:
Surveying Palms in San Diego County…………… 4
2007 Symposium in San Diego……………………. 5
Cal-IPC Walks the Halls of Power ……………….. 6
Weeds and Wildlife…………………………………… 8
Inventory Revisions …………………………………. 10

California
Invasive Plant
Council
1442-A Walnut Street, #462
Berkeley, CA 94709
(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 natural areas
from wildland weeds through
research, restoration, and education.
STAFF
Doug Johnson, Executive Director
dwjohnson@cal-ipc.org
Elizabeth Brusati, Project Manager
edbrusati@cal-ipc.org
Cora Puliatch, Outreach Coordinator
cnpuliatch@cal-ipc.org
Bertha McKinley, Office Manager
bmckinley@cal-ipc.org
DIRECTORS
Dan Gluesenkamp (2007)
Audubon Canyon Ranch
Mark Newhouser, Vice President (2007)
Sonoma Ecology Center
Wendy West, Secretary (2007)
U.C. Cooperative Extension
Jennifer Erskine Ogden, Treasurer (2007)
U.C. Davis
Steve Schoenig, Past President (2007)
California Dept. of Food & Agriculture
Jason Casanova (2008)
Los Angeles/San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council
David Chang (2008)
Santa Barbara Agricultural Commissioner’s Office
Joanna Clines (2008)
Sierra National Forest
Bob Case (2008)
California Native Plant Society
Chris Christofferson (2007)
Plumas National Forest
Doug Gibson (2008)
San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy
Jason Giessow (2008)
Santa Margarita/San Luis Rey Weed Management Area
John Knapp (2007)
Catalina Island Conservancy
Marla Knight (2007)
Klamath National Forest
Tanya Meyer (2007)
Yolo County Resource Conservation District
Brianna Richardson (2007)
Montgomery Law Group, LLP
Bruce Saito (2008)
Los Angeles Conservation Corps
Affiliations for identification purposes only.
Last year of term noted.

Cal-IPC News

Spring/Summer 2007 – Volume 15, Number 1/2
Editors: Doug Johnson, Elizabeth Brusati, Melissa Dozier
Cal-IPC News is published quarterly by the California Invasive
Plant Council. Articles may be reprinted with permission from
the editor. Submissions are welcome. Mention of commercial
products does not imply endoresement by Cal-IPC. We reserve
the right to edit all work.

From the Director’s Desk

Heading south
Cal-IPC is a statewide organization. But California is a big state, with diverse ecoregions
and diverse human communities, and we sometimes struggle to cover it all. One of the
major divisions is north vs. south. (I suppose it doesn’t have to be a “vs.” but so often, it gets
viewed that way. And it makes an A’s-Angels or Giants-Dodgers game that much more fun.)
Our office is in Berkeley, our advocacy is in Sacramento, and our nearest university esperts are at UC Davis. I personally am a Bay Area native (more or less). So despite our best
intentions, there may at times be a bias toward northern California.
We have been making efforts to correct the potential for bias. On our Board of Directors we currently have six members from southern California, more than we have from any
other region of the state. Some of these board members recently organized a meeting in Los
Angeles, inviting southern California alumni of the Cal-IPC board, Weed Management
Area managers from the region, and UC Riverside researchers.
The meeting examined how Cal-IPC can better serve southern California weed workers.
One key decision was to hold a workshop on evaluating plants for the Cal-IPC Inventory, in
order to make sure that the region’s plants are fully listed.
This year’s Symposium in San Diego gives members from across the state an opportunity to see dramatic weed work in what is the the nation’s most botanically-rich county. The
habitats are unique, as are some of the programs working to preserve them. Nonetheless,
there are universal lessons to be learned from the work being done there. Keynote speaker
Jon Rebman from the San Diego Natural History Museum will describe the development of
an extensive citizen effort to compile data for a county-wide plant atlas, and how that effort
has aided weed work in the county.
Along with numerous sessions on weed management techniques and the latest research,
the conference will feature two theme sessions on communications and coalition building.
In a recent public discussion over how to take care of Los Angeles’ Griffith Park after a wildfire burned 850 acres there, Councilmember Luis Borges expressed his desire to reseed with
exotic grasses for erosion control by saying, “I’m not afraid of nonnatives. LA is a nonnative
city.” While correcting the analogy, we need to tap the power of our cultural diversity. Each
year we grow more aware of cultural issues that impact our work, and the Symposium will
address some of them directly this year.
It is easy to see why coalition building is so important, especially in urbanized southern
California, when you look at an elections map of the state and see just how many elected
officials come predominantly from densely populated areas where the impacts of weeds are
often less understood. When we look for legislative approval on weed measures, or state
funding for Weed Management Areas, we are beholden to votes from the state’s many urban
representatives. Fourteen state senators serve the greater Los Angeles area, while only three
state senators represent 26 counties north and east of Sacramento!
Cal-IPC is committed to protecting southern California wildlands from invasive weeds.
We need ongoing participation from the region’s weed workers, and we need to find ways
to appeal to the many elected officials from the region. The challenge of such a big state can
also be an opportunity. We have diverse habitats, institutions and individuals to learn from,
and we can form a powerful force for advocacy by unifying diverse constituents behind a
common message.
Speaking of cultural diversity… We demonstrated a decided lack of awareness this year in
scheduling the Symposium on an important holy day for some of our members. Our sincere
apologies.

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

Wildland Weed NewsNewsNewsNewsNews
The California Department of Fish and
Game is working to keep quagga mussels out of California. These tiny mollusks, similar to the zebra mussels that
plague the Great Lakes, are now known
to be in Lake Mead
and Lake Havasu
on the border with
Arizona, and they
have been found
on recreational
boats trailered
into California.
A brochure for
recreational
boaters is available. www.dfg.
ca.gov/quaggamussel
The Weed Science Society of America has
announced a new peer-reviewed journal.
Invasive Plant Science and Management will cover fundamental and applied
research on invasive plant biology, ecology,
management, and restoration, as well as on
educational, sociopolitical, and technological aspects of invasive plant management.
The first issue will be published in 2008.
www.wssa.net
Efforts to work with the nursery trade on
invasive ornamental plants have been
boosted in the Midwest. The Nature
Conservancy worked with Meijer, a major
midwestern retailer, to remove two invasive
trees from Meijer’s stores, and to add a label
to 16% of the species in Meijer’s “Back
Yard” department to certify them as “recommended non-invasive.” Employees will
be trained on the issue and will distribute
educational materials to consumers.
www.meijer.com, www.nature.org/indiana
City Councilwoman Maggie Houlihan
of Encinitas is working to ban pampas
grass and other invasive plants from all
new developments to save the city’s wildlife
habitats. San Diego Union Tribune 7/5/07
The Washington Native Plant Society hired
a botanist to increase scientific collections
of invasive species in the state’s major
herbaria. www.wnps.org/invasive_species/
noxious_weed_project.html

Cal-IPC Updates…
2007 Symposium in San Diego!
Join us in San Diego for our 16th annual
Symposium. Early registration through
August 20. We have added a new discounted student rate this year. Page 5.
Got auction items?
Support Cal-IPC and contribute to the
fun at the Symposium by donating items
for the auction. Tools, books, artwork,
outdoor gear, homestays, beer—we’ll take
it! Give us a call.
Photo display…
Channel your inner Ansel Adams and
submit weedie photos for the Symposium
display, where a crowd favorite will be
chosen. You photos help build Cal-IPC’s
library of images for outreach.
The Golden Weed Wrench…
…and other annual awards will be presented at the Symposium banquet. Let us
know who you think deserves recognition for their contributions to weed work
in California.
Wildland Weed Field Courses…
This spring, we held Tools & Techniques
field courses at Paramount Ranch in the
Santa Monica Mountains, Turtle Bay
Exploration Park in Redding, and San
Antonio Preserve near San Jose. Page 11.
“Don’t Plant a Pest!” brochures…
The “Don’t Plant Pest!” program is
spreading faster than the weeds,
with the publication of a new Sierra Foothills regional brochure
and a new statewide Aquatic
Plants brochure, which is
available for free. Contact
Cal-IPC for samples or
order from our website.

County weed survey…
As part of a grant-funded project to
predict weed spread with climate modeling, we are collecting baseline distribution data through a survey sent to county
Weed Management Areas. If you have not
already, please help your WMA respond!
This first round was a sample set of 36
plants—the full survey with all 200 of
California’s invasive plants is on the way,
so don’t despair if your favorite weeds
were not on the initial survey.
Archived Proceedings and Newsletters…
All Symposium Proceedings back to 1995 and
all newsletter back
issues are now online
in pdf format. We
are developing an
index of all articles
to be posted on
the website to facilitate access to over a decade
of useful Symposium presentations and
newsletter articles.
2006 Symposium Proceedings…
Proceedings from the 2006 Symposium,
with expanded papers from talks given at
the conference, are posted in the Symposium archive on our website.
Weeds of California…
The two-volume Weeds of California and
Other Western States has received rave
reviews. Wow your friends with facts like
“Spotted knapweed can produce up
to 40,000 seeds per plant,” or just
give them a slideshow of the 3,000
photographs included on CD-ROM
with the book. Order from our
website or by calling 510-843-3902.
$100.00 for 2 vols. plus CD.

www.cal-ipc.org
find it all there

Oregon has allocated an additional $1 million to the Oregon State Weed Board grant
program for noxious weed control, bringing
the total available for the 2007-2009 biennium to $2.5 million. These funds will support 40 additional projects over two years.
oregon.gov/ODA/plant/weeds/grantindex.shtml

The California Department of Food &
Agriculture has requested proposals for
2008 Weed Management Area projects. $1.2 million will be distributed.
sschoenig@cdfa.ca.gov

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

Feature Article

Why palms made it into the Inventory
by Mike Kelly, Friends of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve

ow did two species of palm tree
riparian areas, we found much larger
go from not even being mennumbers of these palms and a wider
tioned in Cal-IPC’s 1999 Exotic Pest
distribution than we had been aware
Plant of Greatest Ecological Concern in
of. When restorationist Brad Burkhart
California to inclusion in Cal-IPC’s
(Burkhart Environmental Consulting)
2006 California Invasive Plant Invenand I were hired to map invasives and
tory? I am referring to Washingtonia
develop a master invasives control
robusta (Mexican fan palm) and
plan along 11 miles of the San Diego
Phoenix canariensis (Canary Island date
River (Burkhart 2005), we decided to
palm). The short answers are: ecologimap more than the “usual suspects”
cal awareness and data.
such as Arundo donax (giant reed),
I checked my personal weed dataTamarix spp., and Eucalyptus spp. The
base—an accumulation of data on dozlatter are species that environmental
ens of (mostly) perennial weeds I have
impact reports and other mapping efworked on over the last fifteen or so
forts tended to focus on. We included
years—for these two species. In 1995,
palm trees and other tree species. We
I and four volunteers had cut down
counted the larger trees and estimated
or pulled 393 Mexican fan palms and
their net canopy. In this narrow
329 Canary Island date palms along
riparian corridor (typically less than
a single waterway, Peñasquitos Creek.
1000 feet wide) we mapped a net
This is a coastal-to-foothills creek in
65.62 acres of invasives. Of this total,
Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, a City
palms accounted for a net 2.52 acres.
of San Diego open space park. It
We counted some 623 non-seedling
Biological monitor Bonnie Peterson of Merkle & Associdrives some of my fellow volunteers
size palms. In turn, some 68% of
ates in front of a treated Phoenix canariensis in Peñasquicrazy, but I ask them to count at least
these palms were concentrated in two
tos Canyon Preserve. Photo: Mike Kelly.
the major invasives we control. Over
Continued on page 12…
time, it helps to document the distribution and level of invasiveness of some
gain this attention. Interestspecies. Such data has raised my own level of ingly, Washingtonia robusta
Table 1. Size categories of palms found in one
awareness of certain invasive species, putting is not even mentioned in the
contiguous restoration site in Peñasquitos Canyon
them more squarely on my radar screen for
Jepson Manual (Hickman
Preserve. The palms accounted for more than 90%
action. This was the case with the palms.
1993).
of the number and net acreage of invasive trees
It is my opinion that these palm species
When local people, inmapped and controlled on the site as part of a mitimay have escaped our attention because
cluding environmentally-congation projected funded by the City of San Diego’s
they are so much of the background in
scious citizens, are told that
Metropolitan Wastewater Department.
our southern California (SoCal) cities and
these palms are non-native,
Phoenix
Washingtosuburbs. They are both common in our
they are often surprised, escanariensis
nia robusta
landscapes and routinely sold in area nurser- pecially about the fan palms.
ies. In San Diego we have palm tree farms
Even some who are knowlSeedlings (<2 ft. tall) 2637 1995 growing the fan palms in long rows, like any edgeable about native plants Small (2-6 ft.) 1153 91 other crop. Television shows and movies use assumed the fan palm was our Medium (6-12 ft.) 246 50 scenes from SoCal loaded with palm trees as native Washingtonia filifera. establishment shots to “authenticate” their The latter is morphologically Large (12-18 ft.) 180 22 settings. Until they are mature, they often similar to the Mexican fan XLarge (18-24 ft.) 72 2 do not break through the canopy of native palm and the two can hybridGiant (>24 ft.)
117
18
sycamores, live oaks, cottonwoods, and
ize (Roberts 1989).
Total
4405
2178
taller willow species. They therefore do not
As SoCal weed-conscious
receive as much attention as, say, eucalyptus, conservationists started paying
Grand Total
6583
which grows fast enough and tall enough to
attention to what is in our

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

16th Annual Cal-IPC Symposium

Conservation & Communication:

The Human Dimension in Invasive Plant Management
September 20-22, 2007 at the Bahia Resort Hotel, San Diego

oin us at sunny Mission Beach to hear the latest information
on invasive plant biology and management. This year’s invited
speakers will feature special presentations on how effective
communication and coalition building can improve your weed
programs. A new Mapping Field Course on Wednesday,
September 19, will teach attendees how to incorporate GPS
and GIS into their projects (see p. 11). Plus Saturday field trips,
trade exhibits, banquet, raffle and networking with other weed
workers from across the state! Jon Rebman, creator of the San
Diego Plant Atlas, has been confirmed as our keynote speaker.
Photo: Aquatic Adventures

Registration for the Symposium and field course can be
completed online, over the phone or through the mail. Early
registration deadline is August 20. Students are eligible for a
$100 discount.

Lodging Rooms can be reserved at the Bahia Resort Hotel at a

discounted rate of $119 (single or double) before August 20. Use
the conference link from our website or phone 800-576-4229 and
ask for our room block.

Exhibit space is available to Symposium sponsors. See our
website for information or contact Jason Giessow at jgiessow@cox.net.

Donate items for the raffle and auction – useful, decorative, or wild!
Artwork, books, tools, gift certificates, weedy novelty items – anything a
weed worker could want is fair game Donations may be mailed to the
Cal-IPC office or brought to the Symposium. See our website for items
donated last year. Contact us at 510.843.3902 to donate an item.

Submit photos to the 4th Annual Photo Exhibit. Got a photo of a
cow chewing on Cape ivy (for instance)? Categories include Landscape,
Specimen, Impacts, Before & After, Weed Workers, and Humor. Photos
will be shown at the Symposium, with attendees voting for “Best in Show.”
Deadline is August 31. See full instructions on our website.

all info at www.cal-ipc.org
Photo: Bruce Delgado

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

Advocacy

National Invasive Weeds Awareness Week
B

raving an ice storm, canceled flights,
and lost luggage, the California Invasive
Weeds Awareness Coalition (CALIWAC)
sent seven attendees to the 8th Annual
National Invasive Weeds Awareness Week
(NIWAW) in Washington, DC, February 25 – March 1. [CALIWAC comprises
agricultural and environmental groups that
work together on invasive plant advocacy.
Partner organizations include Cal-IPC,
California Native Plant Society (CNPS),
California Farm Bureau Federation, California Cattlemen’s Association, California
Forest Pest Council, and Regional Council
of Rural Counties(RCRC).] National Weeds

retired from Monsanto and serves as Chair
of the organizing committee for National
Weeds Week. Two other Californians, Carl
Bell with UC Cooperative Extension in San
Diego, and Inyo-Mono Counties Agricultural Commissioner George Milovich, were
stymied in their journey to Washington by
canceled flights and were unable to attend.
Our California delegates visited with
staff of fifteen Congressional representatives
and both California Senators, then dropped
off packets of information to a number of
additional representatives. CALIWAC advocated for five positions in 2007:
1. Support $15 million appropriation
for PL 108-412, the Noxious Weed
Control and Eradication Act of 2004,
for weed control through Cooperative
Weed Management Areas. This Act
was signed into law by the President
in fall 2004, but Congress has not yet
appropriated funds.
2. Support S 380 and HR 17,
reauthorizing the Secure Rural Schools
and Community Self-Determination
Act of 2007, which provides funding
through the US Forest Service for
weed management efforts.
3. Support S 241 and HR 658,
the Natural Resources Protection
Cooperative Agreement Act, to allow
the National Park Service to collaborate with neighboring landowners
Cal-IPC and California Native Plant Society
on weed management. Other federal
member Don Mayall waits for his appointment
agencies
such as the Forest Service
with Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s staff. Photo: Bob Case
and Bureau of Land Management are
already allowed this type of collaboraWeek brings together participants from
tion.
across the country to learn about federal
4. Support a strengthened National
agency programs on invasive plants and
Aquatic Invasive Species Act (HR 1591 and
to educate legislators about the need for
S 770 in the 109th Congress) to amend and
strengthened policy, programs, and funding
reauthorize the Nonindigenous Aquatic
for invasive plant projects.
Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of
This year’s CALIWAC crew included
1990.
Elizabeth Brusati and Melissa Dozier from
5. Support $2.5 million for weed biothe Cal-IPC staff; Bob Case of CNPS
control development at the US Dept. of
and the Cal-IPC Board of Directors; Don
Agriculture laboratory in Albany, California.
Mayall of CNPS; Bob Pickard with the
In addition, we helped circulate a letMariposa County Board of Supervisors and
ter drafted by attendees from Colorado to
RCRC; Cal-IPC Past President Steve Schoe- request funding for PL 109-320, the Salt
nig of the California Department of Food
Cedar and Russian Olive Control Demand Agriculture; and Nelroy Jackson, who is onstration Act of 2006. Like PL 108-412,

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

Congressional abbreviations
HR = A bill introduced in the House of
Representatives
S = A bill introduced in the Senate
PL = Public Law, an Act that has been
passed by Congress and signed by the
President. For instance, PL 108-412 =
Public Law #412 passed during the 108th
Congress (2003-04).
For information on a particular bill or law,
such as its text, sponsors, or current status,
visit the Library of Congress’ legislative information website at http://thomas.loc.gov.

this Act has been signed into law but has
not received appropriation of funding from
Congress.
Some of the Congressional staffers remembered us from previous years and many
were familiar with the problem of invasive
species and supportive of work to control
them. However, funding is tight and it is
unlikely that money will become available
for these programs during this session of
Congress. Our goal is to keep the issue in
front of Congressional aides so they can
relay the information to the representatives.
We hope to remind them that spending a
relatively small amount of money now will
prevent additional damage to the environment and economy and save money in the
long run.

Updates
On March 19, the House of
Representatives passed the Natural
Resources Protection Cooperative
Agreement Act by a vote of 390 to
10. The bill has since passed out of
the Senate Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources and will be heard on
the Senate floor.
Cal-IPC is working with other state
EPPCs to coordinate strategy for
federal advocacy.

Taking the message (and the
plastic toadflax) to Sacramento
O
n Wednesday, March 14, fifty weed
workers visited the state Capitol in
Sacramento, armed with plastic bouquets of
Dalmatian toadflax and information on a
bill that would support Weed Management
Areas by adding $1 million to the $1.5
million in annual WMA funding passed last
year. Sponsored by the California Invasive
Weeds Awareness Coalition, a partnership
of environmental and agricultural groups,
the 4th Annual Weeds Awareness Day at the
Capitol brought weed workers together to
learn about current policy opportunities and
to share their experience as resource managers with state legislators.
The day started with a series of presentations from a variety of state agencies and
organizations. John Connell, Director of
Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services
for the Department of Food and Agriculture
gave an update on the state’s Weed Management Area program and other state weed
program goals. Frank Carl, Agricultural
Commissioner from Sacramento County,
provided insight into pest exculsion and

other legislative priorities of the state’s agricultural commissioners. Susan Ellis of the
Department of Fish and Game discussed the
coordination being set in place to deal with
a major new invasive species on the horizon:
quagga mussels.
Addressing invasive ornamentals, Bob
Falconer from the California Association
of Nursery and Garden Centers described
the PlantRight campaign being underatken
by the California Horticultural Invasives
Prevention (Cal-HIP) partnership (of which
Cal-IPC is a member) to raise awareness of
invasive plants in the horticultural industry.
Attendees also learned about weed
funding opportunities through the Wildlife
Conservation Board from Dave Means, and
through the Department of Water Resources
from Craig Cross and Natalia Deardorff.
Finally, Tiffany Zurilgen, staff member with
State Senator Dave Cogdill (R–Fresno) gave
tips on speaking with legislators and their
staff.
After lunch, attendees walked up the
street to the state Capitol for appointments
with legislators or their staff. Due
to term limits, nearly one-third
of the legislators are new in office
this year, so we were starting from
square one in a lot of offices. In
other offices, however, staffers
remembered us from previous
years, and a few still had the

bouquets of yellow starthistle we distributed
two years ago standing on their desks! In
addition to scheduled appointments, many
attendees were able to get a few minutes of
staffers’ time just by dropping in. We were
impressed by how many staff members were
willing to meet with us with no advance notice, and a few of these impromptu meetings
lasted 45 minutes.
For some legislators, especially those in
southern California, Cal-IPC gathered letters before Day at the Capitol from organizations in those districts whose members
were unable to travel to Sacramento. These
constituent letters made a big impression on
the legislators from those districts.
The focus of this year’s appointments
was to gain support for SB 311, a bill
authored by Sen. Cogdill. This bill would
provide an additional $1 million annually to
Weed Management Areas, restoring funding
that Governor Schwarzenegger removed
from the $2.5 million put into last year’s
budget by the legislature. Given the serious
budget challenges this year, this funding will
not be forthcoming, but our efforts kept
the issue alive for the legislators. Last year’s
success in getting funding was based on the
previous years when we visited legislators,
so the visits are always valuable, even if the
reward is not immediate.
To help raise awareness, we are encouraging weed workers to visit the local district
offices of their state legislators. Several staff
members we met with said they would like
to be invited to local events and requested
information on specific plants of concern
in their district. Such visits will make the
next Day at the Capitol that much more
productive!

Visit your legislators at home!
Weeds Day at the Capitol is a great event, but it only happens once a year,
and weed workers who live a long way from Sacramento may have a hard
time attending. Plus, we are stuck with using plastic weeds. That is why we
encourage weed workers to visit your state legislators at their local offices.

UC Davis students Gina Darin and Adrianna Muir
pause in front of the state Capitol before visiting
legislators. Photo: Melissa Dozier

You are the people they need to hear from, since you can tell them about (or
better yet, show them) the weed problems in your area. As a constituent, you
have the power to convince them that this issue is important in their district.
Let them know that funding for Weed Management Areas supports local
projects that protect wildlife and water, or whatever connection to their interests will be most compelling. To find information on your legislator, including webpages and district office addresses, visit http://leginfo.ca.gov.

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

Conference Reports

Weed workers and wildlife biologists
find common ground in Monterey
by Elizabeth Brusati

cology is a complex subject with many
subdisciplines. In an effort to simplify
research, ecologists tend to focus on a few
topics or species. However, this necessary
simplification sometimes leaves us ecologists
caught in our self-imposed boxes, creating
divisions among interest areas that seem
different from up close, but that appear
quite similar when viewed from a broader
perspective. Such a division is especially
apparent between those who work with
wildlife and those who focus primarily on
plants.
On January 30 and 31, 200 weed workers and wildlifers gathered at the Portola
Plaza Hotel in historic downtown Monterey
to discuss interactions between wildlife and
invasive plants at a symposium organized
by Cal-IPC and the Western Section of the
Wildlife Society. The event, titled “Wildlife and Invasive Plants: Finding Common
Ground to Protect Biodiversity,” covered
the impact of invasive plants on wildlife,
wildlife using or spreading invasive plants,
balancing control programs for invasive
plants with the need to protect wildlife, and
considerations when using chemical control
methods. Talks consisted of a mix of invited
and contributing speakers, with an evening
poster session and social hour allowing
informal interactions among attendees.
The Wildlife Society is a nationwide
professional organization serving wildlife
biologists, with the Western Section encompassing California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the
Pacific Islands. The Western Section’s annual
meeting immediately followed the joint
symposium.
A sampling of the talks included:
• Clare Aslan describing how a survey
of birdwatchers helped reveal the patterns of birds dispersing fruiting plants;
• Rob Klinger reminding everyone to
distinguish conservation from ecological goals in restoration projects;

• Dick Zembal describing a success
story in which removal of Arundo donax
(giant reed) resulted in the local recovery of the endangered least Bell’s vireo;
• Christy Brigham’s humorous account
of a botanist’s attempt to monitor wildlife use of restoration plots.
The use of herbicides to control
invasive plants is often controversial, so
we focused one session of the symposium
specifically on this topic. Speakers addressed
the risk of chemicals to wildlife, described
how risk assessments are conducted for
chemicals, and explained the factors that
land managers should consider to determine
whether chemicals are appropriate for a
wildland project.
A panel comprising some of the invited
speakers was asked to identify research gaps
related to interactions between wildlife and
invasive plants, and to share their thoughts
on the best ways for weed workers and wildlifers to work together. Panelists included:
Shawna Bautista, a wildlife biologist with
the US Forest Service; Rob Klinger with
US Geological Survey and UC Davis; Rick
Sweitzer, a wildlife biology professor from
the University of North Dakota who conducts research in California; Steve Schoenig
with the California Dept. of Food and
Agriculture; Peter Schuyler, a private consultant who formerly worked with The Nature
Conservancy on the Channel Islands; and
Joel Trumbo, pesticide use coordinator with
the California Department of Fish and
Game. Symposium attendees were asked to
submit questions for the panelists during
the first day.
One theme that recurred during
many talks and the panel was the need for
everyone to take a broad perspective on
their work and to remember that many
unintended consequences can occur when
manipulating individual pieces of an ecosystem. Wildlife biologists need to be careful

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

to avoid inadvertently spreading weeds.
Botanists and other weed workers need to
realize that some of the invasive plants they
despise could be supporting wildlife, and
they should approach wildlife biologists for
advice on planning and monitoring invasive
plant projects.
We hope that the conversations that
began in Monterey will encourage more
partnerships among those in the weed and
wildlife professions. For the program, abstracts, notes and presentations, see the web
page under “Research” at www.cal-ipc.org.

Tribal Invasive Species
Conference

n November 6-9, 2006, the Pyramid
Lake Paiute Tribe hosted the first
National Tribal Invasive Species Conference,
in Sparks, NV. Cal-IPC Board Member Joanna Clines set up a Cal-IPC poster display
and gave a presentation on US Forest Service invasive weed programs in California.
The conference was attended by 150
people from a variety of agencies, tribes,
and groups across the country. The primary
goal of the National Tribal Invasive Species
Committee, who sponsored the meeting,
was to provide a forum for bringing tribal
and non-tribal entities together with the
common purpose of exchanging information and networking about the problem of
invasive species. Other major goals were
to allow people to meet and to gain insight
into working cooperatively, as well as offering technical training and information
sharing for tribal people and cooperators. A
wide spectrum of information on control
methods and approaches was available. A
steady stream of people stopped by the CalIPC booth to learn about what our organization is doing.

Nor Cal Botanists gather at CSU Chico
by Melissa Dozier

anuary 18-19 marked the historic first
symposium of the Northern California
Botanists. (Southern California Botanists
has held symposia annually for the last 32
years.) The symposium aimed to link the
worlds of applied and academic botany by
bringing together a diverse range of botanists from agencies, universities, organizations and businesses.
One of the most engaging aspects of
the symposium was a panel discussion (with
much audience participation) on “the need
for botanists.” The 200 attendees at the conference are a testament to the importance of
and demand for trained botanists, despite
the trend in universities toward larger Plant

Sciences departments rather than smaller,
more specialized botany departments.
In addition to shifts in training at the
university level, other changes in the field of
botany were on the agenda for this conference. One session was dedicated entirely
to invasive plants, and reviewed the role of
botanists in identification and control of
invasive plant populations. Another lively
session focused on the ethics of professional
botany, in which some speakers claimed that
the solitary nature of professional botany
explains the lack of a uniform code of ethics. It might also explain the lag in setting
up a botany conference. One speaker drew
attention to the audience’s introversion by

Report from the Cal-IPC Speakers’ Bureau
So far this year, members of the Cal-IPC Speakers Bureau have spread the word
about invasive plants to at least ten different groups throughout California with
the presentation, Invasive Plants in California: Why Should We Care? Speakers have
talked to garden clubs, student environmental clubs, and other community groups
with information on California’s invasive plants. Far-flung audiences include:

noting that only one person in the room
was wearing fuchsia. Not coincidentally, this
brightly attired person was Linnea Hanson,
the symposium’s principal organizer, and
probably the only botanist in the room who
willingly speaks on public radio!
Following these forward-thinking sessions, hard-core botanists were treated to a
series of talks on Northern California’s rare,
recently discovered, and thought-to-be-extinct species. By the end of these two days,
nearly everyone in the audience was ready
to run to the hills, plant press and dichotomous key in hand, to search for the next
northern botanical discovery.

To learn more about the program
or to find a speaker for a group,
visit the Outreach section of our
website, www.cal-ipc.org, or contact
Coordinator Cora Puliatch at
cnpuliatch@cal-ipc.org.

• Forest Ranch Community Assoc. (Forest Ranch, Butte Co.) Susan Mason
• Friends of Pleasant Hill Creeks (Pleasant Hill, Contra Costa Co.) Bob Case
• The Putah Creek Council (Davis, Yolo Co.) J.P. Marie
• The Sierra Club (Sacramento Chapter) Becky Waegell
• The Sierra Club (Lompoc Chapter, Santa Barbara Co.) David Chang
• The Inverness Garden Club (Point Reyes, Marin Co.) Ellen Hamingson
• UCLA Environmental Bruins Club (Los Angeles) Janet Garcia
The Cal-IPC Speakers Bureau is a network of knowledgeable weed workers throughout California who are equipped with two 20-minute presentations, one aimed at the
general public, and the other designed specifically for gardeners. Want to join? Or, do
you know of a local group that would be excited to have a guest speaker? Let us know.
See our contact information in the sidebar, or contact your regional coordinator:
• Bay Area: Bob Case, 925.689.6528, bobcase@astound.net
• Central Coast: David Chang, 805.681.5600, dchang@co.santa-barbara.ca.us
• Central Valley: Becky Waegell, 916.683.1741, bwaegell@cosumnes.org
• Northern California: Susan Mason, 530.892.1666, and
Carolyn Gibbs, 530.252.5325, cgibbs@ca.blm.gov
• North Coast: Tara Athan, 707.485.1198, tara_athan@safe-mail.net
• Sierra Region: Wendy West, 530-621-5533, wkwest@ucdavis.edu
• Southern California: Robin Marushia, rmarushia@yahoo.com

Sesbania punicea

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

New plants added to the Cal-IPC Inventory

he California Invasive Plant Inventory will be updated annually to reflect new information submitted to Cal-IPC during the year (and
to correct any mistakes we find, like not listing Vinca major as present along the central coast—oops!). In February, the Inventory Review Committee met to review suggestions submitted during 2006. Seven species were added to the Inventory, and two were evaluated but
not listed. Minor revisions were made to four listed species. Ratings were not changed for any species listed in the 2006 Inventory. See our
website for a PDF of the printed Inventory, a database that you can sort by region, and detailed Plant Assessment forms for each species.
Thank you for the submissions—please keep them coming! The Review Committe will meet again early next year to update the Inventory.
New Species Reviewed:

Rating

Acacia dealbata

silver wattle

Moderate

Brachypodium distachyon

annual false-brome

Moderate

Bromus japonicus

Japanese brome

Limited

Fraxinus uhdei

evergreen ash

Evaluated But Not Listed

Linaria vulgaris

yellow toadflax

Moderate

Pennisetum villosum

feathertop

Evaluated But Not Listed

Phytolacca americana

common pokeweed

Limited

Salsola soda

oppositeleaf Russian thistle

Moderate

Saccharum ravennae

ravennagrass

Moderate – Alert

Revisions to Listed Species:

Revision

Cupressus macrocarpa

Monterey cypress

Remove Sonoran shrub as ecotype invaded and change
distribution in coastal scrub from C to D.

Sesbania punicea

scarlet wisteria

Add Central West as invaded Jepson region

Taeniatherum caput-medusae

medusahead

Add Central West as invaded Jepson region

Vinca major

periwinkle

Add Central West as invaded Jepson region

Species Nominated But Not Reviewed:
[If you have information on any of these species, please submit it to Elizabeth Brusati at edbrusati@cal-ipc.org.]
Acacia baileyana, A. cyclops, A.
longifolia

cootamundra wattle, cyclops
acacia, Sydney golden wattle

Not widespread in wildlands, no information on impacts

Agrostis capillaris

colonial bentgrass

Impacts not known

Alopecurus pratensis

meadow foxtail

Too limited in wildlands to review

Casuarina equisetifolia

beach sheoak

Impacts not known

Descurainia pinnata

western tansymustard

Native to California according to the Jepson Manual

Festuca pratensis

meadow fescue

Impacts not known

Gypsophila paniculata

baby’s breath

Too limited in wildlands to review

Hedera hibernica

Atlantic ivy

Not confirmed present in California

Lapsana communis

common nipplewort

Impacts not known

Melilotus alba

yellow sweetclover

Impacts not known

Nassella tenuissima

finestem needlegrass

In Symposium “weed alerts”, but extent too limited to review

Phleum pratense

timothy

Impacts not known

Poa annua

annual bluegrass

Not a wildland weed

Polypogon interruptus

ditch rabbitsfoot grass

Too limited in wildlands to review

Populus alba

white poplar

Impacts not known

Salsola kali

Russian thistle

Synonym of Salsola tragus (already reviewed and rated as Limited)

Schinus polygamous

Hardee peppertree

No information

Sisymbrium altissimum

tall tumblemustard

Impacts not known

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

Fighting weeds with the best of them!
C

al-IPC’s 2007 Wildland Weed Field Courses had a busy
spring! For the first time, we presented full-day “Tools &
Techniques” courses in northern, central, and southern California all in one season. Cal-IPC field courses bring together the
expertise of instructors from around the state to highlight the
best available methods for managing invasive wildland weeds.

T h a n k Yo u !
We greatly appreciate the dedication of time and
expertise by our 2007 Wildland Weeds Field Course
instructors:
• Sheila Barry, UC Cooperative Extension
• Peter Baye, Annapolis Field Station
• Carl Bell, UC Cooperative Extension
• Christy Brigham, National Park Service
• Petey Brucker, Salmon River Restoration Council
• Sarah Chaney, National Park Service
• Sandy DeSimone, Starr Ranch
• Joe DiTomaso, UC Davis
• Tom Dudley, UC Santa Barbara
• Mark Frey, Presidio Trust
• Jim Hartman, LA County Agriculture Dept.
• Mike Kelly, Friends of Los Penasquitos Canyon
Preserve
• Paul Kjos, Shasta County Agriculture Dept.

Whether you attended a control workshop this spring or not, consider
attending our new pre-Symposium field course on weed mapping techniques.
The Field Course That Went South
This March, Cal-IPC hosted the first-ever Southern California Wildland Weeds Course. It was a cloudy and cool day at Paramount Ranch
in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Some participants thought that Cal-IPC brought the Bay Area weather down for the
course. Highlights from the class included Mike Kelly’s real life “safety
gone wrong” examples, including a pair of boots chewed up by a chainsaw.
Sarah Chaney also caught attention when she demonstrated fire as a tool
for encouraging seed germination.
Northern California Control
Another first for Cal-IPC occurred on April 12—the first truly northern California field course, held at Turtle Bay in Redding. A highlight
of the course was the sheer number of Ailanthus trees that succumbed to
chainsaws, hand saws, fake herbicide and more while Joe DiTomaso and
Guy Kyser of UC Davis demonstrated integrated chemical and mechanical
control. The course featured a new What’s that Weed? identification contest,
and not surprisingly, Marla Knight, a Forest Service Botanist, correctly
identified the most plants. Right on her heels as a close second was John
Ranlett of Ducks Unlimited.
Pre-Symposium Mapping Course
On September 19, 2007, the day before the Symposium, Cal-IPC
will host a new one-day mapping field course in San Diego. The course is
designed for weed workers who want to integrate weed mapping into their
land management plan, and would like more information on the options.
The course will show data collection methods ranging from recreationalgrade GPS units to tablet PCs, and will demonstrate data processing, data
analysis, and map creation. Instructors will assess the pros and cons (and
price ranges) for each method. Register at cal-ipc.org.

• Marla Knight, Klamath National Forest
• John Knapp, Catalina Island Conservancy
• Guy Kyser, UC Davis
• David Lile, UC Cooperative Extension
• Ken Moore, Wildlands Restoration Team
• Steve Orloff, UC Cooperative Extension
• Ken Owen, Channel Islands Restoration
• Randi Paris, Natural Resource Conservation Service
• Carri Pirosko, CA Dept. of Food & Agriculture
• Mike Pitcairn, CA Dept. of Food & Agriculture
• John Roncoroni, Farm Advisor, Napa County
• Lincoln Smith, USDA-ARS
• Rob Wilson, UC Davis
• Betty Young, Golden Gate National Parks
Conservancy Nurseries

Christy Brigham displays revegetation tools at Paramount Ranch during the southern California field course in March.

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

New and Contributing Members
Thank you for your generous support! This list recognizes new members and donors since the last newsletter.
New Members
Mark Abramson (Heal the Bay, Santa
Monica), Melody Aimar (SAWA,
Redlands), Cesar Alcaraz (Sweetwater
Authority, Spring Valley), Nick Araya
(TreePeople, Beverly Hills), Jennifer
Becker (California Conservation Corps,
Camarillo), Christine Belden (L.A. County Ag. Commissioner, Arcadia), Margaret
Berry (Carmichael), Ginger Bradshaw
(Kings Canyon National Park), Stewart
Brand (Sausalito), Mike Burnett (Global
Tech Service, Carlsbad), Bridget Cameron (Caltrans, Cypress), John Cantron
(DuPont, Lakewood, CO), Paul Caron
(Ventura), John Chapman (Stanislaus
River Parks, Oakdale), Anthony Charness (MRCA, Malibu), Kristina Clark
(TreePeople, Beverly Hills), Gary Collings
(El Gato, Carmel), Ryan Cordero (Orange County Harbors, Beaches and Parks,
San Juan Capistrano), Bruce Cowan
(Pacific Grove), Ron Critchlow (PG&E,
Chico), Carolyn Cromer (Land Trust
of Napa County, Napa) Ellen Cypher
(CA Dept. of Fish & Game, Bakersfield),
Michael Dolan (Alturas), Karen Dulik
(CA. Dept. of Water Resources, Fresno),
Sarah Ebrahim (Entrix Inc., Sacramento),
David Gallegos (Sweetwater Authority, Spring Valley), Madelyn Glickfeld
(UCLA Institute of the Environment,
Malibu), Kim Glinka (EcoSystems
West, Santa Cruz), Margot Griswold
(EARTHWORKS Restoration Inc., Los
Angeles), Brad Haley (ECORP Consulting, Redlands), Jim Hardies (TreePeople,
Sherman), Rebecca Hernandez (Harmsworth Associates, Mission Viejo), Theresa
Hershey (US Army Corps of Engineers,
Visalia), Hillside Gardeners of Montclair
(Oakland), Thaddeus Hunt (Davis),
Megan Jameson (Michael Brandman
Assoc., Irvine), Dustin Janeke (e2M,
San Diego), John Johnson (California
Conservation Corps, Camarillo), Beth
Keer (Oakland), Lindsay Kircher (Irvine
Ranch Land Reserve Trust, Irvine),
Donna Krucki (Ladera Ranch), Daniel
Kushner (San Rafael), Benjamin Lardiere
(Camp Pendleton, Oceanside), Alfredo
Leon (MRCA, Beverly Hills), Melissa

Lippincott (Silverado), Catherine Little
(H.T. Harvey & Assoc., Woodland), Megan
Lulow (Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust,
Irvine), Anita Madison (California State
Parks, Pacific Grove), Sheri Mayta (Ojai
Valley Land Conservancy, Ojai), Cheryl
McCormick (Santa Lucia Conservancy,
Carmel), Don McPeck (County of Orange
– RDMD, Anaheim), Kevin Merk (Rincon
Consultants, Inc., San Luis Obispo),
Arlee Montalvo (Riverside-Corona RCD,
Riverside), Peggy Moore (US Geological
Survey, El Portal), Thomas Moore (Natural
Resources Conservation Service, Davis),
Pam Muick (Fairfield), Colleen Murphy-Vierra (CDFA, Sacramento), Bill
Nantt (Caltrans, Stockton), Shea O’Keefe
(Natural Resources Conservation Service,
Escondido), Adam Ontiveros (County of
Orange – RDMD, Anaheim), Dan Pearson
(Burns & McDonnell, Alta Loma), William
Ramseyer (Pasadena), Drew Ready (Los
Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers Watershed
Council, Los Angeles), Cecilia Reed (USDA
Forest Service, South Lake Tahoe), Melissa
Riedel-Lehrke (EARTHWORKS Restoration Inc., Los Angeles), Robert Roma
(San Diego County Ag. Dept., San Diego),
Heather Rothbard (Tempe, AZ), Oscar
Sanchez (TreePeople, Beverly Hills), Nancy
Sandburg (Vandenberg AFB), Dulcy Schroeder (Forest Ranch), Misha Seguin (NRM
Environmental Consulting, San Francisco),
Reynaldo Slimm (County of Orange, Dana
Point), Randall Smith (Rotary Club of
Redding Stream Team, Redding), Hildie
Spautz (El Cerrito), Stanley Spencer (LSA
Assoc., Riverside), Britney Strittmater
(Arcata), Daniel Tholund (MRCA, Beverly
Hills), Donna Thompson (Crescent City),
Michael Tuma (SWCA, South Pasadena),
Jackeline Velasquez (Orange County
Beaches and Parks, Trabuco Canyon), Brian
Weller (Ecosystems Restoration Assoc., San
Diego), Dave Whitmer (Napa Co. Agricultural Commissioner, Napa), Jennifer
Zarnoch (NRM Environmental Consulting,
San Francisco).

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

Donations
Edith Allen (UC Riverside, Riverside),
John P. Anderson (Ft. Funston Green
Team, San Francisco), Marcia Basalla (Novato), F. Thomas Biglione (CNPS, Stockton) Kerry Byrne (Davis), Jason Casanova
(Los Angeles/San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council, La Crescenta), Bob Case
(Concord), David Chang (Santa Barbara
Ag. Comm. Office, Santa Barbara), Joanna
Clines (Sierra National Forest, North
Fork), Athena Demetry (Sequoia National
Park), James Dougherty (Circle Mtn.
Biological Consultants, Wrightwood),
El Cerrito Garden Club (El Cerrito),
Jennifer Erskine Ogden (UC Davis, San
Francisco), Sharon Farrell (Golden Gate
Nat’l Parks Conservancy, San Francisco),
Doug Gibson (San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, Cardiff-by-the-Sea), Jason Giessow
(DENDRA, Inc., Encinitas), Dan Gluesenkamp (Audubon Canyon Ranch, San
Francisco), Carlyn Halde (San Francisco),
Ann Howald (Garcia & Assoc., Sonoma),
John Knapp (Catalina Island Conservancy,
Avalon), Marla Knight (Klamath National
Forest, Fort Jones), Tanya Meyer (Yolo
RCD, Davis), Mark Newhouser (Sonoma
Ecology Center, Eldridge), Gary & Greg
Omori (AgriChemical, Oceanside), Mike
Peters (Fallbrook Land Conservancy,
Fallbrook), Elizabeth Proctor (PG&E, Pacifica), Bruce Saito (Los Angeles Conservation Corps, Los Angeles), Susan Sanders
(Nevada City), Steve Schoenig (CDFA,
Davis), Mari Schroeder (ECORP, Santa
Ana), Jan Shriner (Santa Clara Co. Parks,
Santa Cruz), Joan Stewart (Springville),
Sara Sweet (Restoration Resources, Rocklin), Michael Thometz (Campo), Edward
Tuttle (UCLA, Los Angeles), Chris Weske
(City of Gilroy, Gilroy), Wendy West (UC
Cooperative Extension, Placerville), Elaine
Woodriff (Petaluma)
Donations for Cape Ivy Biocontrol
California Native Plant Society, San Diego Chapter, Ann & Peter Jones (Woodacre), Joan Marlowe (Cupertino), Michael
Swimmer (Swimmer Family Foundation,
Los Angeles), Tony Varnhagen (San Francisco)

Readings &
Resources
Text book: The newly revised and updated
classic reference, Ecology of Weeds and
Invasive Plants: Relationship to Agriculture
and Natural Resource Management, 3rd
Edition, by S.R. Radosevich, J.S. Holt, and
C.M. Ghersa, will be released in August
2007. www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/
productCd-0471767794.html

Mendocino Counties. It includes 542 color
photos of 358 species, both common and
rare. www.renywildflowers.com/guide.html.
Online Curriculum: The “Alien Invasions
– Plants on the Move” weed curriculum is
now available for grades K-12. Developed
by BLM staff and other experts, all lessons
fit within existing mandated National Science Education Standards (NSES). www.
weedinvasion.org/weeds/weed_home.php.

Grazing Book: Targeted Grazing: A Natural
Approach to Vegetation Management and
Landscape Enhancement outlines the basics
of applying targeted grazing for vegetation
management. Its 18 chapters cover research
on harnessing livestock to graze targeted
vegetation in a wide variety of landscapes.
Available online at no charge or printed for
$25.
www.cnr.uidaho.edu/rx-grazing/Handbook.
htm

Eucalyptus information: Point Reyes
National Seashore has produced an 8-page
booklet and a brochure to highlight the
many considerations in managing blue
gum eucalyptus, including fire danger,
heritage trees, and wintering monarch
butterflies. Contact Jennifer Chapman, 415464-5133, for printed copies.
www.nps.gov/pore/parkmgmt/firemanagement_fireeducation_newsletter_eucalyptus.htm
Wildflower guide: Wildflowers of Northern
California’s Wine Country & North Coast
Ranges is a photographic guide to native
plants of Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and

Palms continued from page 4…
smaller geographic areas, rather than
being scattered along the entire river. In
my experience this clustering is common
in other riparian areas as well. I should
note that when, under our contract,
we implemented the first removal of
invasives on a 10-acre site on the river
we found that we had undercounted
invasive trees, including palms, by some
34%. Many had been shielded from our
overhead aerial shots and groundtruthing by impenetrable stands of arundo
that made access and observation difficult.
It is this clustering of palms—and
many other invasives for that matter—
that causes much of the species’ negative
ecological impact. When palms occur in
such groupings they form a very dense
canopy that excludes light from reaching
beneath them. The frequent absence of
native plants under these canopies compared with the presence of natives under
the more open structure of, for example,
sycamores suggests a displacement of na-

Equipment washers, such as this unit from KNB Sales in Visalia (559.739.0676 or knbsales@earthlink.net), are an important aspect of preventing weed spread, a topic of one of
the discussion groups at this year’s Symposium.

Table 2. Washingtonia robusta palms removed at
sites in San Diego County.
Boden Canyon Reserve (DFG, City of SD)

Chicarita Creek (City of SD)

488

Carmel Valley Restoration & Enhancement
Project (City of SD)

Dulzura Creek (DFG)

Goodan Ranch
(County, DFG, City of Poway)

Jamul Creek (DFG)

Marian Bear Regional Park (City)

Mission Valley Preserve (City of SD)

Mission Trails (City of SD)

Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve
(City, County)

843

Peñasquitos Lagoon (State Parks)

Rancho Jamul Ecological Preserve (DFG)

Sabre Springs (City of SD)

238

San Diego River (below El Capitan)

Sorrento Valley Coaster mitigation

Tecolote Canyon Open Space (City)

tives. Physical bulk, absence of light, and
competition for water would discourage
many species of plants from establishing
or surviving under these clusters.
Of the total, 5.28 net acres of
invasive trees were controlled out of a
51.9-acre study area. Seedling palms or
seedlings of other invasive tree species were not included in the acreage.
Although the invasives, mostly palms,
were “only” 10% of the habitat acreage,
the latter figure is deceiving. That 10%,
especially the palms, was heavily concentrated along the banks of the main and
secondary channels of Peñasquitos Creek
(Table 2). Such crowding of the stream,
with trunks and fronds sometimes in
the water, has led to debris dams during
rain events. The dams led to localized
flooding in one area that threatened an
historic adobe ranch house. The Friends
of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve and
another non-profit group, the San Diego
County Archaeological Society, organized
volunteer work parties to remove dozens
Palms continued on page 15…

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

Publications Available from Cal-IPC
Order at www.cal-ipc.org or call (510) 843-3902.
CA tax and shipping costs will be added.
Invasive Plants of California’s Wildlands
Weeds of California and Other Western
States (two volumes)
Joseph M. DiTomaso and Evelyn Healy
UC Agriculture & Natural Resources, 2006
Identification guide to 750 weed species, with
3000 color photos. Detailed descriptions of
morphology and biology. Includes a CD-ROM
with all photos. $103.00

Carla C. Bossard, John M. Randall and Marc
C. Hoshovsky, Eds.
University of California Press, 2000
Biology and control information on 70 of the
state’s worst wildand weeds. Maps, photos,
illustrations. 360 pp. $25.00

The Weed Workers’ Handbook
Aquatic and Riparian Weeds of the West
Joseph M. DiTomaso and Evelyn Healy
UC Agriculture & Natural Resources, 2003
Comprehensive identification guide to the
West’s riparian weeds. Photos, identification
keys. 440 pp. $40.00

Cal-IPC and The Watershed Project, 2004
Biology and control information on 25 SF
Bay Area wildland weeds, plus background on
organizing local projects. Illustrations. 120 pp.
$8.00

Grass and Grass-like Weeds of California

California Invasive Plant Inventory

Joseph M. DiTomaso.

Cal-IPC, 2006
Summarizes the impacts, potential for spread,
and distribution of more than 200 nonnative plants that invade wildlands in
California. 39 pp. Currently out of print.
Online pdf at cal-ipc.org.

California Weeds, 2004
Menu-driven CD-ROM identification guide
to more than 200 invasive grasses and native
perennials used in restoration. Requires
Windows 95 or higher, 650 MB free harddrive space. $30.00
Broadleaf Weeds of California
Joseph M. DiTomaso.
California Weeds, 2006
Expert computer-based identification guide
to 722 broadleaf weeds of California.
Requires Windows 95 or higher. $37.00
Buy both CD-ROMs for $58.00
Don’t Plant a Pest! brochures
Wildland-safe alternatives to invasive plants
sold at nurseries. 14 panels. Choose: San
Francisco Bay Area, Southern California
(English or Spanish), Central Coast, Central
Valley, Sierra Foothills, Tahoe Basin, Trees,
or Aquatic Plants. $22.99/pack of 100
brochures. Note: thanks to special funding,
there is no charge for the Central Valley or
Aquatic Plant brochures.

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

The Use of Fire as a Tool for
Controlling Invasive Plants
Joseph M. DiTomaso and Douglas W.
Johnson, Eds., 2006
Captures current state of knowledge on the
use of fire to manage invasive plants in
wildlands. Also available as online pdf.
49 pp. $5.00
Yellow Starthistle Management Guide
Joseph M. DiTomaso, Guy B. Kyser,
and Michael J. Pitcairn, 2006.
Comprehensive overview of treatment
methods for yellow starthistle. Also
available as online pdf. 78 pp.
$5.00

The WILDLAND WEED CALENDAR
Know of an event that should be posted here?
Please contact edbrusati@cal-ipc.org.

Ecological Society of America &
Society for Ecological Restoration,
Joint Annual Meeting
August 5-7, 2007
San Jose
More than 3000 ecologists will gather
to discuss “Ecological Restoration in a
Changing World.” www.esa.org
9th International Conference on the
Ecology and Management of
Alien Plant Invasions
September 17-21, 2007
Perth, Australia
If you have to miss the Cal-IPC symposium,
this is a good excuse! The world’s top experts
gather to share findings and plan policy.
www.congresswest.com.au/emapi9
Cal-IPC Pre-Symposium Wildland Weed
Mapping Field Course
September 19, 2007
Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego
An overview of data collection and
processing methods, with a range of
technology levels presented.
www.cal-ipc.org
Cal-IPC Symposium
September 20-22, 2007
La Bahia Resort Hotel, San Diego
Our 16th annual! See rundown of events
on page 5. Join us in the most botanically

diverse county in the lower 48 states to hear
the latest in wildland weed biology and
control in California.
www.cal-ipc.org
North American Weed Management
Association’s 2007 Annual Conference
September 24-27, 2007
Las Vegas, Nevada
The theme is “The Influence of Urban/
Wildland Interface on Expanding Invasive
Plant Communities.” www.nawma.org
Los Angeles-Santa Monica Mountains
Chapter of the California Native Plant
Society Annual Native Plant Sale
October 6-7, 2007
Sepulveda Garden Center, Encino
One of many native plant sales held by local
CNPS chapters. A great way to support
their good work while getting neat plants
for your yard!
Southern California Botanists
Symposium
October 20, 2007
CSU Fullerton
For 33 years, the place to be for those
interested in So Cal flora.
www.socalbot.org/
Nevada Weed Management Association
11th Annual Conference
October 9-12, 2007
Las Vegas, Nevada

Quotable

“Scientists need to take a stand more often on issues, become more
politically active, and become more involved in the education of the
average people who currently view conservation biologists as alarmist
geeky snobs who care more about animals than people.”

Anonymous natural scientist, quoted in “Perceived Barriers to Integrating Social Science and
Conservation” in the December 2006 issue of Conservation Biology.

“Invasive species are like politics. They’re all local.”

Palms continued from page 13
of the big palms causing this localized flooding, thus reducing the threat to the adobe.
This nearly 52 acres wasn’t the only
place palms have been controlled. Several
thousand other palms were removed by
volunteers and one other mitigation project
over a 15-year period. The most recent project constituted about 95% of the remaining
palms and other invasive trees left in the
canyon. Volunteers, including this author,
will go after the now much smaller number
of invasive palms and a few eucalyptus.
Table 2 shows Washington robusta trees
observed and controlled just by me, my
employees, and sometimes volunteers, and
in no way represents a thorough survey
of the county, nor even of the drainage in
question. An invasive mapping project is
currently underway for the whole county
and will include palms in the inventory.
Palms under six feet were cut down and
the trunks treated with herbicide. Taller
palms were treated using a “drill and kill”
method (Kelly 2001). We are currently refining this drilling method in a robust trial,
testing how many holes and how little herbicide is needed to kill a palm. We are also
testing glyphosate herbicide versus triclopyr
herbicide to see if there is a difference in
outcomes. Drilling, when it is appropriate,
is a much faster, safer, and cheaper method
of controlling palms and some other species.
We expect to wind up this trial and publish
our results in the near future.
References
Burkhart, B. and M.D. Kelly. 2005. What Weeds
Dominate Southern California Urban Riparian
Systems?” Ecological Restoration.
Hickman, J.C., ed. 2003. The Jepson Manual: Higher
Plants of California. Univ. of Calif. Press, Berkeley.
Kelly, M. 2001. Drilling as a Technique for Controlling
Eucalyptus, Palms, & Other Exotic Trees. in Kelly,
M. Proceedings California Exotic Pest Plant Council
Symposium. Cal-EPPC.
Roberts, N. 1989. Baja California Plant Field Guide.
Natural History Pub. Co., La Jolla.

Mike Kelly is the principal of Kelly & Assoc.,
a habitat restoration company in San Diego
and is a past president of Cal-IPC. He can be
reached at mkellysd@aol.com.

Phillip Andreozzi, National Invasive Species Council, at National Invasive Weeds Awareness
Week in Washington, D.C.

Cal-IPC News Spring/Summer 2007

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