CIR heads deep into the backcountry in search of invasive tamarisk
Five days riding on the backs of mules left us sore but happy, as we scouted the Sisquoc River and Manzana Creek for Tamarisk trees (an invasive species that takes over riparian zones and eliminates nesting habitat for native songbirds). Elihu, Kevin and Daniel investigated the river and creek looking for the invasive Tamarisk. The river had flooded just weeks before. The water must have been 6 feet higher than it was when we were there. We could see snags and branches that were high overhead having been washed downstream now resting against the trunks of standing trees.
We did indeed find some Tamarisk, and more was probably there but unseen as it may have been buried in sediment transported by the floodwaters.
We went during the first week in March, and already there were lots of flowers blooming. We were delighted to see a condor, California toads mating and their egg strings, both California treefrogs and Baja California treefrogs, some pond turtles exploring, and were content to view a rattler from a safe distance.
It was a great trip and we hope to return with some of you intrepid hikers in mid to late October 2017 to scout and treat Tamarisk. Let us know if you want to be a part of it!
-Elihu Gevirtz,
Senior Ecologist
Tamarisk trees are not native to California and invade riparian habitats. CIR wrote grant applications to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation that funded our work. We worked long and hard on planning the logistics of these challenging trips, together with NFWF and the Los Padres National Forest.
CIR, with two crews of intrepid volunteers, took two trips down the Sisquoc River deep in the wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest in October and November of 2017. The first trip started at the headwaters of the Sisquoc River at Alamar Saddle and ended at Sycamore Camp, before climbing 5 steep miles up to Montgomery Potrero on the Sierra Madre Ridge. The second trip started at Montgomery Potrero, hiked down to the river, and ended at Manzana Schoolhouse. Altogether, the CIR crew and volunteers walked about 70 miles, surveyed almost all of the 40+ mile Sisquoc River, treated more than 300 adult Tamarisk trees, and pulled out more than 10,000 Tamarisk seedlings. There was a 7-mile stretch of river that we surveyed but didn’t have time to treat, so we’ll come back next year and do it again. Look out Tamarisk – we’re coming to getcha! For all of you intrepid volunteers out there, we plan on two trips next October/November. Join us!