[APWG] Three desert "Tsunami-mustards" much, much worse than first thought

[Craig Dremann]

Dear All,

I strongly believe that, at least for North American Ecological
Restoration practitioners, that the "Tsunami mustard" invasion of the
deserts will provide the Ecological Restoration challenge of this
century.

The big challenge in the last century in California, was in 1850-80,
with the invasion of the annual European grasses---the wild
oats (Avena), ripgut grass (Bromus) and foxtails (Hordeum) that now
blanket about 1/2 of California 99.9%, between sea level to 3,000 feet
and from 10"-30" of annual rainfall.   Those three species completely
swamped the local native ecosystems in about 20-30 years.

Now in the Mojave and Sonoran (or Colorado) deserts, and possibly in the
Chihuahuan desert, we have three species of Brassicaceae (that I'll
generically call these the three "Tsunami mustards") that are running
wild---that only got established less than eight years ago.  

I'm getting reports from all over the Mojave, plus from the Grand
Canyon NP, Glen Canyon NRA, and Lake Mead NRA that these mustards are
starting to cover thousands of acres---just like a tsunami.

I personally saw the first two Mojave infestations eight years ago, when
they were only one acre each: One along CAL. 247 and the other at the
jct. of CAL. 177 and CAL. 62.  Now they're each covering square miles,
including Endangered Species sand dune habitat in the Coachella valley
that was set aside for a Federal Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP).

NOTE TO STATE, U.S. FISH & WILDLIFE PERSONS and NP DESERT LAND MANAGERS
READING THESE POSTINGS:  

These three "Tsunami mustards" may make ALL of the desert HCPs
worthless, unless adequate annual funding can be established to covert
these mustard areas back to local native ecosystems, AT LEAST TWICE AS
FAST as the infection is spreading.  

Plus if the NP's can't invent methods or processes to convert these
infected areas back to local native ecosystems at least twice as fast as
they are spreading, then those parks will be swamped.  Death Valley,
Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Mojave Nat. Preserve, etc.

And these three "tsunami mustards" will have a really big impact on
future desert restoration, at least until the professionals or the
university researchers can come up with a solution.

SUGGESTION: 

How can we start to gather up all of our scientific ecological
restoration knowledge that we've invented to 2005, and make it function
successfully on a major problem and on a huge scale in the real world?  

Will the professionals and the University researchers begin getting
together this spring, and start acting to discover methods to stem this
new infection?

And can the professionals and University researchers come up with a
solution, that can convert the infestation, back to native ecosystems
quicker than the infection spreads? 

How will the Public Land managers get together with the Ecological
Restoration professionals, started this spring, to devise a plan to keep
a whole ecosystem from San Bernardino to El Paso, from being
over-run---just like how California was overrun by the European grasses
100 years ago?   

Are will there be an offer of a serious economic incentive to get these
"Tsunami mustards" managed, like the X-Prize that got the first private
space ship flying last year?  

People back East who allocate money in Washington DC, who have never
seen the Western deserts in full bloom, don't see why it is so valuable
to protect our arid Western ecosystems---but I have to say that it is
extremely pitiful when a society lets a whole ecosystem disappear from
the face of the planet, just because of a few weeds?

Sincerely,  Craig Dremann, Redwood City, Muwekma Traditional Territory
California Republic (650) 325-7333