[APWG] Cal./Great Basin/SW drought+weeds+ecosystem damage?

[Craig Dremann - Redwood City Seed Company]

Dear Wayne and All,

The weather service puts together a weekly Drought Monitor, and since we
have had a drought in California going onto three years now, there is
controversy on how the map should be drawn.

Because of our massive flammable exotic plant problem in California, that
add the equal of 400 gallons of gasoline per acre in the summer
<http://www.ecoseeds.com/flames.html> we need to take that into
consideration.

Also, each ecosystem in California needs a minimum level of annual
rainfall, to exist.  Deserts need 3-10 inches, California native bunch
grasslands need 10-20 inches, oaks need 20-35 inches, conifers 35-60 etc.

In central California oak woodlands, for the last three years, we are
dropping to the desert levels, and the major central and southern
California rivers are dropping to record lows, or drying up completely,
like the Salinas river at the Spreckels USGS gauge.

My way of looking at the drought/ecosystem interactions, is that it is
like running you car when it is short two or three quarts of oil.

Or, we should rewrite that old song: "Summertime, in the middle of winter 
fish are jumping, when the water is gone."

You can see some details at http://www.ecoseeds.com/caldrought.html

Sincerely,  Craig Dremann (650) 325-7333