None The Nature Conservancy in Colorado Press Releases Search All Press Releases Charles Bedford Charles Bedford The Nature Conservancy Phone: (720) 201-8366 Tim Carlson The Tamarisk Coalition Phone: (970) 256-7400

The Nature Conservancy and the Tamarisk Coalition Applaud Senate Passage of Bill to Fight Destructive Tamarisk and Russian Olive Plants

Conservancy and Tamarisk Coalition thank Senators Allard and Salazar and Representatives Udall and Salazar for support of bill that will improve important wildlife habitat.

Grand Junction, Colorado—10 October 2006—The Nature Conservancy and the Tamarisk Coalition commended the U.S. Senate for passing the “Salt Cedar and Russian Olive Control Assessment and Demonstration Act,” a bill that will help control two invasive plant species that have severely damaged millions of acres across the country.  The Senate passed the House version of the bill, H.R. 2720, which is the companion to the Senate bill, S. 177. The legislation was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year.

“We are extremely grateful to Senators Allard and Salazar and Representatives Salazar and Udall who played a critical role in passing this bill which will help restore wildlife in and along Colorado’s rivers and streams as well as in other great western rivers,” said Charles E. Bedford, director of the Conservancy’s Colorado chapter. “These rivers and streams are in critical need of restoration so that they can once again thrive--supporting a variety of plants and animals and also provide clean water to local communities.”

The legislation, which now goes to the president for his signature, requires the Department of Interior, in cooperation with the Departments of Agriculture and Defense, to study and develop effective methods through demonstration projects to control and eradicate Russian olive and salt cedar, more commonly known as tamarisk. The bill also authorizes some $15 million a year for these activities.

“Colorado is well positioned to receive funds because we have well organized community groups in the San Miguel, Upper Colorado, Yampa and Purgatory Rivers that have prioritized their work and can deliver success on the ground,” said Bedford.

“Tamarisk and Russian olive pose a major threat to Colorado’s natural areas,” said Tim Carlson, Executive Director of the Tamarisk Coalition. “We are pleased that the Senate, with strong leadership from Senators Allard and Salazar, approved this very important legislation.”

Tamarisk was first introduced in the United State in the early 1800s as an ornamental plant from Eurasia and Africa. Today, it has taken over more than 1.6 million acres land across the American West, poisoning soils, pushing out native plants, harming wildlife and consuming massive amounts of water to dry up springs, streams and wetlands.

Russian olive also was introduced in the United States as an ornamental plant and for windbreaks, but has since spread across 17 Western states. It is now a major problem in riparian woodlands, choking out native plants and destroying food sources for wildlife.

In Colorado, tamarisk and Russian olive are present in all of the major river drainages, including the Colorado, the Arkansas, the Dolores and the South Platte. A major mapping effort is underway, and preliminary estimates suggest that over 100,000 acres of land in Colorado are infested with tamarisk. Many stakeholder groups have formed to address the issue around the state, and control efforts have been initiated some locations.

The Nature Conservancy is working with partners to eradicate the plant from the San Miguel watershed in Southwestern Colorado, and to control the plant along 400 miles river and stream in the Purgatoire River in southeast Colorado. The Conservancy and The Tamarisk Coalition are working together with the Colorado River District to lead a partnership planning effort to control the invasive trees in the Colorado River Headwaters region. 

Invasive species such as tamarisk and Russian olive threaten nearly every state in the country and nearly every country around the world. Invasive species are estimated to cause more than $137 billion annually in losses to agriculture, forestry, fisheries and open waterways in the United States.

The Nature Conservancy works with governments, businesses and communities to fight invasive species around the world. The Conservancy’s Global Invasive Species Initiative provides leadership in the struggle to prevent and reverse harm by invasive species through improved science, effective land and water management, better business practices and stronger public policies.

The Tamarisk Coalition works across the western United States to restore riparian lands. The Coalition draws on the research of U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Interior scientists and others to undertake on-the-ground tamarisk and Russian-olive control measures.