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When Tuleyome finished work on getting Wild and Scenic River designation on the upper section of Cache Creek, as well as Federal Wilderness designation on the surrounding lands, our work had really just started. It wasn’t just enough to protect the natural area; we also felt obligated to work to better the land through on-the-ground stewardship. Thus began our ‘weedyaking’ project. The project entails eradication of invasive tamarisk and arundo plants from a 19 mile stretch of the ‘wilderness run’ of Cache Creek. We call it ‘weedyaking’, since the only way to get to the weeds is by kayak. This means that while we work hard to protect the biology of the river, we also get to experience the remoteness and wonder of the wild river.
This section of river has 78 individual plants identified that require removal. Some are as small as 3-feet tall, but others are up to 12-feet tall and 20-feet wide. The time to act is now, while the infestation is small. In the 2006 kayaking season, we removed and applied herbicide to 35 plants; we are moving quickly. This season, thanks to the California Department of Fish and Game providing $15,000 worth of tools and herbicide, we hope to complete the remaining plants. After that, we’ll spend several years monitoring our work to make sure there are no new infestations or re-sprouts of treated plants.
It’s rewarding working with a group like Tuleyome, who not only have the vision to protect our natural heratige though legislation, but are willing to rollup our sleeves (or pump up our boats) and get to work. We are also fortunate to have such cooperative agencies such as the California Department of Fish and Game and he United States Bureau of Land Management support these weed eradication efforts.
Highlights of the last season included seeing two bears amble by our campsite, over a dozen bald eagles, and roaring waterfalls up Trout Creek canyon.
Tuleyome: We dream, we act, we get things done! (And have a lot of fun.) |
