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2008 Saltcedar Annual Report

This year marks the tenth season of saltcedar control in the Owens Valley. Most of our efforts were concentrated north of Billy Lake in spreading basins adjacent to the Owens River. Since most of the river channel has been treated, the current priority is to increase the treated acreage parallel to the river that is a potential saltcedar seed source in the LORP area.  The LADWP and the California Department of Forestry crews are continuing to pile and burn slash along the Lower Owens River channel during the cooler months of November through March.

The Saltcedar Control Program was successful in securing funding from the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB). The grant amount is $600,000 and must be spent by April, 2011.The current WCB grant will be matched dollar for dollar by LADWP.

The past Saltcedar Program Manager, Brian Cashore, decided to retire from Inyo County Water Dept. last year. Brian was instrumental in developing the Saltcedar program from the embryonic stage in the mid to late nineties to the well oiled machine it has become today. His leadership and sense of humor will be missed.

Below is a figure showing the saltcedar control progress in the north (left) and south (right) LORP area.  The green areas along the Lower Owens River have been cleared of saltcedar, a major accomplishment of the ICWD Saltcedar Control Program.  The additional saltcedar in the LORP, in red, orange, and yellow, are our next work areas.