COURTESY PHOTO
Volunteers included WRA President Shawn Welder, John and Mary Taylor (organizers), Bob Mosher, and (not pictured) Deirdre Macnab and Dr. Bob Dorsett.
RBC I White River Alliance members created a loud chainsaw concert as they got to work felling, girdling, and applying herbicide to the fast spreading and thirsty invasive Russian olive as they worked to clear these invasive trees from another property in Meeker starting behind the Vet Clinic.
One of the goals of the White River Alliance is to educate the community about this non-native species that is invading the pastures along the White River in the Meeker area, and to work with land owners to prevent its spread in our valuable river corridor. Shawn Welder, president of the White River Alliance says, “We appreciate the area landowners who are supporting our efforts to make progress on this goal. It is important to prevent Russian olive invasion so that cottonwoods, willows and other native riparian species can thrive, maintain a healthy plant community along the White River.”
“These trees are hard to kill,” said Welder, “and we are working to both educate the public and actually clear these aggressive invasive species from expanding their reach, thus bringing more attention to the matter.”
The White River Alliance (WRA) held its September meeting and heard from Liz Chandler, the coordinator for the White River Integrated Management Initiative about the work they are doing on analyzing the riparian health along the White River from its headwaters to the Utah border, as well as evaluating various diversions and pumps along the river in concert with area landowners.
The WRA is also continuing its work on healthier pest management practices and researching what other communities in Colorado do to diminish the mosquito population while maintaining a healthy watershed and environment for the health of their citizens. Attendance at WRA meetings is open to the general public and speakers are generally invited each month to help members learn more about issues and best practices relating to rivers and watersheds.
http://whiteriveralliance.net/
PRESS RELEASE | Special to the Herald Times
