News : Species Specific News
Tamarisk Eradication Groups Take on Invader
October 10, 2007 -- Wearing hard hats, heavy gloves and work boots, two teens and one young adult struggled Thursday to keep their footing on the steep banks of the Colorado River.
Of the three, Molly Magnuson, 26, wearing safety goggles, had the biggest smile on her face — she was holding the chain saw. “We have a 90 percent kill rate,” she said with a smile and a hearty “rrrrr” of the chain saw.
The group, associated with the Western Colorado Conservation Corps, was slashing its way through thick gobs of water-hungry tamarisk. The nonnative species has gained a strong foothold in western Colorado, thriving along the banks of rivers, cluttering shorelines and killing native species. Read the full story to get the details.
"This will be no small project," Mesa County Commissioner Steve Acquafresca said. "The partners envision about a $7 million project that will take place over several years."
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