DRAFT BUFFELGRASS ACTION PLAN FOR SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ARIZONA

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Invasive plant species are increasing their foothold in Arizona with serious consequences for natural resources and regional economies. Effective mitigation requires the support and cooperation of the public, private and business sectors to undertake prioritization, careful planning, and timely execution of control and eradication efforts.

Of particular concern is buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare), a fire-prone African perennial grass that is spreading rapidly across the desert landscapes of southern and central Arizona (Pima, Maricopa, Pinal, Gila, La Paz and Santa Cruz Counties). Buffelgrass is spreading exponentially: both the expansion and the costs of mitigation are doubling every year. Immediate action is needed to reverse this trend. If a comprehensive and effective effort to control buffelgrass is not initiated prior to the 2007 monsoon season, the spread of buffelgrass will have serious and long-term consequences including:

• Escalating fire risks in what used to be a fireproof and maintenance-free desert landscape
• Mounting threats to prominent national parks, forest land, and conservation properties
• Rapid conversion of Sonoran Desert ecosystem to an African grass-dominated ecosystem
• Threats to viewscapes and landscapes at popular tourist destinations

The 2007 summer monsoon season represents a critical threshold event. Already, buffelgrass has become widely established in southern and central Arizona. With each passing year, the reservoir of buffelgrass plants and resultant seed production increases exponentially, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of ever-expanding buffelgrass infestation. The immediate need is to reduce the existing reservoir of buffelgrass to the greatest extent possible. The long-term need is to map, prioritize and remove buffelgrass throughout this area, and to maintain vigilance to prevent it from becoming widely reestablished. The major actions below should be undertaken immediately and should be conducted simultaneously. These actions need to be sustained over time to prevent the inexorable conversion of Sonoran Desert to African grassland, as has occurred in many parts of Mexico.

ACTION 1: PUBLIC SECTOR COORDINATION

GOAL: Gain governmental prioritization of buffelgrass as an imminent and substantial threat that needs immediate action

• Identify a designated buffelgrass liaison from each jurisdiction to spearhead developing support for buffelgrass control within that jurisdiction
• Prepare an example letter justifying an increase in budget and an allocation of staff for buffelgrass control within a jurisdiction
• Provide information on costs for differing treatments, scheduling needs, permit needs, and other key elements needed by jurisdictions to undertake control efforts
• Prepare an example letter from affected stakeholders and community members to submit to jurisdictions encouraging buffelgrass control, determine appropriate vehicle for distributing this letter
• Prepare and present briefings for jurisdiction representatives to build awareness of the buffelgrass problem
• Request placement of the buffelgrass issue on the agenda of appropriate meetings
• Mobilize staff, stakeholders and community members to attend jurisdiction meetings to publicly comment on the buffelgrass problem
• Develop the language of a buffelgrass-control resolution
• Pursue adoption of the buffelgrass-control resolution at each local jurisdiction affected by buffelgrass spread
• Develop language for codes and standards that specify the threat, assessment protocols, eradication protocols and eradication schedules that jurisdictions can follow to maintain on-going buffelgrass control.

2. PRIVATE SECTOR COORDINATION

GOAL: Provide the private sector with the awareness and skills necessary to respond to the buffelgrass threat

• Identify stakeholders among the private sector who could act as liaisons to organized groups working with the buffelgrass issue.
• Prepare and present briefings to companies to build awareness of the buffelgrass problem and address the role they can play in combating it.
• Develop mechanism whereby the private sector can assist with assessment and mapping efforts or buffelgrass.
• Develop standard buffelgrass control protocols, example scopes of work, and suggested quality standards for contractors who may conduct buffelgrass control work.
• Establish a training program to provide instruction on identification of plants and application of herbicide by the contracting community.

3. COMMUNITY COORDINATION

GOAL: Engage the support and energy of the community-at-large in assisting with mapping and control of buffelgrass

• Create Community Buffelgrass and Fountain Grass Education Kit, distribute to all agencies and organizations, and make available to the community.
• Develop "Train-the-trainers" program to expand our ability to educate the community.
• Identify network of agency and organization staff who are working with invasive species and community volunteers.
• Identify stakeholders among the broad community who could act as liaisons to organized groups addressing the buffelgrass issue.
• Use the Community Buffelgrass and Fountain Grass Education Kit materials to present information to community groups to build awareness of the buffelgrass problem and address the role they can play in combating it.
• Develop inter-jurisdictional protocols and agreements enabling volunteers to gain permission and access to sites to remove buffelgrass.
• Provide training to grassroots buffelgrass removal groups, using training materials from the Community Buffelgrass and Fountain Grass Education Kit.
• Inform grassroots groups of liability insurance coverage availability in varying jurisdictions and provide them with supplies, maps, and other support as needed.
• Organize grassroots buffelgrass removal groups modeled after or expanding upon Sonoran Desert Weedwackers.
• Establish a buffelgrass "Adopt-an-Area" program to focus cleanup efforts and gain recognition for local group efforts.

4. COMMUNICATION

GOAL: Assist with activation and mobilization of buffelgrass control efforts by disseminating accurate and timely information about the buffelgrass threat and control efforts

• Establish a website that allows individuals and groups to establish and maintain on-going information exchange about buffelgrass control, including the extent of local infestation, appropriate control techniques, schedule and locations of local organizations' control efforts, and, progress in removal of buffelgrass.
• Identify and contact local media outlets to determine opportunities for buffelgrass outreach on TV and Radio community affairs forums.
• Print and distribute an anti-buffelgrass bumper sticker.
• Ensure that community-based control efforts are publicized (e.g., local groups issuing a standardized press release to advise of control events).
• Establish a technical liaison to communicate with the public about the implications of chemical treatment and general safety precautions during chemical treatment.

5. RECORD, MAP AND MONITOR BUFFELGRASS

GOAL: Support buffelgrass control efforts by documenting and mapping the extent and location of buffelgrass infestation, treatment efforts, results of treatment, and additional research needs

• Determine which agency or institution will manage buffelgrass data related to observations, treatments, and monitoring.
• Conduct an annual survey of buffelgrass spread.
• Establish a GIS mapping layer showing buffelgrass concentrations, and update this annually or continuously with the development of AZ-ISMap (see below) for urban, rural, and backcountry areas.
• Formalize on-the-ground protocols for mapping infestations, treatment, and monitoring; distribute this information and train observers to undertake mapping.
• Document the current distribution and spread of buffelgrass with adequate specificity to enable prioritization of affected areas needing treatment.
• Coordinate mapping between jurisdictions in concert with the Mobilization Team.
• Compile data on locations of past, ongoing, and planned treatment, labor costs, time invested, and materials costs for buffelgrass treatments, and document the success of these efforts.
• Develop on-going descriptions of research needs.
• Establish a network of GIS specialists and data managers of involved jurisdictions.
• Obtain sufficient funds, people and data to ensure Arizona Invasive Species Map (AZ_ISMAP) is developed.
• Establish network of researchers and land managers involved in remote sensing of buffelgrass to facilitate the exchange of applicable scholarly research and practical hands-on methods for monitoring buffelgrass using remote sensing.
• Establish guidelines for land managers and volunteer coordinators to manage and prioritize monitoring efforts in a cross-jurisdictional framework.
• Coordinate monitoring efforts between jurisdictions in concert with the Mobilization Team.
• Provide baseline specification documents for land managers and volunteers to conduct mapping, treatment, and monitoring such that efforts conducted across the board will have a core minimum of common attributes and common methods.
• Provide a set of recommendations for increasing mapping capacity in southern and central Arizona.
• Provide a set of recommendations on how the Governor's office, Pima County, and any other decision-making body can effectively support local mapping and data management efforts.

6. RESPONSE MOBILIZATION - YEAR 1

GOAL: Establish a short-term central coordinating center to help prepare for, prioritize and track buffelgrass control efforts

• Determine priority areas for buffelgrass control.
• Develop sequence of treatment needed to address priority areas for plant control.
• Develop typical schedule and procedure to obtain permits and clearances needed for buffelgrass removal, and undertake permit applications, as needed.
• Design and implement a mechanical control program to implement over the next 12 months.
• Design and implement a chemical control program to implement over the next 12 months, timed to green-out windows for the grass.
• Revise existing protocol for mechanical plant removal into user-friendly Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to pass on to those who need it.
• Revise existing protocol for chemical treatment into user-accessible SOP to pass onto those who need it.
• Assist in coordinating on-the-ground work and providing technical support, if requested.
• Address fire suppression needs, and work closely with fire stations to inform them of vulnerable locations.

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