Invasive Species

[air]

Sad there will be more Saguaros in Tucson burned/killed.
This absolutely should not be at lower elevations but non natives grasses / cattle turned much of the catalina foothills into a prairie.
4th of july A Mountain fiasco and Mercer fire were two relatively recent examples around here.
Pontatoc seems to have burned completely and that has so many Saguaro sitting in grass fields and Ventana has large buffelgrass patches - I avoid Pontatoc because its so chock full of weeds its disgusting and the trail up to maiden pools in Ventana is similarly disgusting.
As if climate change wasn't enough stress on the Saguaro.
The fire retardants being used to save all the foothills mansions promote the re-growth of mainly non native grasses and they are already coming back after a fire very well.
So much destruction caused by the introduction of cattle to the desert and accelerating climate change too - I quit eating meat years ago and volunteer for invasive species monitoring and removal efforts while maintaining a career and running goals no problem - people in Phoenix don't let this happen to your Saguaros.

[Mountain_Rat]

@Jim_H
Yes, I know. I just happened on this as it started yesterday and it's really a thing with me. It just seems to me that people spend far too much time and energy looking for the bad and are left with no time seeing the good. How wonderful a life we have if these are our biggest problems.

Well that concludes my rant and involvement here.

[Jim]

@Mountain_Rat
This?

I'll side with the eradication folks there, even if in 100 years it proves moot as.....

You misinterpreted that wrong. I'm saying I advocate for trying. The, "if", part as a hypothetical for 100 years from now merely demonstrates that I think people should try, even there is a chance it won't matter. I do not think all is lost nor did I intend to convey that. The problem of homeless vets is a real one, as is homelessness for men in general.
I see you are, "out" now, so..happy trails.


@outdoor_lover I agree, which was why in my post that was a response to Air, I talked about triaging out the Pusch in favor of other areas. I mean, if Pontatoc Canyon, Table, and other places are lost and beyond an intelligent return on the investment of resources to attempt control or eradication, it is more intelligent to favor other areas like Saguaro East.

Continued management is something which I also prefer, since a drive down US 89 south of Flagstaff last week had me drive by some ponderosa pine stands thinned in 2009. No fire or other work since, and a lovely thick carpet of seedlings is now about a meter high, and soon will be a great dog hair thicket. Those are natives, btw. I've bored the site endlessly on the subject of my beliefs on active management. See my thoughts on wilderness, for more insight into why I favor management in general.

[gummo]

@azbackpackr
Okay. Thanks for clearing that up

[azbackpackr]

@gummo
Watch for me to be at Cibola next winter. Or not. I'm going to apply to be a volunteer. Fingers crossed!

[outdoor_lover]

@azbackpackr
Oooo, that would be a great spot for winter volunteering!

[azbackpackr]

@outdoor_lover
I visited there in February, talked to them, and picked up an application. It's a perfect gig for a fulltime RVer/tour guide like me. I was told it may take a couple years of applying to get in, though.

[gummo]

@azbackpackr
Sweet! Love that place!

[air]

Not sure why this post was moved off the discussion about the fire - see this relevant piece:
"Invasive buffelgrass may have helped Bighorn Fire take out saguaros - Saguaros, which usually don't burn, exploded into flames" - https://tucson.com/news/local/invasive- ... 63ea4.html
Besides having lots of info about the situation down here - it mentions that the largest buffelgrass patches are near the edges of the foothills - ever see the giant buffelgrass patch on the slopes of Mt. Miguel while going up Esperero trail? That is private property.
Would it be too much to ask that people who own property in the foothills maintain the land? They do have the funds obviously. Or perhaps part of their HOA help fund forest service crews.
Who is going to be putting their lives at risk saving those homes? Firefighters who should not be there in the first place because the lower desert should not be burning ever.
Just want to add that I barely even scratch the surface of what many volunteers in Tucson accomplish - they are a big part of my inspiration.
Lots more people pitching in would be great but also as the article points out more funding to support larger efforts and I think including helicopter spraying needs to happen now or just get used to this happening more.
So you can go along with the anti-science/anti-intellectual cult and just hope things work out ok or you can actually make a difference - more and more people are helping and younger people especially and contrary to some opinions the practices are working - we just have a lack of people who are willing to fight for the desert.

[LindaAnn]

Wow, when South Mountain burns, you all are going to blame me because every house I’ve ever owned in Ahwatukee has bordered the preserve, and I’ve ripped out every native plant from the yards as soon as I moved in and re-did the yards with decidedly non-native plants. Grass everywhere!

[Mountain_Rat]

@air
I don't consider myself "anti-science/anti-intellectual" because I don't use Tucson News as a source of accepted science. That is where I go for an opinion that was formed, then twisted, then condensed with the ultimate goal of selling soap. Some reporter says the buffelgrass "may have helped" take out saguaros... and it's all of a sudden accepted science, and if you don't believe it, you're as evil as the buffelgrass itself. As someone who has bathed in science all my life, I'm pretty confident that there is a little bit more to the scientific method than scooping news. On the other hand, I have read a study or two, and seen first hand how the eradication efforts DO make a heavy contribution to erosion, sadly in the soil types most frequented by the buffelgrass.

[Mountain_Rat]

@LindaAnn
Hey! Welcome to the cult.