In my last post, I talked about the Tamarisk bush that I found in the stream bed in the canyon behind my house. I was and continue to be quite concerned about it’s appearance because it is an invasive species of plant that doesn’t belong there. All I could think of at the time, was that there was nothing I could do about it plus I noticed that there were several smaller bushes that were growing in the area too.
I talked about my discovery on Facebook and also the membership site for the Southern California Native Plant Society. Some of the responses and suggestions were interesting…couldn’t I simply dig it out?
No, it’s about 10′ tall and they have very deep tap roots besides and it would probably take a backhoe to dig it out.
Another suggestion was to use Ummmm, RoundUp. sigh…no, that couldn’t be done either beside it would expose the other plants in the area surrounding this evil intruder.
In the meanwhile, I contacted the Environmental department for the City of SimiValley by email. Of course, they didn’t respond too quickly but after a lenghtly period of time, they replied and suggested I contact the California Fish and Game Department and thus, they gave me the local office. This person at the City, felt that this was not their concern, even though the area is located within the city limits and that the Fish and Game Department would be this best contact for me.
Really? The “Fish and Game” Department?
So, I called the individual that works there two weeks ago, left a message and have never heard back from him. Sigh…again…I’m assuming that due to funding issues with the State of CA the guy is probably over extended in his responsibilities and my message is considered to be not important enough to reply to; a low priority of sorts.
I’m being kind here in my comments.
I don’t ever give up on anything, especially when it is something that I feel is very important. This is the only time I have ever seen this invasive plant in the area and I think that it’s crucial to get it removed now before it spreads and then becomes impossible to remove.
I’m of the personality, that I never give up once I’ve made a decision to pursue something. I am going to call this guy again tomorrow and I will also send him an email. He can’t ignore forever….
In the meanwhile, I’m sure that some of you would also like to know how my garden is looking and any news that I have about it, right? For now I can say it looks fabulous, beautiful and wild.
