Panel seeks input on fighting invasive species

PHOENIX - Arizona needs a faster, better-coordinated effort to fight invasive plants and animals and should do more to educate the public about the threat, members of the Arizona Invasive Species Advisory Council said Monday.

Beginning today (Tuesday) in Yuma, the council will begin public meetings across Arizona to gather feedback on draft recommendations for a comprehensive invasive species action plan. The group plans to finalize its proposals by June 30.

Today's hearing takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Yuma County Cooperative Extension, 2200 W. 28th St., Suite 102.

Ed Northam, a council member and president of the Southwest Vegetation Management Association, a statewide organization that promotes awareness of the invasive species threat, said the problem could worsen as the state continues to grow.

"People are coming in and out of Arizona all the time, and the potential for them bringing something new in is very high," Northam said. "We've got a history of 120, 130 years of non-native plants coming into the state, and now we're beginning to see some of those were mistakes."

Invasive animals and plants can harm the environment and the economy and threaten human health. Their effects can be widespread and devastating.

African buffelgrass, which is spreading in the desert of southern Arizona, grows quickly and burns at such a high temperature that the thing most likely to grow back is more buffelgrass.

The quagga mussel reproduces rapidly and consumes large amounts of the phytoplankton at the bottom of the food chain. The mussel has been found in lakes along the Colorado River, in the Central Arizona Project canal and in Lake Pleasant north of Phoenix.

The state has already spent more than $700,000 over the past two years fighting the glassy-winged sharpshooter, an insect that threatens the wineries of southern Arizona by spreading a type of destructive bacteria.

"In California, that one bug hurt the state's economy by hundreds of millions of dollars," said Ed Hermes, spokesman for the Arizona Department of Agriculture, which is a leader on the council. "Just by investing some money up front we can avoid that type of devastation."

Gov. Janet Napolitano created the council by executive order in 2005 and made it permanent last year, just after the quagga mussel was found in Arizona.

The council's plan calls for more cooperation among state, local and federal agencies, and among ranchers, landowners, universities and other interests. It also encourages state agencies to establish a hub for invasive species management and research.

Fred Amator, a council member who represented the Arizona Crop Protection Association, said the center would help the public learn more about invasive species.

"There is a lot of data out there on some of these different invasive species, but they haven't really reached the public, nor have they reached some of the agencies that may be able to help," Amator said.

Another recommendation would provide $1 million to help agencies fight harmful plants or animals as soon as they're detected.

That money is unlikely to come from the Legislature anytime soon because of the state's budget deficit, Hermes said.

"We don't have the option of hiring more staff to deal with this increasing problem," Hermes said. "We need to look at what we have and do more."

Northam said the funding could come through federal grants, private donors or non-governmental organizations.

He said the key is getting a handle on the problem before it spins out of control. This could help avoid the spread of diseases that non-native animals first brought here and later transmitted to humans, such as West Nile virus, he said.

"There's a lot of diseases that can come in through the Third World that we typically don't have to worry about here," Northam said. "You just ignore that, you're leaving the door wide open for something that would be much cheaper to prevent than cure later on."

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EXAMPLES OF INVASIVE SPECIES IN ARIZONA:

- Tamarisk - Native to the Middle East, these trees, also called salt cedars, grow in dense formations, crowding out native species that provided habitat for wildlife. Also, the tree increases soil salinity, reducing the establishment of native willow and cottonwood seedlings.

- Buffelgrass - Introduced as livestock forage, buffelgrass is typically found in open areas and along trails and washes in the desert. The plant grows quickly and densely, crowding out native species and helping to spread wildfires. It also fiercely competes for water while its roots and ground shading prevent the germination of native plant seeds. Native to Africa.

- Quagga mussel - This thumbnail-size invader has caused millions of dollars worth of damage in the Great Lakes region. Found recently in Lake Mead, Lake Mohave and Lake Havasu, it breeds rapidly and can clog water intakes and damage piers and boats. It also can wreck ecosystems. Native to Eastern Europe.

- Crayfish - Brought to Arizona as fishing bait and for vegetation control, its tremendous appetite - which includes a taste for fish, frogs, reptiles and snails - is damaging water ecosystems. There are 500 species worldwide, none native to Arizona.

- Red brome - This aggressive grass forms a thick carpet and is highly flammable when it dries out in the summer. Native to Europe and Eurasia.

- American bullfrog - With a huge appetite and tastes that include reptiles, fish, other amphibians and even small birds and mammals, bullfrogs have few predators and can displace native species. Native to North America east of the Rockies.

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Source: Arizona Invasive Species Advisory Council