The Distribution of the Non-Native Plant Salsola Soda in San Francisco Bay: Summary of a Thesis by Judi Tamasi
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CalEPPC A quarterly publication News of the California Exotic Pest Plant Council Volume 6 Number 3 Summer 1998 IN THIS ISSUE Presidents Message by Mike Pitcairn .................... p. 3 The Distribution of Salsola soda in San Francisco Bay by Judi Tamasit ................... p. 4 Starr Ranch Sanctuary Artichoke Conference by Mike Kelly ...................... p. 6 Extension Toxicology Network (ExToxNet) as a Source of Pesticide Toxicology Information by Joe DiTomaso ................ p. 8 Locations and degree of presence of Salsola soda throughout San Francisco Bay. Map designed by A. N. Cohen, 1989. CalEPPC News Who We Are 1998 CalEPPC Officers and CalEPPC NEWS is published quarterly Board Members by the California Exotic Pest Plant Officers Council, a non-profit organization. The President Mike Pitcairn email: <[email protected]> objects of the organization are to: Vice-president Greg Archbald email: <[email protected]> Secretary John Randall email: <[email protected]> j provide a focus for issues and Treasurer Sally Davis email: <[email protected]> concerns regarding exotic pest Past-president Ann Howald email: <[email protected]> plants in California; At-large Board Members j facilitate communication and the Joe Balciunas* email: <[email protected]> exchange of information regarding Cameron Barrows* email: <[email protected]> all aspects of exotic pest plant Carl Bell* email: <[email protected]> Joe DiTomaso* email: <[email protected]> control and management; Steve Harris* email: <[email protected]> Jo Kitz email: <[email protected]> j provide a forum where all interested Anne Knox email: <[email protected]> parties may participate in meetings Brenda Ouwerkerk email: <[email protected]> and share in the benefits from the Ellie Wagner email: <[email protected]> information generated by this Peter Warner email: <[email protected]> * Board Members whose terms expire December 31, 1998 council; Working Group Chairpersons j promote public understanding regarding exotic pest plants and Arundo Nelroy Jackson 909.279.7787 [email protected] their control; Artichoke thistle Mike Kelly 619.566.6489 [email protected] Brooms Karen Haubensak Cape ivy Greg Archbald 415.561.3034, x3425 [email protected] j serve as an advisory council regard- Cortaderial Joe DiTomaso 530.754.8715 [email protected] ing funding, research, management Euphorbia terracinaJo Kitz 818.346.9675 [email protected] and control of exotic pest plants; Fennel Jennifer Erskin 530.753.8193 [email protected] Lepidium Joel Trumbo 916.358.2952 j facilitate action campaigns to Saltcedar Bill Neill 281.287.5246 Spartina Steve Jones monitor and control exotic pest Veldtrass Dave Chipping 805.528.0362 [email protected] plants in California; and Volunteers Pete Halloran Yellow starthistle Mike Pitcairn 916.262.2049 [email protected] j review incipient and potential pest plant management problems and Editor Sally Davis 32912 Calle del Tesoro, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 ph: 949.487.5427 email: [email protected] activities and provide relevant information to interested parties. CalEPPCs web site: http://www.caleppc.org Submission Dates for CalEPPC News If you would like to submit a news item, an article, a meeting announcement, or job opportunity for publication in the CalEPPC News, they must be received by the deadlines listed below. Editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. Send your text/disk/email to editors address above. Submission Dates: Spring April 15 Fall October 15 Summer July 15 Winter January 15 Please Note: The articles contained herein were contributed to the CalEPPC newsletter. The California Exotic Pest Plant Council is a These articles represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily California 501(c)3 non-profit, public benefit reflect the views of CalEPPC. Although herbicide recommendations may corporation organized to provide a focus for issues and concerns regarding exotic pest plants in have been reviewed in contributed articles, CalEPPC does not guarantee California, and is recognized under federal and their accuracy with regard to efficacy, safety, or legality. state tax laws a qualified donee for tax deducible charitable contributions. Page 2 Summer 1998 CalEPPC News Presidents Message by Mike Pitcairn everal interesting discussions activities; and we put on an annual tion of native plant community. No Shave occurred during the last few symposium where experts in plant progress is made if one plant is CalEPPC board meetings concern- biology and control methods present removed and another invasive exotic ing the topics to be presented at the most current information on takes its place. Thus, exotic weed CalEPPCs Symposium 98 which these topics. Scientific studies and control must be incorporated in a will be held in Ontario, October 2-4, reports on the damage caused by weed management strategy that 1998. The discussions centered encourages the return of native around what information would best The goals of species and prevents the reinvasion serve our membership. I will try to CalEPPC have been of exotics. summarize some of our conclusions, 2) Safety is critical for all control but first some background. primarily educational methods. Some control methods risk Some (not all) exotic plants are and twofold: to get damage to other plant species, aggressive invaders that escape others risk damage to the applica- areas in which they were originally the word out and to tors. Chain saws should be used with intended and invade native plant provide informa- appropriate protective gear and communities. Upon invasion, these proper training. Herbicides are exotic plants displace native flora tion... should be applied with appropriate and disrupt ecosystem function. equipment and protective clothing, They can change nutrient cycling some exotic plants are being pub- etc. Organization and identification and moisture regimes. They can lished annually and this information of duties are critical to reduce risk to change the frequency of fire or even is passed on to you as it becomes volunteers in field crews. introduce fire into areas it has not available. Control methodology 3) The control methods used historically existed (e.g. the occur- encompasses several different must be science-based and shown to rence of exotic annuals in the technologies: releasing living organ- be effective. There are so many Mojave Desert). The threat of these isms with biological control; using weeds and so little time. Lets make exotic species is so great that they controlled burns; coordinating crews the most of our efforts. This is not need to be removed, eradicated, or who remove plants with chain saws to say that experimenting with new at least controlled lest we lose the and hand tools; and applying chemi- methods or unique combinations of diversity of our native plant commu- cal herbicides. Information on traditional methods should not be nities and the integrity of native control methodology is limited, but utilized, for they should. We do ask, ecosystems. growing. however, that the methods used and When CalEPPC was organized Control methodology is a very results achieved be documented so in the early 1990s, knowledge of large and diverse topic and the that effectiveness can be evaluated. the threat and damage caused by CalEPPC board has discussed at 4) While not all control methods some exotic plant species was length what information would best are appropriate for all weeds and all confined to a few experts, and serve our members. Several views situations, the choice of control methods for controlling these plants on many diverse aspects of plant method cannot be made before the was sorely lacking. Since its incep- control have been expressed in these habitat is examined and a control tion, the goals of CalEPPC have discussions. Still, a consensus ap- strategy is developed (see 1 above). been primarily educational and pears to occur on several points CalEPPC will provide as much twofold: to get the word out about which I will do my best to summa- information as possible for all the threat of some exotic plants to rize: control methods. The final decision native plant communities, and to 1) Control of an exotic pest rests upon those responsible for the provide information on how to plant must be considered in the project. eradicate or control them. For this, larger context of the habitat and The theme for Symposium 98 we have produced a plant list identi- ecosystem where the control activity is Working Smarter, Working fying the most invasive exotics; we will take place. The goal of control- Together. This should be a very have a newsletter providing informa- ling exotic plants is not just removal interesting and enlightening sympo- tion on plant biology and control of the target weed but also restora- sium. I hope to see all of you there. j Summer 1998 Page 3 CalEPPC News The Distribution of the Non-Native Plant Salsola soda in San Francisco Bay: Summary of a Thesis by Judi Tamasi determined the distribution of a County Recreation Area, and at found at the crossing of Pinole Creek, I non-native plant, Salsola soda, the south end of San Francisco the railroad tracks, and the adjacent throughout marshes in San Fran- Bay at the Palo Alto Yacht Harbor. wetland. At this location, S. soda was cisco Bay for my senior Environmen- I did not find it at several locations the dominant plant in large densities tal Sciences honors thesis at the I visited in the less salty waters of covering a large area along a dry University of California at Berkeley. Suisun Bay, although two people levee. Here, S. soda may have altered Although some sightings of the plant did report finding it there (Preston, the vegetative structure of the ecosys- in the Bay had been officially re- 1995, pers. comm.; Witham, tem, and perhaps influenced this ported before my project, my paper 1995, pers. comm.). ecosystem in other unknown ways.