Arundo Control & Riparian Restoration in the Nueces Basin.

A battle against an invasive plant is being fought and won by a group of aware, active landowners, a diverse team of volunteers, experts from state and federal programs, and key contracting partners – with massive coordination and leadership coming from the Nueces River Authority under the guidance of Sky Jones-Lewey, NRA’s Resource Protection and Education Director.

Pull. Kill. Plant. refers to a three-pronged multi-year collaborative Project to control an invasive plant (Arundo donax) that was beginning to take over riparian areas within the Nueces Basin, particularly on the upper Nueces and Sabinal Rivers.

Arundo donax is a water-loving cane that forms thick colonies growing to more than 20 feet in height. Arundo sprouts from nodes at joints of the stalk to form a compact mass of interconnected fibrous roots and dense stalks, often creating an impenetrable wall of vegetation. In the early spring of 2010 several Riparian Network Landowners began noticing an explosive expansion of Arundo on their land and called NRA for help. The Arundo Control Project was developed in response.

The Project has a three-year plan to implement strategies and study the results within the defined Project Areas that include both Nueces and Sabinal River segments. Control methodologies within all project areas involve three key activities hand pulling new sprouts (PULL), herbicide applications targeting Arundo donax (KILL), and restoration of riparian function through efforts to propagate and plant native, beneficial riparian plants (PLANT).

PULL.
New Arundo sprouts are best removed by hand pulling. When placed on dry ground out of the river channel, these new sprouts quickly desiccate and become non-viable.

KILL.
Only one herbicide has proven completely effective in killing Arundo donax in limited experiments on the Nueces river. The systemic herbicide Habitat ™ containing the plant amino acid blocker Imazapyr is approved for aquatic environments.

PLANT.
The restoration of native riparian plant communities is an important final goal of the Project. As Arundo colonies die, the treated plants should not be removed for risk of stimulating a re-growth of Arundo. Dead Arundo clumps with their sword like stalks and rich with trapped sediments can serve as an ideal protected nursery for new riparian plants to thrive. NRA is working with landowners to make good use of these dead clumps by supporting the planting of native riparian trees.

Project Arundo Control is a landowner-driven approach that involves a community volunteer effort, with support from state, federal and foundation partners designed to effectively halt the Arundo invasion and reverse the damage already incurred.

For more information contact Sky Jones-Lewey