NEW MEXICO SALT CEDAR CONTROL PROJECT

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NEW MEXICO SALT CEDAR CONTROL PROJECT

• By Debbie Hughes
• New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts

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2002 Legislative Funding

• The legislative appropriation is 5 million for
  non-native phreatophytes control or 2.5 million
  on each river.
• An additional 1.2
• million was
• appropriated in 2003

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LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS

• Develop management and restoration plans
• Conduct public meetings
• Inform public when spraying begins
• Monitor and evaluate the effects of control on
  wildlife, water quality, vegetation and soil
  health
• Ensure compliance with ESA
• Provide support to ensure the successful
  completion of this project

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Management Restoration Plans

• All of the districts in the northern region of
  the Rio Grande have applied for assistance under
  the Corps 1135 program.
• Bureau of Reclamation(BOR) and Bureau of Land
  Management (BLM) are developing an Environmental
  Analysis for their lands on the Rio Grande and
  Pecos Rivers.

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Public Meetings

• Twenty-six (26) Public Meetings have been held to
  date with more planned in the future.
• Initial Meetings were to gather input on the
  plans and the follow-up meetings will be
  reporting progress.

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Monitoring

• The Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and
  Research Center has started collecting base data
  for the soils for changes in alkalinity and
  stability.
• They are doing water quality monitoring and
  collecting and evaluating water quantity changes
  using the existing USGS gauging stations on the
  Pecos River.

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More Monitoring

• Ciudad SWCD will have access to monitoring data
  obtained from observation wells installed by the
  City of Albuquerque at the Rio Grande Nature
  Center Park.
• The BLM also has rangeland monitoring data dating
  back to 1982 that can be utilized to compare
  changes in vegetation and monitor changes.

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More Monitoring

• UNM is using the BEMP method for monitoring which
  includes core weather data, Groundwater depth,
  Soil surface insect and other arthropod activity,
  and measures of forest production.
• FS Rocky Mountain Research is furnishing
  wildlife and evapotranspiration data on the Rio
  Grande through the MRGCD.

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Endangered Species

• . We have four threatened and endangered species
  involved on the Rio Grande. The Southwestern
  Willow Fly Catcher, the Rio Grande Silvery
  Minnow, the Bald Eagle, and the Least Tern.
• The Pecos River has a Pecos Sunflower that is
  endangered as well as the Pecos Bluntnose Shiner.

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24c label for Arsenal

• The New Mexico Department of Agriculture is
  also working with us to submit a request for a
  24-C label for Arsenal on the Rio Grande and we
  have already received the 24C label for the Pecos.

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Additional Funding

• 1.2 million dollars for management of non-native
  phreatophytes was appropriated during the 2003
  legislative session.
• Approximately 2 million dollars worth of
  watershed projects for 8 soil and water
  conservation districts were authorized by the
  legislature from the water trust board.About half
  of these projects include salt cedar management.
• 18 projects proposed by SWCDs in 2004

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Biological Control

• The legislature appropriated 100,000 for a pilot
  project on the Rio Grande utilizing goats for
  salt cedar control. This is to be conducted in
  the Albuquerque area in coordination with the
  Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District.
• ARS Jornada is doing the Research
• (This is re-occurring funding)

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Chinese Leaf Beetle

• USFW has just recently approved the release of
  leaf beetle in New Mexico.

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Pecos River in New Mexico- Aerial Application

• Pecos River in New Mexico-
• Aerial Application
• 9,100 acres
• 184.57 Miles of River
• 43.67 miles Eddy County
• 53.8 miles Chaves County
• 55.4 miles DeBaca County
• 31.7 miles Guadalupe County
• 409 Landowners

• 9,100 acres
• 184.57 Miles of River
• 43.67 miles Eddy County
• 53.8 miles Chaves County
• 55.4 miles DeBaca County
• 31.7 miles Guadalupe County
• 409 Landowners

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Removing trees
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Cut Stump Completed 2003

• 10 acres- Valencia SWCD
• 41 acres- Santa Fe Pojoaque SWCD
• 29.9 acres - Sierra SWCD
• 35 acres La Union SWCD
• 37 acres Upper Hondo SWCD
• 20.17 acres- Carlsbad SWCD
• Total 174 acres? 1,900-3,100 per acre

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Federal Partnerships

• MOU signed with BOR to do aerial treatment on the
  Pecos and Rio Grande
• BLM cooperating on both rivers furnishing funds
  and herbicide on the Rio Grande.
• USFW Service working with us on 24c labeling and
  EAs
• They also conducted a site visit in MeKinley
  County and determined that the proposed project
  site does not contain breeding habitat for the
  southwestern willow flycatchers.

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Projects in other locations

• SWCDs in Northeastern NM are using herbicide and
  goats to work on the Ute Creek Watershed. They
  received 266,000 from the water trust board.
• They are matching funds with CRP.
• McKinley SWCD has applied for 979,600 from the
  water trust board to treat portions of the Rio
  Puerco.

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Mechanical Planned 2003-2004

• Ciudad SWCD 100 acres Rio Grande Nature Center,
  2 acres Hispanic Cultural Center, City of Rio
  Rancho
• Santa Fe Pojoaque SWCD Pojoaque Irrigation
  District, Pojoaque Pueblo
• East Rio Arriba 23 landowners on Acequias and
  Land Grant
• Coronado City of Bernalillo, Sandia Santo
  Domingo Pueblos

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Cut-Stump or Ground Planned

• Tierra Y Montes SWCD 5-6 acres
• Central Valley SWCD -514 acres
• Penasco SWCD 50 acres
• Valencia SWCD Several 5-10 acres plots for
  various mechanical methods.

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Tribal Participation

• Laguna and Isleta Pueblos have signed up
  approximately 6000 acres for aerial treatment
• Isleta Pueblo is paying for 355 acres on their
  land.
• The Sandia Pueblo will have cut-stump treatment
  started and the Santa Domingo Pueblo will have
  aerial treatment.
• Pojoaque Pueblo is participating on 20 acres for
  cut-stump treatment.

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Collaborative Forest Restoration Program

• Sierra SWCD received a grant for 310,000 for
  thinning in the city of T or C.
• Valencia SWCD received a grant to thin
  non-natives in the towns of Belen, Los Lunas, and
  Tome for 450,000.
• MRGCD has also received some of this funding for
  other areas of the Rio Grande.

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Aerial Planned 2003

• Pecos 7,752 signed up (not including
  BORFunding for 4,750 acres
• Northern Rio Grande- 6,580 signed up Funding for
  1,500 acres plus
• Southern Rio Grande 4,500 acres budgeted for
  2003 funding 10,901 signed up

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More Legislation

• Legislation that allows for a corporate income
  tax credit for companies utilizing biomass
  including salt cedar passed and became law.

A new law instructs Energy Minerals and Natural
Resources Department (EMNRD) to develop a
comprehensive watershed strategy that sets
guidelines for state and federal management
agencies and political subdivisions, including
soil and water conservation districts. The
strategy shall focus on removing the woody
vegetation, particularly non-native species of
phreatophytes, that consumes excessive amounts of
water and reestablishing the natural ecology of
NM.
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Future Opportunities

• Funding that directs 10 of the bonding capacity
  of Severance Tax Funds to be invested and
  earmarked specifically for the water project fund
  was passed by the legislature. Approximately 14
  million dollars is be available in this fund this
  year, but districts will have to compete with
  other entities for funding.

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How can USGS help?

• Revegetation of riparian areas will be a
  challenge
• Soil health monitoring
• Ground water monitoring
• Surface water monitoring
• Wildlife monitoring