Why this guidebook?
- Plants from around the world are invading our lakes,
ponds, streams, sloughs, bays and wetlands. Some of these invasions
cause serious economic and ecological problems: marinas get clogged
with water hyacinth—stream sides get choked with ivy and
tamarisk—native plants and animals become threatened or endangered.
Local efforts can greatly help solve these problems. These guidelines
are designed to help identify, prevent, and control the most serious
plant invasions.
- A recurrent theme in this guidebook is that prevention and
early intervention is by far the best way to control invasive plants.
Invasive plants often establish themselves and flourish while those people
who could have identified the fledgling invasion and made a critical
early intervention stand idle, because they lack familiarity with the
plants, control techniques, and the trouble that lies ahead if the invasion
is allowed to continue.
- This guidebook's goal is to provide you with information to
take action against non-native plant invasions. Early detection of
invasions can save vast amounts of labor and money. Prudent land
managers and their staff will be familiar with all of these species, make
control plans for existing invasions, and actively look for new arrivals.
Who should read this book?
- Anyone can use this book to identify serious plant invasions
in aquatic and wetland habitats of the San Francisco Bay-Delta
and watershed. Natural resource managers, ranchers and farmers,
marina and resort operators, duck club owners and reservoir managers
can use these guidelines to learn about methods for preventing
and controlling the invasions, and to contact government agencies
and support groups that can provide further assistance. The
guidebook's minimal use of botanical terminology increases readability for all.
Why these plants?
- These plants are considered by Bay-Delta invasive plant
experts to represent some of the most significant threats to Bay and
Delta waterways and wetlands.
Acknowledgments
- This guidebook was created by Michael May, Cristina Grosso, and Josh Collins at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, and made possible with funding and support from the CALFED Bay-Delta Authority and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Many thanks to the Guidebook review team:
Deanne DiPietro, Sonoma State University
Ben Greenfield, San Francisco Estuary Institute<
Mike Vasey, San Francisco State University
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SFEI greatly appreciates the use of photography from the following institutions:
The University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu
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The Nature Conservancy Wildland Invasive Species Team
http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu
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The San Francisco Estuary Invasive Spartina Project
http://www.spartina.org
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Forestry Images. A joint project between Bugwood Network and the USDA Forest Service.
http://www.forestryimages.org
- Title bar photo ©1998, Vic Ramey, University of Florida
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