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Summary Report
Tamarisk-Russian Olive Partnership Coordination Meeting
Wyndham Hotel, Albuquerque, New Mexico
August 27-28, 2003
Meeting Summary for Participants
Meeting Chair: Frank D’Erchia, USGS Central Region
Meeting Coordinators: Leanne Hanson & Pat Shafroth, USGS Fort Collins Science Center
Recorder: Juliette Wilson, USGS Fort Collins Science Center/JCI
The USGS Central Regional Office hosted this meeting to (1) learn about land and water management agency problems, activities, and science needs concerning tamarisk and Russian-olive, (2) present USGS activities and capabilities that could address those science needs, and (3) develop a strategy to work together and address research needs on Tamarisk and Russian olive in New Mexico.
This meeting had four components:
Identify partner and customer science needs: Presentations by partners and customers and discussion
Identify USGS capabilities: Presentations by USGS and discussion
Discuss how to address the major needs (as determined from the previous day’s presentations and discussions): Topical breakout groups identify and prioritize needs in five science-need areas, then suggest possible existing or new-start demonstration project sites for further work to address the identified needs. The five topics were control, mapping, restoration/revegetation, water salvage, and wildlife.
Identify future activities: Meeting summary and wrap-up; next steps
NOTE: A Word file of meeting flip charts, participant list, and the PowerPoint presentations will be available on a website (http://biology.usgs.gov/cro/invasives)
Meeting Wrap-up and Summary
Larry Ludke Remarks
To review the meeting purposes,
We wanted to ensure that the USGS understands and addresses the needs of land and water resource managers with regard to tamarisk and Russian-olive control and management.
Given the opportunity, we wanted to ensure that we work with partners to "provide good science and do the right science" to ensure that it’s relevant.
In Phase I, we listened to natural resource managers identify activities, major concerns, gaps in data/info/knowledge required for sound management decisions. Then USGS presented a summary of our past and on-going work and capabilities related to tamarisk and Russian-olive management.
In Phase II, breakout groups processed [the information] and looked for potential projects to work on together.
Common messages:
Benefit from lessons of the past:
a. Use an integrated approach whenever possible, vs. minimalist or reductionist approach, to get a whole answer.
Use adaptive management strategy to the fullest extent
b. Managers and scientists work in partnership to evaluate what works and continually improve it
c. Test hypothesis; adjust according to findings; repeat. Management-research linkage/cycle
Carefully plan and design from A to Z
d. Attend to scale
e. Follow up (don’t treat and walk away)
f. Follow control with well-planned restoration and monitoring
Control
g. No silver bullet
h. Use natural processes with active management applications (mechanical, fire, biotic, chemical)
i. Understand habitat value of existing "degraded" conditions and "restored" conditions before beginning
Engage the public
j. Communication
k. Education
l. Participation
Pat Shafroth Remarks
Suggested sequence of activities associated with control programs:
Understand current distribution
Site evaluation/prioritization
Restoration/revegetation planning
Baseline monitoring of water use, wildlife use
Saltcedar, Russian-olive removal (control)
Restoration implementation
Monitoring removal (control), restoration, water use changes, wildlife changes
Adaptive management
Information sharing, management (throughout process); bring together databases and make accessible
Next Steps
Teams develop a 2 page write-up that covers the questions discussed during the breakout session. Due date: Sept. 30
Team leads and topics:
Control: Ondrea C. Linderoth-Hummel (USACE)
Distribution mapping: Jennifer L. Stefanacci (USGS-Geography, Denver)
Restoration/revegetation: Patrick B. Shafroth (USGS-FORT)
Water Salvage: David I. Stannard (USGS-WRD, Denver)
Wildlife: Charles Ault (USFWS)
Develop a draft summary, report, or strategy from the above papers
Plan to reconvene a follow-up meeting
Provide participant list [attached]
U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://biology.usgs.gov/cro/Tamarissummary.htm
Page Contact Information:
tlwilliams@usgs.gov
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