By MAGGIE MCMURRAY
Moapa Valley Progress
The Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) recently teamed up with the BLM to hold a series of community meetings to inform the public of the work being done to help fire and flood prevention along the Muddy River Corridor. The first meeting was held Tuesday, January 19 at the Moapa Community Center.
The meeting was led by NDF Wildfire Prevention Resource Manger Cayenne Engle. She explained that NDF was a state agency that helps with any land that is not federal including private land.
“Lots of people don’t know that there is help available for them to remove invasive species such as tamarisk from their land,” Engle said.
Engle explained that tamarisk poses a huge fire danger. Property owners need to create a defensible space on their land, she said.
“Tamarisk looks like it is green, but it is extremely flammable,” Engle added.
Corrin Floyd, a biologist currently contracted with the BLM said that fire risk had changed along the Muddy River.
“The area around the Muddy used to be a low risk area for fire because of the high water table and the native plants, such as willow, that are naturally found in a riparian system,” Floyd said. “These plants are very fire resistant. But tamarisk has choked out these plants all along the river and now fire is a big concern for the area.”
Tamarisk also increases the danger for flooding, according to BLM Restoration Project Manager JJ Smith.
“The Muddy used to be a wide shallow river, but the roots of the tamarisk have essentially armored the banks, forcing the river channel to deepen,” Smith said.
Smith explained that this has also forced the water table to lower and eradicated the flood plain.
“We have been removing the tamarisk and we think that without support from the upper tree, that the roots along the banks will decompose and the river can return to its natural state and flood danger will be mitigated,” he said.
BLM hydrologist Boris Poff said that the goal is to return the Muddy to it’s natural state. He said they are hoping to eventually raise the water table again and reestablish the natural flood plain.
BLM Fire Management Specialist Sean McEldery pointed out to the group that simply removing the tamarisk is not the end of the problem.
“Removing the trees in a mass effort leaves banks that are denuded,” McEldery said. “Simply clearing land will allow other invasive weeds to expand.”
In order to fix this, the BLM has been reintroducing native grasses and trees that will not only support the ecology of the area, but prevent the spread of invasive weeds by competing with them for space. Significant efforts have been made to replant the areas made bare by tamarisk removal with trees such as willow, cottonwood, and ash, along with native grasses such as alkali sacaton and salt grass.
In the last three years, 9,666 native willow and cottonwoods have been planted along the Muddy, Floyd said. A flood event in 2014 washed out many of the original willow starts so they had to be replanted. In addition, 253 mesquite trees and 13 ash trees have been planted with good success. Native grasses are also being planted with a total of 241 alkali sacaton grass plugs, 40 salt grass plugs, and 474 irrigated caged plants also thriving.
Engle strongly encouraged landowners to contact her for more information about how they can get help creating and maintaining a defensible space on their land by removing overgrown and highly flammable plants. She said there are grants and programs in place just for this purpose. For more information, Engle can be contacted at cengel@forestry.nv.gov or at 702-486-5123 x228.
