Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Invasive Plants topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners review $193,500 invasive-plant grant, volunteer push to manage buffelgrass and stinknet at Silly Mountain
Summary
Parks staff updated the commission on a three-year invasive-plant management effort funded by an IPG grant, including target species, treatment methods, volunteer hours and contractor plans focused on Silly Mountain and select rights-of-way.
Elliot Nuda, recreation coordinator for natural resources and outdoor recreation, told the Parks and Recreation Commission on April 2 that city crews and contractors will use a three-year, roughly $259,000 program to manage invasive plants, with the work concentrated on Silly Mountain and designated rights-of-way.
The Department of Forestry and Fire Management awarded an Invasive Plant Grant (IPG) of $193,500; the city provided about $65,000 in matching funds, Nuda said. The grant covers manual pulling, mowing, pre-emergent treatments and contracted labor for areas that are harder to reach.
Nuda said the program targets three invasive species: buffelgrass, stinknet and fountain grass. “Buffelgrass burns hotter, it burns longer,” he said, and can connect native patches so fires travel farther; stinknet “is an extremely aggressive plant” that forms monocultures; fountain grass is prevalent along road corners and rights-of-way. He added that staff intentionally describe the work as management, not eradication.
Staff described last winter’s tactics: mowing, manual removal and spreading a granular pre-emergent over treated plots to limit seed germination. Volunteers helped with manual pulls; Nuda said the volunteer base logged about 104 hours this winter, valuing at $31 per hour and representing roughly $3,224 in volunteer-match credit that helps unlock roughly $30,000 of additional grant funds tied to a 10% match requirement.
The city has contracted with two firms for portions of the work: Davy Resource Group (drone and other services) and Siphon Draw Fire and Fuel (manual pulls and right-of-way labor). Nuda said drone herbicide applications were deployed once last year but that follow-up rain was insufficient to gauge prescription effectiveness; staff plan another drone deployment if summer rains occur.
Nuda described outreach materials and education: postcards, digital pages at apachejunctionaz.gov/invasives, door hangers coordinated with code enforcement and short videos explaining pre- and post-emergent approaches. He said the web pages include broad-spectrum options and contact information; specific chemical prescriptions are not distributed on the printed sheet because treatment recommendations depend on lot size and intended yard outcomes.
Commissioners asked about interpretive signage and whether a Desert Botanical Garden grant might fund signs with boot-brush stations; Nuda said the city has applied for that funding. Commissioners and staff repeatedly emphasized that the seed bank for stinknet can persist for about five years and that management is an ongoing effort rather than a one-time removal.
The commission took no formal vote on the presentation; staff requested feedback and continued community volunteer recruitment to sustain the program beyond the grant term.
