| Contacts: | Lane Hauser | , 575.525.4464 |
BLM Salt Cedar Treatments to Begin in Otero County, New Mexico
Las Cruces, N.M. - Starting August 23, 2010, and continuing for three to four days, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Cruces District Office and other partners will begin herbicide treatments of salt cedar at numerous locations in Otero County. Approximately 700 acres of federal, state, and private lands will be treated as part of the BLM’s Restore New Mexico initiative.
Restore New Mexico is an aggressive partnership between land owners and land management agencies to restore the state’s grasslands, woodlands, and riparian areas to a healthy, more productive condition. Large areas of desert grassland in New Mexico were lost to shrub invasion beginning in the mid-to-late 1800s. Invasive shrub treatments are being conducted across the state to reduce the density of brush species, such as mesquite, creosote, and salt cedar.
The project area is located in Otero County within the Tularosa Basin, between Three Rivers and Alamogordo, NM. The majority of riparian areas in the Tularosa Basin have been invaded by salt cedar. This invasion of native riparian and wetland areas has resulted in reduced watershed function, increased soil salinity, decreased water quality and decreased biodiversity within the riparian ecosystem.
The herbicide selected for this treatment, Habitat ®, is approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency and BLM. The herbicides will be aerially applied from a helicopter using Global Positioning System coordinates with computer-driven applicators to treat target-specific land areas.
Treatment of salt cedar is not a one-time job. Seeds easily spread by wind, water, and animals, so re-establishment within an area or watershed often occurs. Thus, a maintenance program of periodic mechanical extraction, burning, or follow-up applications of herbicide is necessary to keep this invasive species in check.
Salt cedar provides limited food and shelter necessary for wildlife survival. Although some wildlife species successfully survive in salt cedar-dominated areas, most species are negatively affected by displacement of native riparian plant species and other habitat changes resulting from encroachment of salt cedar.
For further information about this project, contact Lane Hauser, Rangeland Management Specialist at the BLM’s Las Cruces District Office, at 575.525.4464.
The BLM manages more land - over 245 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.