Mayor Winfield acts quickly to remove invasive, flammable buffelgrass
An Oro Valley resident recently contacted Mayor Winfield regarding “...the extremely invasive and highly flammable buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare, Cenchrus ciiaris) along the walking path on Palisades Road.” The resident was not certain if this area was the responsibility of Meritage Homes or the Town of Oro Valley, but she asked that it be removed.
She also informed the Mayor of some “highly invasive Fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum) in the ditch by the culvert on Palisades Road.”
Within 4 days of receiving her email, Mayor Winfield set out to survey the area and began pulling out several clumps of buffelgrass (which has deep roots reaching 6-8 inches into the soil) and placed them in a bag. He returned to the area in the early morning hours of Labor Day, working from 5 AM to 10 AM and returned again the following morning for another hour to finish the job. When he was done, he had filled 14 bags. Mayor Winfield will be returning to the area to remove the Fountain grass (which he may have already done by the time of this posting).
Winfield took personal initiative to remove the danger
It is fortunate that Oro Valley's mayor cares so much about our town that he is willing to take the initiative to spend his time, on a holiday no less, to remove buffelgrass.
Winfield, a licensed landscape architect who worked in project management for the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service for more than 30 years, clearly understands the danger to our environment of buffelgrass.
Buffelgrass is non-native and an invasive species...
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| 14 bags filled with invasive buffelgrass |
Buffelgrass is non-native and an invasive species...
Buffelgrass is native to Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It was introduced to the United States in the 1930s for erosion control and livestock forage. It was planted in a variety of locations in southern Arizona from the 1930s to the early 1980s.
...that poses a danger to our environment
Unfortunately, Buffelgrass thrived in the Arizona environment, crowding out native plants and reducing the spectacular wildflower blooms for which the Sonoran desert is famous. In addition, as the abundance of native plants reduced, there has been less food for wildlife, such as the desert tortoise, jackrabbits, and mule deer. Learn more about buffelgrass HERE
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