Weed Warriors of Eagle River Valley - Eagle River Watershed Council

Native Tree/Shrub Swap Program

Are you a homeowner or land manager with Tamarisk and/or Russian olive on your property who would love to replace it with a native tree or shrub?

In addition to the Weed Warriors program, we are partnering with the Eagle County Conservation District and their Noxious Weed Cost Share program to offer a 1 for 1 native tree/shrub swap for those who remove tamarisk and Russian olive.

If you are interested, please fill out the intake form on the Conservation District’s website and in the “Any Additional Information” section, please note that you are interested in the Watershed Council’s native tree/shrub swap.

If you would like more information or have any questions, please email Anna Nakae at nakae@erwc.org.

What are Tamarisk & Russian Olive?

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Tamarisk and Russian olive are two types of noxious weeds that grow in Eagle County and are both designated as “List B” species on the Colorado Noxious Weed Act.

Tamarisk, also called Saltcedar, is a non-native shrub or small tree that grows from 5 to 20 feet tall and is most often found along riverbanks or other wet areas. It crowds out native vegetation and increases the salinity of the soil, making it much harder for native plants to grow. Tamarisk also uses A LOT of water; a mature tamarisk plant can take up around the same amount of water as a mature cottonwood tree.

For more information about tamarisk & identification, check out the Colorado Department of Agriculture website.

Russian olive, is a non-native tree with silvery leaves and has olive-shaped fruits. Though it can grow in a variety of areas, it prefers open riparian zones. It also crowds out native vegetation and can interfere with key nutrient cycling. It also can use a lot of water, making drought conditions worse.

For more information about Russian olive & identification, check out the Colorado Department of Agriculture website.

Want to be a noxious weed warrior?

Are weeds choking out your neighborhood?
Afraid of stepping on thistles at the park down the street?
Want to get to know your neighbors and do something about the problem?

Join Eagle River Watershed Council, Eagle Valley Land Trust, Land & Rivers Fund and Eagle County to participate in the Weed Warriors of Eagle Valley program! This fun and free initiative to reduce invasive species county-wide can only be truly successful with your help!

About the Program

NOMINATIONS

The nomination process is open for neighborhoods, parks or local private or community areas (such as an HOA) invaded with weeds for this year’s Weed Warriors Mitigation Project. To nominate an area of concern, please fill out the downloadable Nomination Form (including photos of the weeds you have found) to nominate your neighborhood for the next round in our mitigation strategy.

Regarding weeds identified on federal, state or county-owned lands, please contact Eagle County Vegetation Management directly to report concerns.

HOW IT WORKS

Start by identifying what invasive vegetation species have invaded your neighborhood.
Using the Bingo & Guide, find what types of weeds you have in your area. If using the bingo card, you can mark an X on the species you see. You do not need to complete the bingo card to submit a Nomination Form, though we highly encourage you to partake in this fun identifying activity.
Please photograph invasive weeds you identify and note their locations.
When you have completed your inventory, fill out and submit your nomination form, along with photos to weeds@erwc.org. Mailed submissions can be sent to PO Box 1477, Gypsum, CO 81637.
The Weed Warriors Team will review your submission and get back to you with how we can support your mitigation goals.

FINE PRINT

Finalist communities must be willing to work with partners on video content creation (you don’t have to be filmed if you choose not to, but video content from the neighborhood will likely be shared).
Communities selected must help recruit volunteers for the project and be prepared to work with the Weed Warriors Team on a yearly mitigation plan to keep the weeds away.
For vegetation-specific questions, contact Eagle County Vegetation Management at weeds@eaglecounty.us