8 hours ago
Residents issue urgent PSA after nightmare species rapidly invades community: 'It's expanding as we speak'
Residents in Southern Arizona have sounded an alarm to raise awareness about an invasive grass taking over their area, KGUN reported.
The highly invasive buffelgrass has pushed out iconic local species like mesquite trees and saguaros, while sapping the soil of vital nutrients and leaving the desert susceptible to wildfire, per KGUN.
"We're on a relatively sharp slope downward to having this area of Southwest Arizona turn into grasslands," Bruce Grieshaber, a local homeowners association president, told KGUN.
Originally introduced to Arizona in the 1930s for cattle grazing and erosion control, the highly invasive buffelgrass is native to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, according to the National Park Service.
The same characteristics that led people to plant buffelgrass in the first place — its drought tolerance and abundant seed production — have allowed buffelgrass to spread out of control.
It now poses a threat to the natural balance of the entire region.
"Buffelgrass … is the archenemy of the Sonoran Desert — the invasive grass most likely to cause significant damage to the native ecosystem," the National Park Service warned on its website.
Buffelgrass is well-suited for its native habitat of savannah grasslands, where wildfires are part of the local ecosystem cycle and other vegetation has evolved to survive the heat of the flames, per the NPS.
However, in the deserts of Southern Arizona, the native vegetation is not similarly adapted, leaving it vulnerable to being wiped out in a fire.
Local residents lack the resources necessary to get the buffelgrass under control, let alone eradicate it.
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Grieshaber told KGUN that his community has a 26-acre nature park that has been taken over by buffelgrass.
"It's expanding as we speak," Grieshaber said.
Despite the efforts of local volunteers, to remove all of that buffelgrass would simply require too much work, and the cost of paying to have the grass removed professionally is cost-prohibitive.
The HOA even looked into bringing in sheep to graze on the buffelgrass.
"We priced it out, and to do probably a couple acres, it would be thousands of dollars," Grieshaber told KGUN.
Southern Arizona's struggles against invasive buffelgrass are a prime example of the impact invasive species are having around the globe.
Similar stories are playing out elsewhere, with invasive species spreading deadly diseases, hurting crop production, upsetting trade, and crowding out native species.
As average global temperatures climb, it aids the spread of invasive species, opening up new regions that previously were too cold for certain species to survive.
Unfortunately, when it comes to invasive buffelgrass in Arizona and many similar situations, the only options available involve containment and not total eradication.
However, putting even containment plans into effect requires dedicated resources.
In 2014, Green Valley, Arizona, and the Pima County Flood Control District received a $70,000 grant to combat the spread of buffelgrass. Using those funds, locals were able to get the buffelgrass situation temporarily under control, per KGUN.
However, when the funds ran out in 2017, the buffelgrass returned.
Since that time, local HOAs have largely been left to manage the situation on their own.
"We need a buffelgrass/wildfire mitigation grant so we can give relief to some of these homeowners associations that are spending thousands of dollars to keep this effort going," said Debbie Valley, president of the Green Valley Council, per KGUN.
You can help combat the spread of invasive species in your own backyard or community garden by planting native species, switching to a natural lawn, or rewilding your yard. These steps save money on your water bill and landscaping costs while helping native wildlife like pollinators, birds, and small mammals.
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