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 Fire
Crew Supervisor Randy Griffin and eight men from the Kern
County Fire Department Type 1 crew out of Democrat Station
helped to eliminate invasive weeds with staff from the
California Dept. of Fish & Game and Audubon's Kern River
Preserve. On Friday and Saturday, October 12-13, Fuels Crew
87 worked on this project in the South Fork Valley with the
Kern County Fire Department's chipper brought down from
Tehachapi. Their fuels crew removed and chipped invasive
Tree of Heaven and Giant Cane off of private property
between Onyx and Weldon. The arrangement was that this
project was done at no cost to the property owner although
Audubon and the Department of Fish and Game agree to
diligently patrol this property to make sure the weeds do
not grow back.
 The
South Fork of the Kern River is one of California's finest
remaining native riparian forests. Through a diligent
program of invasive weed removal Audubon, California
Department of Fish and Game and the Southern Sierra Research
Station lead the charge to keep the river and valley free of
many exotic species that have decimated native forests
throughout the southwest. The California Invasive Plant
Council states that invasive plants displace native plants
and wildlife, increase wildfire and flood danger, consume
valuable water, degrade recreational opportunities, and
destroy productive range and timber lands. In the Kern River
Valley, the Department of Fish & Game and Audubon work with
property owners, land managers, researchers, concerned
citizens, and policy makers to protect our valley from
invasive plants. You can read more about invasive plants in
the Kern River Valley on the Kern River Preserve's website.
http://kern.audubon.org/aliens.htm
Thanks to the Kern County Fire Department: Ken Stevens,
Randy Griffin and Fuels Crew 87; Sean Borlena, Ben Hicks,
Carlos Barbosa, Jordon Bert, Brandon Neighbors, Matt
Bennett, Ross Janzen, and Brian Burleson.
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For over 100 years Audubon has been protecting birds and other
wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national
network of community-based nature centers and chapters,
scientific and educational programs, and advocacy on behalf of
areas sustaining important bird populations, engage millions
of people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation
experiences. |
