Repelling the invaders

David Kihara

Friday, Dec. 3, 2004 | 4:12 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

December 4 - 5, 2004

Since it was first introduced to the West more than 100 years ago, the salt cedar tree has caused more than its share of trouble.

Originally from Eurasia, the salt cedar, also known as the tamarisk, was planted to strengthen the banks of stream banks and help beautify the harsh desert surroundings.

Yet the salt cedar's benefits do not make up for its drawbacks, state and county officials said. Uncontrolled, the salt cedar breeds quickly in the Las Vegas Valley, gulps groundwater at a rate of 200 gallons per day, and leaves the water flowing away from the trees saltier, according to experts.

"It sucks the water out of the water table," said Elyse Benson, soil conservationist with the U.S. Agriculture Department's Natural Resources Conservation Service center.

Beginning in October, Henderson and a habitat restoration group began eradicating the saltcedar from the valley, targeting the tamarisks in Pittman Wash in Henderson.

The Pittman Wash is the natural channel that snakes through Henderson, carrying floodwater from the mountains through the suburb. Eventually, that runoff flows into the Las Vegas Wash and then Lake Mead. But the salt cedar tree has affected the flow and quality of water reaching the Las Vegas Wash.

A five-year plan, a joint project of the Henderson Public Works Department and volunteer organization Project GREEN, is looking to return a two-mile section of Pittman Wash to its original state -- an environment that did not include the salt cedar tree.

"The Pittman Wash is very important because it feeds directly to the surface and groundwater in the valley," said Margaret Trasatti, subcommittee chairwoman for publicity and public relations for the Project GREEN steering committee. "The quality of the water is what we're concerned about."

The restoration project starts west of the Arroyo Grande Sports Complex at Arroyo Grande Boulevard and runs more than two miles to Eastern Avenue. After the removal of all salt cedar trees in the two-mile area, Project GREEN, which stands for Green Valley Ecology, Environmental, and Nature, will replace the invasive species with native cottonwood and mesquite trees, Trasatti said. Those plantings will begin in early February, she said.

Eventually, Project GREEN will design and install trails through the Pittman Wash, simultaneously restoring the wash and creating a natural space for wildlife and an educational outdoor area with way stations, Trasatti said.

Even though the Pittman Wash carries floodwater during rainstorms, detention basins have been built to allow for overflow during severe rainstorms, according to Project GREEN.

The project is funded through private donations and grants. In September, Gov. Kenny Guinn announced the state would provide more than $600,000 to Project GREEN in Clark County and related trail projects in the counties of Douglas, Elko and Lander.

The Pittman Wash restoration project is also part of a community beautification plan. According to Trasatti, the salt cedar trees catch debris, causing an "eyesore," and provide cover for criminal activity or homeless people. The removal of the saltcedar could help remove that criminal element, she said.

Trasatti could not say whether any homeless people are being displaced from the wash because of the restoration project.

"All washes in Clark County are pretty much sanctuaries for homeless people," said Linda Lera-Randle El, director of the nonprofit Straight to the Streets organization, which works with the homeless. But she didn't know if the Pittman Wash is being used by the homeless now.

"I hope they're not out there," she said. "The washes are unsafe."