We kicked-off spring weed control with Carol Rawle’s demonstration session on the afternoon on May 5. Unfortunately, inclement weather forced us to reschedule the session twice so turn-out was poor. On the other hand, everyone really interested in weed control at SFTR has had ample opportunity to attend for the last three years. Most are now up to speed on weed recognition. We may rethink the need to hold these sessions annually unless participation by new residents unfamiliar with SFTR’s common weeds increases in the future.
Despite the Mother’s Day Holiday, we had great participation on May 8-9 with the group eradication effort in Gallinas Canyon and at Morley. Twelve residents with 4-wheelers assisted on Saturday with the Conservancy property and six returned Sunday morning to Morley to finish the job.
About 34 persons are helping this year with the roadsides. To date, work is either complete or underway on about 80% of all the segments. Several persons have told me that they have been otherwise occupied but intend to get on it soon. There’s little doubt that we’ll get 100% coverage as we have in past years. Additionally, I have a couple of additional volunteers who expressed interest in helping should someone not be able to do all their segments.
We’ve spent about $2,200 so far on herbicide and equipment and dispensed about 55% of the herbicide. We intend to monitor weed regrowth in Gallinas Canyon and elsewhere in case we need another application later in the summer. However, we probably now have enough herbicide, protective clothing, and other gear to complete the work without significant additional expense. Accordingly, spending should be well under the $4,000 budgeted for 2004.