Give them an inch and they’ll take an acre…as the California Invasive Pest Council says. There are a whopping 195 invasive plant species in Sonoma County. In the northwestern forest region which includes Mendocino County, 265 invasive species have been identified. An invasive plant species is non-native and aggressively out-competes native species! In other words, they spread fast and crowd out other plants, harming ecosystems and impacting water quality. Native plants provide shelter and food for native insects, birds, and animals. Invasive species tend not to have habitat value. In fact, they sometimes destroy the very habitats native species need to survive.

Ludwigia hexapetala (Water Primrose)

One of the most damaging invasive plants is invasive Ludwigia or water primrose. Water primrose is a lovely, floating plant with delicate yellow flowers and is a favorite for artificial ponds and aquariums. Unfortunately, several subspecies of water primrose (Ludwigia hexapetala and Ludwigia peploides) are aggressively invasive and among the most concerning of the invasive species for water quality and stream health. Invasive Ludwigia grows quickly and thickly on water surfaces, blocking out light, using up the oxygen and choking out other life. When invasive Ludwigia covers a water body surface, aquatic birds cannot penetrate the thick mat of Ludwigia with their beaks to hunt for food. Ludwigia also depletes the oxygen in the water body it covers, so that the oxygen is no longer available for fish and other life.

Arundo donax (Giant Reed)

Arundo donax (Giant Reed) grows best along streambanks. It was introduced for erosion control because it quickly covers exposed soil. Unfortunately, that very quality that is useful for erosion control, makes it an invasive species, crowding out native plant species, and reducing habitat value for birds and other animals. Arundo has another huge drawback – it is highly flammable, speeding the spread of wildfire.

Protect our river. Protect our streams. Don’t plant or spread invasive species. Here is what you can do…

• Plant California native plants in your yards and gardens. Native plants can be just as beautiful as exotic ornamentals and provide ecosystem benefits. For example, the California Lilac has lovely purple blooms, It’s a nitrogen-fixing plant. The California Fuchsia blooms deep red or purple and attracts hummingbirds. The California Native Plant Society has an on-line tool to help you select native species. www.cnps.org/gardening. The California Invasive Plant Council also lists helpful links for plants to use and stay away from for land managers, landscapers and for the public www.cal-ipc.org.

• Don’t plant a pest in your pond. If you have a pond, please get help from a native plant expert to purchase local, native species, not invasive ones. Just because you can buy it legally, doesn’t mean it’s not invasive. Go to the California Native Plant Society on-line tool www.cnps.org/gardening or ask your local nursery for help.

• Clean your boat. One of the ways invasive plants travel from one water body to another is by hitching rides on boats. If your boat has been outside of our region, clean the exterior of your boat thoroughly before re-entering the Russian River or any of our lakes or ponds. Remove any plant materials off your boat, even very small pieces.

• Volunteer for invasive species removal parties! Many local organizations and agencies need volunteers to help with invasive plant removal including Sonoma County Parks, the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, the Sonoma Land Trust, the Pepperwood Preserve and the Mendocino Land Trust.
  • Sonoma County Parks https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov/Support/Volunteer/Opportunities/
  • The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation www.lagunafoundation.org/volunteer.html
  • Sonoma Land Trust – www.sonomalandtrust.org/join_in/volunteer.html
  • Pepperwood Preserve www.pepperwoodpreserve.org/get-involved/volunteer/
  • Mendocino Land Trust http://MendocinoLandTrust.org

This article was authored by Cristina Goulart, for the Town of Windsor, on behalf of RRWA. RRWA (www.rrwatershed.org) is an association of local public agencies in the Russian River Watershed that have come together to coordinate regional programs for clean water, habitat restoration, and watershed enhancement.

It’s autumn and time to prepare for the rainy season and winter. This time of year, is when we are thinking about raking up leaves, cleaning out rain-gutters, and undertaking some car maintenance like replacing wiper blades and changing the anti-freeze. But did you know you can also help protect our local creeks, communities and environment? With the coming rains, anything we spill, drop, throw, or store on the ground can be washed off by storm water and directly enters a creek or river, without treatment, having a toxic effect on fish and wildlife and people. Polluted runoff can come from a variety of sources – oil and grease from pavement; trash and pet waste from our yards or parks; fertilizers and pesticides from lawns or gardens; sediment from construction activities; and improperly stored loose materials like garden mulch or topsoil.

A good rule of thumb to remember is “Only rain down the storm drain” as almost everything else can become a pollutant and it is unlawful to put anything into the storm drains but storm water. Below are some ways that you can be rain ready and help reduce pollution in our waterways. It costs less to prevent pollution and flooding than to clean up the creeks or neighborhoods.  Let’s all do our part!

Rain Ready Solutions

• Dispose of pet waste in a trash container.
• Pick up leaf litter and yard clippings around your home to compost or put in your yard waste container.
• Sweep up your driveways and sidewalks rather than hose them down into the street gutter. “Sweep Up the Street Gutter” in front of your residence placing the trash and yard waste into the correct bins.
• If you store garden products (soil, mulch, or compost), gas-powered garden equipment, or chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer, make sure they are securely covered, and avoid applying chemicals if rain is in the forecast.
• Turn down your irrigation system run times during the dry fall months and turn your system off once the rains begin. Even during dry periods of the winter months, plants need little or no water.
• Use a commercial car wash, which recycles water and keeps soapy water out of the storm drain. If you wash your car at home, do it on a lawn and dispose of buckets of soapy and rinse water in the sink.
• Clean out your pickup truck bed, and secure items hauled in or on top of your vehicle. Random trash left in the back of your pickup can easily blow out onto the street and end up in the creek.
• Fix all car leaks. Oil, antifreeze and other harmful chemicals can drip onto streets, parking lots and driveways and then wash off into creeks. These products should only be disposed of at a household hazardous waste collection facility. For Sonoma County residents, see recyclenow.org or call the Sonoma County Eco Desk (707 565-DESK (3375)). For Mendocino residents, see www.mendorecycle.org or call (707) 468-9704 for more information.

Another area of major concern for the next several years is the number of vacant lots or those under construction in burn areas. Sediment is a pollutant in our creeks as much as the other examples listed in this article. The property owners and contractors are responsible to protect their lots to prevent polluted discharges to the street gutter and storm drain systems, to keep clean rain water clean.  Some common examples include meshed straw waddles around a lots perimeter, a contained wash-out area for concrete or paint, plastic sheets over stockpiles, and sweeping the street frontage daily help to keep sediment from reaching the storm drain. These protection measures, commonly called Best Management Practices (BMPs), are temporary and need to be maintained frequently to work properly, especially during frequent winter rains. Erosion Control information can be found on the following websites:

• Santa Rosa – https://srcity.org/2675/Rebuilding
• Sonoma County – https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/PRMD/Eng-and-Constr/Grading-and-Storm-Water/
• Sonoma County Recovers – https://www.sonomacountyrecovers.org/rain-ready/
• Sonoma Resource Conservation District – http://sonomarcd.org/resources/fire-recovery/
• Mendocino County – mendocinocounty.org/government/planning-building-services/stormwater
• UCCE Mendocino County – http://cemendocino.ucanr.edu/UC_FIRE_LINKS/

We are all a part of neighborhoods, community, and the incredible environment we call home.  One last way to support our home is to Report Spills or polluted discharges to the storm drain system (streets, inlets, pipes, ditches, and creeks). Report hazardous or unknown spills to 911. Report non-hazardous spills based on where you are in the watershed.

• Cloverdale     707.894.2526
• Cotati             707.665.3605
• Healdsburg   707.431.7000
• Rohnert Park  707.588.3300/after-hours 707.584.2600
• Santa Rosa      707.543.3800/after-hours 707.543-3805
• Sebastopol      707.823.5331/after-hours 707.829.4400
• Unincorporated County of Sonoma 707.5.1900
• Windsor          707.838.1006/after-hours 707.838.1000
• Ukiah              707.463.6288
• Unincorporated Mendocino County 707.234.6679

This article was authored by Forest L. Frasieur, of Santa Rosa Water, on behalf of RRWA. RRWA (www.rrwatershed.org) is an association of local public agencies in the Russian River Watershed that have come together to coordinate regional programs for clean water, habitat restoration, and watershed enhancement.

Traditionally, each step of the human water cycle – how we acquire, treat, use, treat again, and dispose of the water, was dealt with as discrete, isolated activities. Separate departments, divisions, and districts were created to handle each of these isolated activities. Unfortunately, this traditional recycled water paradigm sometimes also comes with a high-priced additional expense of duplicate infrastructure to re-transport the recycled water back to the users, thus limiting the number of users that can be served. The main use of recycled water is irrigation of crops and large landscaped areas such as golf courses, athletic fields, commercial and industrial parks, and cemeteries. More recently, its uses include process water for industry, wildlife habitat enhancement, residential landscapes, fountains and more.

There is a way for individuals to irrigate their homes with mostly clean, unpotable water. This is called greywater reuse. Greywater resides between clean, treated for human consumption, potable water, and blackwater from toilets. The difference between recycled water and greywater is the latter is not treated by a treatment plant. It can be defined as any domestic wastewater produced, excluding sewage, and typically comes from showers, non-kitchen sinks, laundry machines, and other similar plumbing fixtures. Ranging from simple to very elaborate, greywater systems can be routed to your landscape to help meet your irrigation needs and can possibly help create a fire-resistant yard!

Brian Thacker, Arizona Renewable Resources, searched through Google Earth studying satellite images of the catastrophic Rodeo-Chedeski fires that burned in east-central Arizona in June/July of 2002 and came upon something amazing.  In the middle of a charred landscape of burned pine trees, he saw two green areas surrounding two undamaged homes—a thriving oasis amidst devastation. He needed to know why these homes were spared a fiery end and contacted the area fire marshal to investigate.  Brian found that the homeowners did two key things:

• First, they used fire-defensive practices in their landscape. Within a 50- to 75-foot radius around their homes, they removed all ground-ladder fuels that could spread a low-burning fire into the canopy of trees and shrubs.  They pruned tree branches up 4 feet from the ground; cleared, chipped, and shredded dead limbs and brush; spread resultant mulch over the soil to retain soil moisture; removed conifers and shrubs next to or against the house; and cleared pine needles from the roof and gutters.
• Second, the homeowners directed their greywater into the surrounding landscape, particularly the oasis zone around their homes. This supplied the native vegetation with enough moisture to keep it from igniting so it acted like a fire break around the homes.
  

  3-way valve to divert the laundry greywater

Greywater irrigation is one tool to be used in preventing damage from wildfires. Existing homes and businesses can be retrofitted but installing greywater plumbing is easier and less expensive in new construction. A Greywater Ready Model Ordinance is available (https://oaec.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Greywater-ready-buildings-model-ordinance.pdf) that details greywater plumbing installation. Sonoma County Water Agency and others offer training for designing/installing these systems.  If you’re interested in learning more about greywater use and permit requirements, contact your local Building Department.

Greywater helps to reduce sewage treatment costs, disposal requirements, and can help protect homes from future fires, all while helping to recharge the groundwater as well. That’s a win-win-win.

This article was authored by Dirk Medema, P.E. who is the Drainage Engineer of the City of Citrus Heights, on behalf of RRWA. RRWA (www.rrwatershed.org) is an association of local public agencies in the Russian River Watershed that have come together to coordinate regional programs for clean water, habitat restoration, and watershed enhancement.

There are vast benefits to composting, not only environmentally, but also personally within your home. Using compost in your home garden adds nitrogen, potassium, and micro‑nutrients such as manganese, iron, and zinc. These additions strengthen the structure of your soil, retains water in plant structure, prevents erosion, and is ideal for drainage.

There are two ways to go about composting based on your available space. If you have limited or no outside space then you can use a specially designed bin for indoor use that can be purchased from a local garden store, hardware store, or even via the local paper want-ads. For those with outside space, select a dry area with shade that is close to a water source and dig out a desired space e.g 3’ x 3’ x 3” depth or what every size you feel is adequate, and now it’s time to start creating your compost.

In selecting your compost think of two categories: home and outside. The home category is food from your home including fruits, vegetables, nut shells, coffee grounds, tea leaves, but excludes dairy products, meat or fish scraps, and grease. The outside category includes items from your yard, such as leaves, branches, yard clippings. Note: compost items should not be chemically treated. Make sure to cut large materials like banana peels and break down branches to aid in the breakdown process. Lastly, make sure to layer your compost alternating between home items and outside items, and try to keep each layer similar in size.

Every two weeks or so, while tending to your compost, whether you are simply checking on it or adding to it, it is important to mix your compost. How can you tell if the compost is ready? That will depend on the material being composted and its environment. I suggest researching your material and the environment where you’ve composted to get a better understanding on your compost and the process. Generally speaking, the appearance of compost that is ready will be crumbly and may be slimy in consistency, dark in color (like soil), and have an earthy smell. Now, you can use it to plant flowers, trees, vegetables, and use it as top soil. It can also be used for putting in a new lawn, installing a new eco-friendly landscape, or simply used for rotating your vegetable garden.

There are many benefits to composting. It is known to regenerate soil by promoting the production of micro‑nutrients, which break down the organic matter and in turn retains moisture and increases the content in the soil through a process called humus. Given that 95% of our food comes from our soil, it is critical to consider soil quality. Compost can also clean up the contaminated soil by absorbing volatile organic compounds (think pesticides) that may be found in your soil. Also, carbon released from farming heats up our Earth’s climate and melts polar ice caps, which is another reason composting is an important practice that contributes toward protecting our ecosystem. Furthermore, if all countries put 0.4% of their carbon back into their land, it would produce 75% of all of Earth’s carbon back into the Earth’s soil.

Other benefits of composting include preventing soil erosion, which is especially important if you live near creeks or storm water drains. The compost can slowly preserve the amount of sediment runoff that spills into our waterways, that drain into our rivers. This is imperative in protecting these waterways as they are the ecosystem for our fish and other inhabitants living in the rivers and oceans.

Composting and sustainability should be on the forefront of our minds. Composting is an incredibly versatile practice that supports erosion control and provides many benefits for gardening, our waterways, and our ecosystem as a whole.

This article was authored by Joshua Ricci, of Permit Sonoma, on behalf of RRWA. RRWA (www.rrwatershed.org) is an association of local public agencies in the Russian River Watershed that have come together to coordinate regional programs for clean water, habitat restoration, and watershed enhancement.

Summertime means longer days, warmer temperatures, an increase in outdoor activities and, if you are a dog or cat owner or come in contact with these pets, you know that summertime brings more pests! Especially fleas and ticks. Why are these pesky pests a cause for concern? What should we consider before using pet pesticides and are there alternatives we can use to protect our pets, ourselves and our environment?

The discovery of pet pests requires immediate action. Fleas and ticks are not just an annoyance, they pose a health risk. They can spread bacterial infections, pass along tapeworms, and even cause anemia. Ticks are a “vector” for transmitting disease, most notably Lyme disease (which can be passed along to humans). The most common reaction after finding a flea or tick is to apply, feed, and/or spray our pets with Fipronil (a synthetic insecticide, and an active ingredient in many flea and tick control products for dogs and cats), as well as to apply it in our homes and outdoors, but we must consider the associated risks.

Recently, studies conducted by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, Santa Rosa, found that Fipronil and its by-products were found in both surface water and sediment samples. Fipronil (and even more so its metabolites) is highly toxic to sea and freshwater fish as well as to the invertebrates these fish feed upon. Toxicity is not just related to aquatic species. Fipronil is highly toxic to honey bees and some birds (http://npic.orst.edu). Some dog owners (including Russian Riverkeeper Executive Director, Don McEnhill) have noticed their dogs display negative behaviors after applications of Fipronil. Many pet owners have stopped using Fipronil and instead use methods listed below.

How can you reduce your use and reliance upon pet pesticides?

• Understand the life cycles and feeding habits of pet pests. Consult your veterinarian, the internet and/or your local library. You can make more informed decisions with a firm understanding of these life cycles.
• Be proactive and vigilant. Minimize your pet’s contact with fleas and ticks both outside and inside. Fleas love shady, protected areas. Ticks love woodlands and tall grassy areas. A combination of both landscapes and your pet is at high risk for exposure. Make appropriate landscape changes and avoid exposing your pets to areas where fleas and ticks are found.
• If your pets are exposed to fleas and ticks, implement daily pet care and housecleaning chores:
  • Comb your pet daily using a special flea comb. Be sure to comb right down to the skin. Put the debris into a jar ½ filled with hot, soapy water. Cap the jar, shake it, and flush the contents down the toilet. Disinfect the comb and jar after use.
  • Change pet bedding and fabric toys frequently. Wash blankets, zip-off bed covers, and pillow covers at least once a week in hot, soapy water.
  • Vacuum often. This includes any area your pet has access to. Floors, carpets, sofas, chairs (under the cushions), tops of appliances, etc. Place vacuum bags or canister debris in zip lock or plastic bags and seal them tightly before tossing.
  • Using a disinfectant (preferably natural), mop weekly any areas that pets have access to or travel through, including hard surface floors, concrete garage and/or patio floors.

There are two other considerations pet owners should evaluate before using Fipronil or any other pesticides, however, it is highly recommended that you consult a veterinarian or trained professional before advancing them. One is to consider your pet’s immune system and how it can be boosted in order to develop a natural defense to pests. The other is to substitute natural, non-toxic repellents for pesticides. Many resources are dedicated to both of these topics and can be found on the internet and your local bookstore (Naturally Bug‑Free; Tourles, Stephanie L. 2016).

On a final note, it is extremely important to consider how ALL of your activities affect our watershed. Always consult professionals in the field of pesticide applications. Ask questions about pesticides, their toxicity and the associated health risks to you, your family and your pets (http://npic.orst.edu). Research natural, non-toxic substitutes. There are many non-toxic practices and alternatives to choose from in addition to traditional pesticide solutions. In the event you must apply pesticides yourself, read and fully understand all labels in order to best protect your pets, yourselves, and our environment.

This article was authored by Bob Legge, of Russian Riverkeeper, on behalf of RRWA. RRWA (www.rrwatershed.org) is an association of local public agencies in the Russian River Watershed that have come together to coordinate regional programs for clean water, habitat restoration, and watershed enhancement.