On Sunday, May 7th, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm at Frantzen Park, community members can learn about non-native, invasive plants that are encroaching Hill Country river banks and threatening native ecosystems. Join local landowners, staff from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) and the Hill Country Alliance for BBQ, an afternoon of learning, and planting a few native cypress seedlings along the creek after dinner. Download flyer
Photo: Arundo donax – Texas Parks and Wildlife
Arundo donax, also commonly called giant reed or carrizo cane, is a highly invasive, non-native grass with the potential to significantly damage the health of Hill Country streams and rivers by affecting water quality and quantity, worsening flooding, displacing native plants, destabilizing banks, contributing to erosion, increasing fire risk, and harboring other invasive species such as feral hogs.
Since 2016, more than 130 landowners along the Blanco and Pedernales Rivers have partnered with the Hill Country Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, the City of Fredericksburg, Texas Department of Transportation, and TPWD to implement large-scale management of Arundo on Hill Country streams using targeted, aquatic-approved herbicide application. This control method has the least impact on the stream ecosystem and is currently being provided at no cost to the landowners.
On May 7th, community members can learn from some of these participating landowners about their experience controlling Arundo donax and how to get involved in restoring habitat along Hill Country creeks and rivers.
Space is limited and an RSVP is required for a plate of BBQ! To RSVP, please contact healthycreeks@tpwd.texas.gov or 512-389-8750 by Wednesday, May 3rd.