Following is the progress that was made on Russian Olive and Tamarisk in the Escalante Subdistrict of Glen Canyon NRA in 2005. All work was done by Escalante Ranger Bill Wolverton except as noted.

March:
All remaining Russian Olive on the Escalante River between Moody Creek and East Moody Canyon eliminated, except for one that was missed and gotten later in the fall. One remaining large Russian Olive in the north branch of Fence Canyon was girdled, and an initial start was made on Russian Olive in the south branch of Fence Canyon. The north branch was completed last year.

April:
Clearing of Russian Olive in the south branch of Fence Canyon was finished. An initial start was made on Russian Olive on the Escalante River on the reservoir mudflat below Coyote. Tamarisk in lower Choprock was cleared up into the narrows and progress was made on it almost to the Escalante River, working with long time VIP Bob Read, who initially inspired the effort in Choprock. This work was interrupted by a SAR.

May:
A Wilderness Volunteers group cleared slightly over one mile of the lower part of Harris Wash of Russian Olive. The group worked in Harris because the Escalante River was too high with spring runoff to work there. A follow up was done in the lower 5 miles of 25 Mile Wash for Russian Olive and everything found was cut. A partial follow up was done on the Escalante River during a river float trip from 3 miles below East Moody to two miles above Fools Canyon. Not everything that was seen could be cut because the river flow was too high to be able to land readily, and another trip on foot at a lower river flow needs to be done. A follow up was done in Scorpion Gulch for Russian Olive and nothing new was found. A follow up was done for Tamarisk in Willow and 40 Mile Gulches and everything found was cut, and progress was made downstream in Willow below the ‘Kissing Rocks’ into the reservoir mudflat zone where recovery from the inundation by the reservoir has been sufficient to warrant restoration. Memorial Day weekend: 1/8 mile of Harris Wash was cleared of Russian Olive by a Sierra Club group, working downstream from the GLCA boundary.

June:
Only known Russian Olive eliminated from both Cottonwood and Llewellyn Gulches, and a Wilderness Volunteers group made a start made on Ravenna Grass in Llewellyn.

August:
More progress was made on the remaining Tamarisk in the Dry Fork of Coyote Gulch. The last large Russian Olives in the Coyote watershed were found and cut in the same vicinity. The section of the creek where these were found had somehow not been checked when we worked in the same area two years previously, and it had been thought that no more large Russian Olives remained in Coyote. Russian Olive follow up was done on 1½ miles of the Escalante River below East Moody Canyon. Another 1½ miles of initial follow up remains to be done downstream from this section.

September:
A Wilderness Volunteers group cleared 1.8 miles of Russian Olive on the Escalante river upstream from Moody Creek. A chainsaw was utilized for this trip, and much more progress was made than would have been possible with hand tools alone. Several very large trees up to 24” in diameter were encountered and were easily girdled with the chainsaw.

October:
A Sierra Club group cleared 0.8 miles of Russian Olive on the Escalante River upstream from Moody Creek. The chainsaw was also utilized on this trip. This made a total of 29.1 miles done, upstream from Coyote Gulch, with a little less than 22 to go to the BLM–GSENM boundary. Follow up was done for Tamarisk and Russian Olive in Hurricane Wash, Coyote Gulch from the NPS cattle fence to the Escalante River, about 9 miles, and for Russian Olive on the Escalante river from Stevens Canyon to Coyote Gulch, 1 ½ miles.

November:
A Sierra Club group cleared about ¼ mile of Russian Olive in Harris Wash below the GLCA boundary over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Coyote Gulch:
Completely cleared of all known Tamarisk in Glen Canyon NRA except for some old growth remaining in and near an abandoned channel of the Dry Fork, and one large old stand that had remained hidden by other vegetation just below the cattle fence until being discovered recently after the concealing vegetation was knocked down by a flood. These areas will be worked on next spring. All known Russian Olive has also been cleared from the entire Coyote watershed, including in the abandoned channel of the Dry Fork. None has been found on BLM land upstream. Follow up was done in the lower 9 miles of Coyote. It has now been over 10 years since the first organized effort against Tamarisk was made in Coyote, by a Sierra Club group in April 1995. Initial efforts were made the previous two years by Rangers Jim Bowman and Bill Wolverton.

40 Mile and Willow Gulches:
Cleared of all known Tamarisk in their lower reaches where there is flowing water, down to the full pool reach of the reservoir, and extending a short distance down into the reservoir mudflat in Willow. The dry upper reaches of the two canyons, both in Glen Canyon NRA and on BLM, have not been done. Some scattered stands of Tamarisk are known to exist in some of the various branches of the two canyons. Only one minor occurrence of Russian Olive was found and removed in 40 Mile, and none was found in Willow. Follow up was done in both canyons and a few Tamarisks that had been missed were removed.

Escalante River:
29.1 miles of the lower Escalante River have been cleared of Russian Olive, from Coyote Gulch to about 2.6 miles above Moody Creek, leaving a bit less than 22 miles to be done in Glen Canyon NRA. Initial follow up has been done on all but one section about 1 ½ miles starting about 1 ½ miles below East Moody Canyon, and on the section just completed above Moody Creek.

Scorpion Gulch:
A minor amount of Russian Olive has been eliminated. Follow up has been done and no new Russian Olive or re–growth found.

Fools Canyon:
Nothing done. Upper 3 miles needs to be checked for Russian Olive. No Russian Olive has been found in the lower 2 miles.

Fence Canyon:
One remaining large Russian Olive in the north branch of the canyon was girdled, and the south branch was completely cleared of Russian Olive. This was the last major side canyon of the Escalante River in GLCA except Harris Wash known to have Russian Olive. Harris is now the only side canyon left to be done.

Choprock:
All known Russian Olive has been cleared, but the northernmost branch has not been surveyed. All Tamarisk from the narrows almost to the Escalante River, about 1½ miles, has been cleared, and the south branch has been cleared from its confluence with the main canyon up to the large pouroff, about &frac3/4; mile. A little Tamarisk is known to exist in a riparian area in the upper reaches of the south branch, but none in its narrows. A start has been made on Tamarisk above the narrows of the main canyon.

Neon:
Completely cleared of all Tamarisk and Russian Olive for about one mile up from the Escalante River. None has been found above that for about two miles, but there is a little in the far upper reaches of the canyon.

25–Mile Wash:
Completely cleared of Russian Olive in GLCA. Follow up has been done and all re–growth, new starts, and a few that had been missed were cut. Approx. one mile has been cleared on BLM, with about three miles remaining, plus one side canyon on BLM with a minor amount.

Harris Wash:
Slightly over one mile in the lower end near the Escalante River has been cleared of Russian Olive, and about 0.6 miles have been cleared starting at the GLCA boundary and going downstream. A little under 6 miles remains to be done in GLCA. This is the only major side canyon of the Escalante River in GLCA with any Russian Olive remaining.

Eliminate Tamarisk recently discovered in Coyote just below the NPS cattle fence.

Continue working on remaining Tamarisk in the abandoned channel of the Dry Fork of Coyote. Hope to recruit a handful of VIPs through www.volunteers.gov for this.

Continue Tamarisk work in Willow Gulch below the Kissing Rocks as far as recovery from the reservoir inundation has progressed enough to make it worthwhile. May combine this trip with a Dry Fork Coyote trip if any volunteers can be recruited.

Thorough follow up for both Tamarisk and Russian Olive in Coyote from the GLCA boundary in the Dry Fork down to the cattle fence, including re–growth known to exist in the abandoned channel.

Check Fools Canyon for Russian Olive in the upper three miles

Follow up for Russian Olive on the Escalante River between Moody Creek and Scorpion Gulch (1½ mile section not done below East Moody and some remains between Moody and East Moody), and between Fold Canyon and Stevens Canyon.

Two Wilderness Volunteers trips working on Russian Olive on the Escalante River between Moody Creek and 25 Mile Wash. One trip in April and one in September. Hope to recruit a group of VIPs through www.volunteers.gov for one or two more trips, possibly in May or September.

Survey north branch of Choprock for Russian Olive and Tamarisk. Eliminate any Russian Olive found ASAP, and Tamarisk depending on amount found. Have not been in this canyon since one trip in 1988. It is thickly vegetated and has apparently never been accessible to livestock because of a large boulder jam at the entrance, so natives may have been able to keep Tamarisk to a minimum.

Continue working on Tamarisk in main branch of Choprock near Escalante River and above the narrows. Hope to recruit a handful of VIPs through www.volunteers.gov for this.

Clean up and dispose of Russian Olive slash in selected places in Harris Wash and the abandoned channel of the Dry Fork of Coyote.


Bill Wolverton
Escalante
November 2005

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