Starting in 2009 I will be taking more accurate photos and occasional GPS coordinates of our worksites. This will help us see how much and where buffelgrass may be growing back, and will help track how long the process of removal will take. Look for first results after January 2009. Removing buffel is a work in progress!
January 10, 2009 Before and After photos
Before-the mass of green above the car
After- the weedwackers and the scouts pulled 171 bags!
February 14 2009 we were joined by volunteers from Southwest Autism Center, Cigna, and Hands on Phoenix. 32 volunteers -and over 200 bags of buffel removed from both sides of the road near Piestewa Peak.
Working above, and results, below
Southwest Autism removed buffel from the area below
The rangers...
Our teen volunteers
March 14, 2009 Before and After
Our morning start...
3 hours and 116 bags later...
What we end up with-don't worry they put a tarp on it!
And finally, our first rattlesnake encounter! One poor Hands on Phoenix volunteer got a rather unpleasant surprise. I never knew you could levitate on a rocky surface!!! Although rattled herself, she stuck it out to the end.
Our friend the Speckled Rattlesnake-picture courtesy of a brave weedwacker!
After being rained out April 18, 2009 we worked the next Saturday
Almost Done...
The hill -after we carried off 71 bags. For reference look at the picture of this hill on the home page. We have made a difference!
May 9 2009
Getting started
a perspective from the mountain- we're going up!
another look when we're done, it's slowly getting better- look at the very top of the page!
June 09- Once again we continued on the same mountain across from Piestewa (remember this is the same mountain that is at the top of every page of this website) and we've decided to work here all summer until it's clean. One of us made it to the top this month. Here's before and after.
Our youngest weedwacker contemplating the task
10 volunteers filled 52 bags and it was shady for most of the time...
then it got hot but here's the result from a different angle
July 11 2009 , and 8 intrepid weedwackers show up for a warm morning
New Hands on Phoenix volunteers showed up
And guess what else we found! Photographer Tom is our rattlesnake magnet
I took a photo looking up-we're getting closer and closer to the top!
This photo is another perspective, looks like we might get er done sometime!
In September the wackers were at Tovrea Castle and we had a great time!
Here we are getting started...
We weeded and hauled dead saguaros away...
There was giant buffel on the street..
And some of us stayed for the tour. A fun project!
December 12 2009 was our 3rd anniversary of weedwacking and we spent it on Camelback mountain! Not only did we climb a big hill but we also had fun engaging hikers to help us out by carrying bags. We had alot of public interest, and maybe some more volunteers in the future.
We started with a van pool to the site, and here was Winston our driver.
Part way up...
The steepest part...luckily the rangers carried our picks.
We assemble before working..
It grows in some hard to get to places
View from afar- bags and rangers trying to get the hikers to take them down
Some weedwackers with the bags and our new signs!
January 2010 we were joined by a full house of Hands on Phoenix volunteers. They got quite a workout climbing up the Cholla Trail on Camelback.
Assembling before the hike
Almost to the worksite
Working on a beautiful day
With beautiful views...
February 2010 we traveled to another location we had never worked at- Deem Hills in NW Phoenix. A quiet beautiful location without all the crowds-what a difference! A view to the north....
and the south...
We were joined by Hands on Phoenix and Southwest Autism teens. We all had fun.
The Weedwacker's great new signs doing their job...
the end result, over 100 big bags and part of a hillside cleared...
And thanks to the great support from the rangers..
March 2010 we were at Deem Hills once again, moving further up the hillside and encountering lush vegetation both native and invasive...
We also encountered another invasive- Sahara Mustard. Oh No-o-o-o-!!!
