HomeMy WebLinkAboutMason emailMoghannam, Kathleen
From: Moghannam, Kathleen
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2012 11:46 AM
To: BOS
Cc: Price, Richard; Hahn, Paul
Subject: Item 4.05 on July 31 agenda -proposed broom plant quarantine
Attachments: ban broom sales in Butte County.doc
Board members-
The attached correspondence is related to item 4.05 on yourJuly 31 agenda
Kathleen Moghannam
Assistant Cleric of the Board
Butte County Administration
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200
Oroville, CA 95965
530-538-7643
From: Susan Mason jmailto:smason9a8{a~QmaiLcom]
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2012 9:45 AM
To: Supervisor Bill Connelly; BOS District 4; Yamaguchi, Kim; Kiric, Maureen; Wahl, Larry
Cc: Price, Richard
Subject: May 21st Agenda item--proposed broom plant quarantine
A signed copy of this letter was mailed to Agricultural Commissioner Richard Price on Apri126, 2012.
Besides my role as Friends of Bidwell Park's Invasive Plant Chair, I was the Big Chico Creek Watershed Coordinator during the time
when the Forest Ranch Broom Education and Eradication Program was initiated. As the person tracking the budget for their CDFA-
funded grant during 2008-09, I can tell you that the State of California paid $9,990 and the in-kind conununity match was $104,$14
for this broom eradication project within a very small geographic region of Butte County.
Susan Mason
892-1666
1./ ~.
FRIENDS of BIDWELL P.4 RTC
July 27, 2012
Richard Price
Butte County Agricultural Commissioner
316 Nelson Rd.
Oroville, CA 95965
RE: Proposed broom plant quarantine in Butte County
Dear Commissioner Price,
Friends of Bidwell Park encourages you to recommend to the Butte County Board of
Supervisors that the distribution and sale of all broom species within Butte County be
prohibited, including those hybrid varieties labeled as "sweet" broom. As you know, there is
recent research from U.C. Davis that indicates that these hybrids will become invasive. Also
there's no reason to think they're any less fire-prone than Scotch, French or Spanish broom.
FOBP has been working with other volunteers from the Chico Park Division and the California
Native Plant Society to remove invasive Spanish broom from Upper Bidwell Park. In 2010, we
donated $1000 { % of our entire annual budget) for a professional broom removal crew in hard-
to-access areas of upper Bidwell Park. Broom is one of Bidwell Park's high priority weeds.
Consider the amount of time and money being spent by Butte County Public Works, Caltrans,
Sierra Pacific Industries, California State Parks, local governmental agencies, private
landowners, and others just to keep the broom population from expanding its range in Butte
County. Without a ban on future sales, this effort must continue forever. When you're
evaluating possible economic loss to the local nurseries, please also take into account the long-
term economic consequences of not banning broom.
We appreciate your willingness to evaluate the pros and cans of a quarantine and hope you will
recommend a ban on all broom species to the Board of Supervisors.
Sincerely,
Susan Mason
invasive Plant Chair, Friends of Bidwell Park
CC: Butte County Board of Supervisors
P.0. Box 4852, Chico, CA 95927 • www.friendsofbidwellpark.org