NOTE: MEETING TIME FOR REFUGE TOURS IS NOW 8 A.M. FOR THE SUMMER

Vision Article for July, 2010
by Jeff Sanchez, Refuge Biologist

Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge harbors a large variety of plants and animals.  In fact, there is such a diversity of living things that depend upon this unique place, that it is sometimes difficult to identify what is a native inhabitant as opposed to what is an alien invader.   When I say “alien invader”, I’m talking about non-native plants and/or animals that do not belong to this unique wetland habitat and that have a tendency to invade or take-over a site, pushing out its native competition.  Most of you have probably seen the movie “Independence Day”, in which aliens from another planet/galaxy invade earth with the intention of stealing all the planet’s resources, while in the process exterminating humans.  This same thing could happen here with plants and animals, except that I am certainly not Will Smith, although I could probably pilot an alien spacecraft while smoking a cigar.  If a plant, such as Russian knapweed, were to take root on the refuge, it could vigorously steal the resources vital for native plants and animals to survive.  Instead of having a variety of native plants blanketing the refuge, we would only have one, Russian knapweed.  The infested refuge would only be used by a few animals, instead of the many that depend on a variety of native plants.  Think of a grocery store that only sells chicken livers instead of poultry, steak, hamburger meat and produce.  Most of us would not shop there (except when looking for catfish bait). We would go somewhere else to purchase food.  The animals that depend on the refuge’s great variety would leave the area or perish. 

Some examples of non-native plants that have already invaded the refuge include saltcedar, perennial pepperweed, and Russian knapweed.  We have already begun the battle of removing these invasive aliens.   In the case of saltcedar, we have hired contractors to come out and pluck this deep-rooted tree species with specialized heavy equipment.  We spray infested areas of Russian knapweed with herbicide, thus giving native plants a chance to grow and provide food to the many birds, mammals and insects that depend on them.  We crawl around on the ground to hand pull perennial pepperweed plants that are quickly infesting the Hondo River.  These jobs are not always fun, but they are well worth the effort in the end.       

Bitter Lake Refuge harbors native plants and animals that all depend on each other to survive.  If the great variety of native plants disappears, so does  the variety of native insects that feed on their flowers nectar, and the variety of birds that feed on those insects, and the variety of mammals that feed on those birds. 

In response to public interest, the refuge has decided to host monthly Discovery Tours throughout the year on the first Saturday of every month.  Your next opportunity to attend is Saturday, July 3rd.  The tour will begin at 8:00 a.m. in front of the Joseph R. Skeen Visitor Center at the refuge.  Be prepared for light walking and seeing things that you had no idea existed right here in your back yard.  Because refuge transportation is limited, reservations are required. For additional information and to reserve a seat on the tour, call the Visitor Center at 575- 625-4011 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.