The Lower Stony Creek Watershed Restoration Plan is completed and available for public review through the Glenn County Resource Conservation District.

Conservation planner Claudia Street discussed the project with the Orland City Council last week.

She said Lower Stony Creek runs from Black Butte Lake or dam to the Sacramento River and since the 1960s it has been invaded by arundo and tamarisk that have displaced native plants and use a high amount of water.

These non-native plants also present a huge fire hazard since they burn green or dry, she said.

This plan provides a blueprint for landowners to use in eradicating these pesky plants, Street said. It is available online or at the RCD office in Willows and includes an atlas of the area.

She added Monday there is a recommended list of herbicides for killing arundo and tamarisk and some methods of clearing it such as cutting and spaying, chipping and so on.

Both individual landowners or groups of creekside property owners can use these methods, Street said.

If multiple landowners wish to work together, the resource conservation district can look for funding to assist them, she said.

At a recent workshop, Randall Smith of Redding talked about burning arundo in the winter. Street said, but that may not be the best alternative for Stony Creek.

Known as the Arundo Warrior, Smith voluntarily burns or sprays the invasive plants in areas affected by them, RCD manager Kandi Manhart said.

However, the burning method is not in the present plan, she said.

Long-term concerns for Lower Stony Creek include stopping erosion along the creek bank from flows out of Black Butte Dam, and realigning the channel with gravel augmentation, the women said.

The Resource Conservation District is an advisory agency that seeks to help landowners with a variety of problems along the watershed and in the agricultural industry.

Street and Manhart emphasize, the agency is not a regulatory body - so any help it provides is at the request of landowners.

Orland City Councilman Bruce Roundy and former councilman MIke Yalow sit on the RCD Board and asked for public response.

"We need your input," Yalow said. "If you've got land on Stony Creek, come talk to us."

Contact Rick Longley at 934-6800 or rlongley@tcnpress.com.

INFORMATION

For more information, go online at www.glenncountyrcd.org or call 934-4601, ext. 126.