For the third year, a crew of hard-working young folks with Western Colorado Conservation Corps, based in Grand Junction, is working on the ranch, cutting and spraying tamarisk – also known as salt cedar – along Disappointment Creek.

According to Wikipedia, “Tamarix ramosissima has naturalized and become a major invasive plant species in parts of the world, such as in the Southwestern United States and Desert Region of California, consuming large amounts of groundwater in riparian and oases habitats due to the density of its stands. The balance and strength of the native flora and fauna are being restored by tamarisk eradication projects using a combination of methods, including manual stem cutting followed by the application of herbicide to the stump, and burning stands of tamarisk, with subsequent low-volume herbicide application to resprouts.”

And that’s exactly what our WCCC crews are doing at our Disappointment Valley Mustang Sanctuary.

As part of our thanks, we encourage the crew members to take a break during each hitch to visit our mustangs. We think the horses enjoy the visits (and the treats!) as much as the humans!

Big thanks to Jess, Elena, Alison, Brighton, Eli, Elliott, Ethan, Hunter, Justin and Ryan for your work last week and your work to come!