Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

This was quite a cleanup. We all had to wake up around 5:00 a.m. so we could get to Piestewa Peak around 6:00. We had to start working early otherwise it got way to hot. Basically what we were doing is removing buffel grass from the side of a mountain. The reason we were doing this is because this is an invasive plant that is not allowing any other natural vegetation to grow. I think it is very important that we do this mainly because this grass is killing the desert. The grass is also a major fire threat to the desert. The process we went through was about 15 of us were on the side of the mountain with trash bags and pick axes digging out these plants bagging them and then rolling them down the mountain to people who loaded the bags into trucks. I try to encourage as many people as possible to join me on this clean up and any other forest restoration trips I go on.