Natural Resources

The Phoenix team is comprised of individuals with diverse backgrounds, education, certificates, memberships and fields of interest including:   International Erosion Control Association, Range Society, Southwest Vegetation Management Association (SWVA), Tonto Weed management Area, Interagency Weed Action Group (IWAG) Wildlife Society, Wildlife Rehabilitator, US Marine Corps, certified mechanic, and law enforcement officer. All team members are certified herbicide applicators, possessing structural pest control applicator licenses,  and are members of the Southwest Vegetation Management Association (SWVA).

Region 1 (Maps) is responsible for managing land, wildlife, and vegetation inventory of 1,391 miles of roadway.

The diversity of biotic communities and explosive population growth present on-going issues in Region 1: arid, desert, trees-especially Palo Verde and Mesquite species, erosion caused by wind and precipitation, weeds, major city expansions causing extensive building along highways.

The year-round resource management  projects in the Region are: 

• Bi-yearly herbicide applications to manage annual weed species, noxious weeds, visibility issues, and safety features.  Our focus will be on problematic weed species such as Malta Star Thistle, Blue Panic, Desert Broom, Russian Thistle, Buffelgrass, and Mustard species.
• Noxious weed surveys
• Threatened & Endangered Species surveys
• Highway vegetation inspections

		Bufflegrass
Due to addition of Bufflegrass (Pennisetum ciliare) to the Arizona State Noxious weed list, we have been concentrating our efforts towards the control and management of the Bufflegrass populations along all of the highways within Region I.
Starthistle		Continue and expand our noxious weed management activities on Arizona right of ways. Support and work with the formation of a new weed management (WMA); Central Arizona Weed Management Area led by Dr. Ed Northem, AZ. Cooperative Extension, Dr. John Brock, AZ. State university, and Dr. Kia Umeda, AZ. Cooperative Extension. Support the Governor's Invasive Species Advisory Council Work with Interagency Weed Awareness Group to draft a Riparian Noxious Weed Plan

Tree thinning for "recovery zone" issues, sight and visibility problems

Interstate 8, around Gila Bend Interstate 10, west of Phoenix to State Route 85 Interstate 10, east of Phoenix to Casa Grande Interstate 17, north of Phoenix to New River State Route 87, north and south of Phoenix US 60, both east and west of Phoenix State Route 74, north of Phoenix State Route 85, between Phoenix and Gila Bend

Region 1 is involved in cooperative projects with various agencies: 

• WAG-treatments of Buffelgrass and Fountain grasses along the highway corridors
• SGS-Buffelgrass research
• Monsanto-test herbicide plots on Johnson Grass
• Department of Agriculture-noxious weed detection, reporting, treatments, building database, monitoring existing locations
• Tonto Weed Management area-treating noxious weeds