Management programs

Tall whitetop (Lepidium latifolium)

Tall Whitetop Management Activities
The tall whitetop management program for the Lower Las Vegas Wash through the Partnership began in the Fall 2002 with biannual treatments occurring each spring and fall. National Park Service Exotic Plant Management crews conduct the treatment applications and map the infestations with Global Positioning System technology (GPS).

Exotic Plant Management Team member
applies herbicide to tall whitetop
during the Fall 2002 treatment period

By controlling tall whitetop from the upstream sources in the Las Vegas Valley Watershed, we are preventing the Las Vegas Wash, Lake Mead and the lower Colorado River System from further degradation due to this species.

Giant Reed Management Activities
In 2003, 38 stands of giant reed had been identified in the Wash, all of which were mapped using GPS technology. Both the Clark County Vector Control and the EPMT have treated these 38 stands using foliar herbicide treatment achieving mortality of 100% Between 2003 and 2006 no giant reed was seen at the Wash, however, in June of 2006 a stand of giant reed was discovered near Pabco Road Weir on the north side of the Wash. The stand was cleared in 2006 but resprouted in 2007, and it has now been removed.

Tamarisk Management Activities
As of Spring 2008, approximately 200 acres of tamarisk have been cleared and revegetated with species such as willow, cottonwood and other native species.