Its amazing this still is as much a problem, if not more a problem than it was in the 1960s when I hand collected green fescue at Mt. Rainier to use in revegetation of roadsides and trails instead of using exotic red fescue!!!

 

And, at least California's highway department is experimenting with native species.

 

But, you are right, in spite of the Presidential Executive Order that exotic species won't be used at least on federal properties, why is the NRCS not helping with that?  Its incredible that 40 years later (in my career) we are still having to deal with this problem.

 

Years ago it was determined that crested wheat grass not only doesn't allow/enable reinvasion of natives- it actually changes the soil structure!!

 

We need to make the government responsible!!!  Write your Congressman, the head of the NRCS.  Actually, plant materials centers will be responsive to local needs.  However, we need to divert the huge amounts of funds being used to develop exotic species!  and get it re-directed to developing better ways to increase seed of our native species.  If those hundreds of millions of dollars had been spent on our own native species, this issue probably wouldn't be quite as serious as it is now.  It wouldn't have eliminated invasion of exotics that come from other sources, but at least the government itself wouldn't be contributing to the spread of exotics, against their own Executive Order!!- marcia wolfe