Non-native, invasive Arundo donax is widely distributed in the Santa Clara River watershed, spreads quickly, and severely impacts the ecology of the riparian corridor. The Coastal Conservancy wanted a comprehensive look at the arundo problem in the Santa Clara River Parkway, as well as a strategy and a sense of the magnitude of the cost as it pursues funding opportunities. The Coastal Conservancy also recognized that too many arundo removal proposals it receives are piecemeal, uninformed, and would be unsuccessful without a scientifically supported and pragmatic strategy. The arundo strategic plan provides the information necessary for the Coastal Conservancy and their conservation partners to select and acquire funding for specific arundo treatment and restoration projects in the Parkway. It identifies effective and appropriate arundo treatment and restoration approaches for Parkway lands, costs and permits associated with those methods, and identifies specific areas for the application of treatment methods and priorities for treatment on existing Parkway parcels, based on watershed-scale processes and ecological conditions. By identifying and applying a primary flood reset zone, the arundo strategic plan presents a significant cost savings opportunity compared to piece-meal arundo treatment projects that do not incorporate landscape-scale processes. The plan prioritizes and provides costs for the treatment and revegetation of over 1,200 acres within the Parkway, as well as more general costs for nearly 4,000 acres of arundo outside of current Parkway parcels. The plan is specific enough to guide arundo treatment and restoration of individual Parkway parcels, yet broad enough to engage other public agencies that own river lands as well as private landowners as partners in the arundo treatment effort.

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