Maybe I’m loony to apply the collective open source free software model to everything, but I think it may apply to ecosystem restoration.

Lissa and I went down to the bosque this afternoon to cut some salt cedar. As you can see, the cottonwoods are in full color, and it was a beautiful warm afternoon. We walked into the La Orilla burn site, where a fire in the spring of 2002 torched 35 acres or thereabouts. It’s become a case study of restoration – well cleared, with new cottonwood poles planted. But the invasive salt cedar is pushing its way back in.

The coalition of government agencies with jurisdiction here, led by the city, is trying to keep on top of the situation by revisiting the site periodically and whacking down the salt cedar to give the cottonwoods room and time to take hold. But what if a bunch of the users of the space took matters into their own hands and just whacked down salt cedars here and there as they walked in the bosque?

Couldn’t hurt.

Our ulterior motive in this case was art supplies – the slender salt cedar shoots have a beautiful red bark, ideal for making stuff out of, and Lissa has long coveted a working supply. So we haulted out big armfuls. I think we need to make it a habit to go back and get lots more.