Interesting article on tamarisk and all its complications

High Country News is running an interesting (and zipp-ily title) article on recent developments on the tamarisk front -- The Birds and the Bee(tle)s.

I won't even try to do this article justice in a summary, as it is pretty short and pithy on its own. It is well-worth reading though if only to remind yourself of the law of unintended consequences...in all its glories. It is also a great quick catch up on the status of the tamarisk battle in the West as the article discusses the result of a recent legal decision as well as some new and interesting research findings.

As a teaser, on the newer research findings front the article states:

"Beatty worries that, especially in the Southwest, the willows won't return. And it's not because tamarisk is inherently aggressive: Newer studies suggest that dams, water diversion and overgrazing have created conditions that favor the plant. "Killing tamarisk thinking your ecosystem problems are going to go away is kind of like wiping your nose thinking it's going to take care of the cold," he says. In fact, Beatty says, tamarisk may not be the evil invader everyone thought."

While not strictly new news, this strikes at the core of how much we all love to hate the tamarisk. What do you think? Read the article and post your comments there or here...one commenter on the High Country News site said: "It's a valid point, but not a reason to let snot run down your face. Wipe your nose and THEN get some warm soup and go to bed." See if you can top that for insight.