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A Green Dilemma

The city of Sebastopol, California is confronted with an invasion of perennial pepperweed, Lepidium latifolium. State officials have requested permission to spray the affected acres with herbicide to prevent the spread into the adjacent Laguna de Santa Rosa wetland. This posed a dilemma for the environmentally conscious city, which has an ordinance against all chemical spraying.

Control of the aggressive weed has proved to be a challenge. It spreads rapidly, crowding out other species and forming a monoculture. It sends its roots ten feet deep, making manual pulling virtually impossible. Successful eradication of the invader in other areas has only occurred where herbicides were used.

Pepperweed has been found on twelve acres of the city — ten of which are on private land, whose owners have agreed to allow spraying. If the weed is not brought under control, more extensive chemical spraying will likely be necessary to prevent its expansion into the delicate wetlands.

The Sebastopol City Council met on March 1, 2005 to decide whether to allow the spraying or attempt other methods of eradication. Due to citizens' strong concern council members decided to organize a volunteer group to try to exterminate the weed by hand pulling.

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Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 4:30 PM on March 11, 2005

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