Welcome to the California Alliance for Tamarisk Biocontrol website! 

Thank you for your patience while sections of this website are still under construction

The California Alliance for Tamarisk Biocontrol (CATB) has been established to provide guidance to the biocontrol program in this state. CATB was formed with support from Cal-EPA Department of Pesticide Regulation as a means to reduce herbicide use by promoting natural control methods, and is comprised of experts in the fields of biocontrol, invasive species management, endangered species protection, and ecosystem restoration.

The Alliance mission is to connect with interested stakeholders in watersheds across the state to identify candidate sites for biocontrol implementation, assist in new beetle releases and to develop a standardized monitoring protocol for monitoring beetle establishment and ecosystem responses. Guidelines are being developed for determining whether and how to apply restoration methods to promote recovery of native vegetation, along with outreach materials to inform the public through various media of the benefits and real, albeit minor, risks of tamarisk biocontrol. The Alliance will also be monitoring movement of the beetles using sentinel traps to detect their arrival in new areas. 

Please browse the menu at the left to learn more about the history of tamarisk and tamarisk biological control in California, who makes up the Alliance, answers to our more frequently heard questions and concerns, and access to all our educational resources.

Please email us at TamariskAllianceCA@gmail.com if you have any questions or considering signing up for our monthly newsletter HERE