“Help us, Jim Washburne! You’re our only hope!” So spoke the River Fairy (AKA Co-Executive Director Lisa Shipek) in our Spring 2026 production of Arundo: The Musical. This line may sound very familiar to Star Wars fans, but in this case, the battle wasn’t against the evil Galactic Empire but rather, Arundo donax, an invasive plant that drinks more than three times as much of our precious desert water as our native species.
River Run Network Program Manager Lauren Knight explains that “Arundo, the Musical was a play put on by our staff and apprentices to celebrate Jim and all of the work that he's done in the Tanque Verde Creek, and to tell the story with a little bit of pizzazz.” What story? Since 2021, Watershed Senior Project Specialist Jim Washburne has been leading crews of fellow staff and volunteers in an important effort to eradicate Arundo from the Tanque Verde Creek. Five years into this work, the great news is that, as Lauren highlights, “We are essentially finished in the Tanque Verde Creek, which is really exciting!”
The Arundo team, which includes over 200 volunteers each year, has worked tirelessly to restore about 75 acres of riparian forest by removing this invasive reed from our local waterways, and in the Tanque Verde, Arundo is now nearly gone. Moving forward, the team will keep an eye out for and remove Arundo resprouts as well as monitor the health of native plantings, part of a re-vegetation plan for the creek. With time, as these native trees establish themselves where Arundo used to hog water resources, groundwater levels will continue to rise and support shade-giving, beautiful plants that provide habitat for other desert species.
Celebrating the eradication of Arundo in the Tanque Verde was an important part of this year’s Flow & Feast, but the event also provided a rare opportunity to connect to each other and to a beautiful section of the creek that many people never get to visit. In the “water and sand play” stretch, where water was flowing, Lauren noticed that “people were taking their shoes off, they were interacting with each other, they were building sand castles or moats or just having this space to play with people they haven't met before.” Over 230 people attended the event and had a chance to play, laugh, eat, walk, birdwatch, chat, and enjoy their time together in a beautiful riparian ecosystem.
Another highlight of Flow & Feast was a ceremony honoring the creek, led by Lisa Shipek, in which we played the role of cottonwood, willow, and other native tree saplings stretching up toward the sun and thanking the creek for nourishing us. Smiles and tears mingled on faces, and several people commented on how moved they were by this new tradition.
Lauren, her team, and the entire Watershed staff appreciate the great energy everyone brought to this year’s Flow & Feast, and we hope that seeing the progress in the Tanque Verde inspires us all to continue working toward our vision of flowing heritage rivers that serve as verdant, welcoming, community spaces.
What’s next for the River Run Network Arundo team? Lauren shares: “The work is never done. We see Arundo not only in the Tanque Verde but also in the Pantano, the Rillito, the Santa Cruz, as well, so we are continuing this effort along these other reaches.” Jim Washburne may be the hero of our Arundo eradication story, but he can’t fight evil Arundo alone. We welcome volunteers at our Arundo removal, creek clean-up, and combo events. Click here to browse and register for Arundo removal workshops and all of our other upcoming events!