PHOENIX — Two volunteer groups working on behalf of Catalina State Park in Tucson have received a $198,000 grant from the Department of Forestry and Fire Management to reduce invasive buffelgrass and protect saguaro populations in the park. 

The Friends of Catalina State Park and the Catalina State Park Buffel Slayers are volunteer organizations dedicated to preserving, enhancing and protecting Catalina State Park. The Friends Group was established in 2012 and has invested more than $400,000 into projects, equipment, and events. The Buffel Slayers were formed in 2015 as a volunteer effort to rid Catalina State Park of buffelgrass. The group gathers monthly September through May to remove invasive buffel grass, fountain grass and Sahara mustard. This work preserves native Sonoran Desert vegetation, including saguaros, palo verde nurse trees, and wildflowers, which are endangered by invasive plant species, and helps maintain critical riparian areas that are extremely important to a variety of plants and animals in the desert.

Catalina State Park currently has more than 100 volunteers who provided 22,526 service hours during fiscal year 2026. The grant funding will help the groups cover an additional 86 acres in the park that are in need of invasive species removal. Ongoing small-scale manual and chemical removal of buffelgrass by volunteers has already shown restoration of native plants such as brittlebush, bristlegrass, cottontop, and tanglehead. Palo verde trees and young saguaros have been uncovered due to this effort. 

Saguaro populations have historically been wildfire resistant because typical desert vegetation is low and sparse. Buffelgrass fills in sparse areas, causing wildfires to be significantly more extreme because of greater intensity and higher temperatures. The grant funding will make a significant and ongoing impact on invasive species removal in the park, preserving and protecting native plants and saguaros in the Sonoran Desert.

Catalina State Park sits at the base of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains. The park is a haven for desert plants, wildlife and saguaros. The 5,500 acres of foothills, canyons and streams invite camping, picnicking and bird-watching. The park is located in the heart of an ever-growing urban area and is the third most visited state park in Arizona, with more than 250,000 visitors annually. 

The Department of Forestry and Fire Management’s Invasive Plant Grant Program is part of the Forest Health grants. It focuses on prevention, control, and eradication of invasive plants and aims to target and treat invasive plants to assist in preventing fire and flooding, conserving water, and restoring habitat to wildlife. Non-native invasive plants change the natural fuel regime, alter watersheds, degrade wildlife habitat, out-compete native vegetation and crops, and destroy the natural beauty of Arizona's landscape. 

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For information about Arizona State Parks and the many recreational, historical and cultural programs, call 1-877-MY-PARKS or visit AZStateParks.com. 

PRESS CONTACT: Michelle Thompson at (480) 589-8877 - Email: pio@azstateparks.gov