Re: Class 56 location

Actually, the brush you see there is greasewood, often called "chico brush" locally. It is a strong indicator of highly alkaline soils. The brush right next to the river is tamarisk, locally called salt cedar. It is also strongly indicative of highly alkaline soils. Salt cedar is a non-native plant from Asia--it is hated as savage user of water. It is now being controlled by the introduction of the salt cedar leaf beetle some years back. The beetles only eat salt cedar foliage and will eventually kill off the tamarisk.

So, the photo is one of those cases where the location does not really resemble what was there back in 1880--the salt cedar was not introduced until later. Also, the flood plain of the river does not look as it did before the Aspinall Unit reservoirs were built upstream beginning in the early 1960's.