Dec. 7, 2010

TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona Wildcat softball team got a break from studying Monday to assist in one of Southern Arizona's nagging ecology problems: buffelgrass.

Buffelgrass is a flammable grass that grows in the Sonoran Desert and aid tremendously in the spread of wildfires.

The team went out to "A" Mountain, Monday, to film a commercial to spread awareness of this malicious plant and to promote Beat Back Buffelgrass Day. In the process, the team, equipped with shovels, picks and gloves, dug up 10 trash bags worth of buffelgrass on a hillside on the southwest face of the mountain.

"We are excited to help a cause that will not only conserve the beauty of the Sonoran desert but allow generations in the future experience what we have grown accustom to call home," said Head Coach Mike Candrea.

Beat Back Buffelgrass Day is Feb. 5. There will be multiple sites across Tucson in which citizens are encouraged to go and assist in the removal of the brush. The event, now in its fourth year, will focus on a dozen or more selected sites across the Tucson Basin, where the general public can pull buffelgrass and learn about this important threat to the Sonoran Desert. Beat Back Buffelgrass figures to draw between 25 and 100 volunteers per site. The team will be attending Beat Back Buffelgrass Day as well, and as the day approaches, you can visit buffelgrass.org for more information.

The Pima Association of Governments and the Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center run the event, and can be contacted for further details.

It was a good time for the team, who not only were able to get the word out about buffelgrass, but to also get out and have fun doing something out of the ordinary.

"It was a lot of fun," said Victoria Kemp, a senior from Saugus, Calif. "We all had a really good time climbing `A' Mountain to beat back buffelgrass."

"It's a good cause, and I'm glad we helped. Buffelgrass can really be stopped," said Scottsdale native Becca Tikey. "It wasn't always easy, but we pushed through and had some fun."

Arizona softball continues to go beyond its call of duty in servicing the community.