Jeffry Scott/ Arizona Daily Star 2004 Julio Betancourt received honors for his work in climate change.

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A saguaro blossom to Julio Betancourt, a local U.S. Geological Survey senior scientist, who last month was awarded the 2008 Presidential Rank Award, the highest federal honor a federal employee can receive.

Betancourt has spent 30 years studying and tracking climate variability and the affects on ecosystems. In the last four years Betancourt has led the crusade against buffelgrass, an invasive species that is choking our desert and turning it into an Insta-Flame grassland.

A flower to Beat Back Buffelgrass Day on Saturday, Feb. 7. Last year, more than 200 volunteers removed more than 4,000 buffelgrass plants. You can join in the ripping out of as much buffelgrass as possible in a day. Go to www.PAGnet.org or www.buffelgrass.org online.