cape ivy removal

We diligently work to rid the Reserve of cape ivy.

This burrito roll is close to being ready to roll around, back and forth for the next year, decomposing and being dead. Underneath are native blackberry sprouts and we also saw a lupin seedling. What a place! Hemlock is making it's home here too, but I'm not too put off. This particular site is rich with native plants and I think they'll put up a good fight, especially with a little help from their friends.

Slough Symposium

We look closely to understand. Because we only love what we understand and we only protect what we love. That's why I love science.

The Slough Symposium was a place where instead of saying stick, the words cellulosic material were used. Perhaps language familiar to scientists; most people don't use that kind of language. When one of the presenters said about his graph, "This looks like a lot of zigging and zagging," I would have to agree.

But this day was about scientists and science and sharing the knowledge of new research with each other. And to that end, it was a success.

Some other memorable words and phrases of the day:

measure of tails (referring to fluvial deposition)
global dimming
magnetic susceptability
methanogens
granulometer
scatterplot

Carr Lake and the connection to Elkhorn Slough

Return of the Natives is one of the greatest grassroots environmental organizations of the Monterey Bay area. "Bringing people closer to nature and nature closer to people through hands-on participation in restoring habitats." I volunteered Saturday at Upper Carr Lake in Salinas for the 4th annual bird count and clean-up sponsored by Return of the Natives, a project of the Watershed Institute, CSUMB.

As a land steward, I feel I need to participate in local environmental events and stay connected to the heart and soul of this community.

We counted 69 species and hundreds of individual birds. We walked a stretch of Natividad Creek, down to where the water is held in a wetland called Upper Carr Lake.

Along the creek trail, we came across this nest, partially made of green plastic used as erosion control along the creek side.

This erosion control mat was supposed to have biodegraded but has remained intact in many places for over 15 years.

The future is on the other side of Laurel Drive where the dream of restoring the historic Carr Lake is visioned. The Gabilan, Sanborn, and Natividad Creeks drain into the "rec ditch" that flow through Castroville, the Tembladero, Moro Coho, and eventually to the bay. The same Upper Carr Lake water mingles with the waters of the Elkhorn Slough. The system is connected. We need places like Upper Carr Lake and the future Carr Lake restoration to hold water and filter out pollutants and sediment as water continues the journey from the Gabilan mountains to the Monterey Bay.

An event to celebrate the Gabilan watershed opens February 5th at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. I proudly contributed to this exhibit and can't wait to celebrate with others.

I'm totally addicted to all things mushroom

This cup fungus? above is a few centimeters across. 

 

 

 

The above mushroom is maybe a centimeter across.

 

Come on! This should inspire our fashion designers.

fascinating fungi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Can you tell I went to the fungus fair?

Oxalis pes-caprae

 

Oxalis pes-caprae grows in many places on the Reserve and has recently shown up in a small patch where cape ivy and periwinkle were removed. I spent a few hours trying to get all the bulbs out. I will need to map this so next year I can find out if the time I spent was worth it. At the time of removal, I determined it worth my while because I don't want it to spread in this new location, so recently free of invasives. I feel awfully protective of this particular site and want it to defend it with every ounce of effort I have.

Soil cores help determine plant palette

It looks so innocent and poetic unfurling from the soil. But it's hemlock. This seedling along with hundreds of other seedlings (mostly hemlock and radish) are popping up from several soil cores taken from a new "pocket" restoration site (more on pocket restoration sites later). I'm trying to determine if we have any natives left in the seed bank. I'll need to wait at least two seasons to account for dormancy. So far, the only natives to germinate are sky lupin.

Not surprising since this plant is regularly seen on disturbed sites, as this particular restoration site is.

The soil cores were taken from around the site, mixed together, then spread atop sterile seed germinating mix and placed in the greenhouse. If any particular native plant community expresses itself, I'll go in that direction when planning the revegetation. If not, I'll take cues from the nearest intact native reference site.

I realize this may not be the most riveting process in the world to read about. But the act of getting to know a site intimately is actually very engrossing. I find myself going to these trays every day to see what's come up.