turning the tide

long term
consistent
battle
persistent
unvarying
in for the long haul

These are just a few words describing how I need to be when I think of the most recent site on the reserve we are in the process of changing from a mostly non-native invasive plant assemblage to a mostly native one.

After this picture was taken, the site was planted with about 1000 plants, several different species, grown in our nursery from locally collected seed. Amazingly efficient and fun volunteers from HSBC bank came out to plant, along with super staff (thank you Nina and Steve!!), and a super volunteer (thanks Bob!).

Next to our freshwater ponds called Rookery, this site can be seen just off the trail and watched through the process.

carnage

Fourteen young women and one teacher from Santa Catalina did a very nice job ripping out hemlock on the levee between upper and lower Cattail Swale during a day of environmental stewardship. They left the piles to rot in the middle of the trail. Students from Santa Catalina school worked on this levee last season too.

In the exposed bare soil, we planted needlegrass and other native plants. We'll keep plugging away at this levee for the next several years, working our way around the two freshwater ponds, restoring native vegetation and removing invasive weeds.

images of the week

Women Growing Natives

On Saturday, ten women who grow California native plants and run nurseries from Marin to Carmel, gathered at the Acterra nursery in Palo Alto to connect and share experiences.

 

We talked about soil, shadehouses, propagation, mother beds. . . 

 

Perhaps the first of many gatherings. We were inspired and connected. These are the people who speak the same language as me.

more than one way to eat a mango

We have a few methods to get rid of cape ivy. The manual removal method is one I talk a lot about. Cape ivy is a weed that can be dealt with successfully with manual removal. But we also spray our large patches with herbicide (only one large patch left to go!). After spraying, almost everything dies back. When we look closely, not everything has gone. These trillium bloom and set light and color to the hillside.

 

Look more closely and California blackberry (Rubus ursinus) begins to leaf out.

Both herbicide application and manual removal have their place in the war on weeds. Destruction and disturbance occur either way.

all I do these days is kill plants

It's brutal out there and it's me that's doing the killing. I make myself feel better by telling myself (and others) that I'm freeing the natives. But really it's just about killing at the moment. It feels pretty good to pop a huge root out of the ground and fling the plant across the field.

pocket restoration sites

Tucked away around the Reserve are many "pocket" restoration sites.

These are small in size. The site pictured above is approximately 20x20 meters in total area. This particular example, located within an open coast live oak woodland, is managed mainly by a dedicated volunteer. One section is planted with natives, and another is managed so the existing creeping wild rye (Leymus triticoides) has room and light to grow.

These sites serve many purposes. They allow volunteers to feel successful on a site of manageable size. Often they are complimenting a larger management regime, for example mowing. They also serve as small field laboratories where I can have a high degree of control.

I find that these sites inform what I might do on a larger scale. It takes a lot of time and effort, but in the long run, these pocket restoration sites let me see; as if I am peeking through a keyhole, looking at a future restoration of the area.