Journal Entry Week 5

February 20, 2013
Week 5

Work Hrs: 6 Total Hrs: 34

Week 5

      This week marked the half way point of my time with the YLR. and it's been a great experience so far. I've participated on gratifying projects and have absorbed a ton of information. Wednesday also happened to be my birthday, which working outside in the fresh air and sun was not a bad way to spend it. We worked on the lower terrace closer to the mobile home park to fill in some larger mulched areas with native grasses. There were three species to be planted in their own respected marked off polygones: Stipa pulchra or Purple needle grass, Hordeum brachyantherum or Meadow barley, and Elymus glaucus or Blue wild rye. After a while I was actually planting by myself, so I put on some solid blues, wrapped my shirt over my face so as not to burn and cranked out some planting. In the end I think I planted about 200 individual species(which is a lot) and as a group this week in total about 400 individual grass species. The total count for species planted this quarter mainly by YLR interns is a whopping 9500 and counting!

      When working solo, I really like to take the time to breath, and ensconce myself into my surroundings taking notice of the smallest minute details, sounds, or smells. Slowing down to critically think and observe one's surrounding environment is just as important as working hard and diligently. Working next to some larger green waxy leafed Coyote brush or Bacharis pilularis, I noticed a couple of hares scurrying back and forth between bushes while simultaneously listening to the sweet sound of  a nearby bird with red shoulders. The abundance of wildlife I encounter at the YLR always amazes me.

WORD COUNT: 284

The main terrace.

Yours truly looking like a ninja and also pictured is my work area.

Elymus glaucus.

Stipa pulchra.

Enjoying a short break to take in my surroundings.

Journal Entry Week 4

February 13, 2013
Week 4

Work Hrs: 7 Total Hrs: 28

Week 4

        Today was interesting, fun, long, and most of all very productive. It was filled with multiple tasks and projects. The morning began working with the Wednesday crew along side the Younger Lagoon ridding an area of invasive hemlock or Conium maculatum. The hemlock is growing in a rather large patch trail side under a small grove of California buckeye trees or Aesculus californica. Also growing amidst the hemlock was a native rose species Rosa californica. To get the hemlock under control, we used a technique called tarping or soil solarization. This technique works in eliminating invasive exotics or 'weeds' by exposing them to the least optimum growing conditions. As the name soil solariztion infers, by covering the affected area with a strongly woven black tarp, it harnesses natural solar radiation to elevate temperatures. The other main objective of a black tarp is to block out precious sunlight used by weed seedlings to convert to photosynthesis and thus grow into adults. The hope is to eradicate all weeds currently growing as well as wipe out future progeny's from eradicating the entire seed bank.

I spent the afternoon taking full advantage working solo. It really gives me a chance to observe my natural surroundings. I toured the grounds taking my weekly well readings and checking out white-tailed-hawks, red-tailed hawks and herons. Trying to be efficient, I also packed my backpack full of tools to replace broken wooden stakes holding up chicken-wire fencing surrounding smaller research plots located in the main field area. My last task consisted of mending a hole in the upper fence provided to keep the public out of the lagoon areas. I  turned a weak spot in the armour into an impenetrable fortress.(Sorry surfer dudes.)

Word Count: 286

The newly built overlook. To be utilized as a place of study and admiration.

Conium maculatum underneath the Aesculus californicas. 

Conium maculatum.

Tarping.

Well probe and fence mending tools.

The fence.

 Younger Lagoon.

Journal Entry Week 3

February 6, 2013
Week 3

Work Hrs: 6 Total Hrs: 21

Week 3

      I worked this week with Mickie Tang, an Evolution and Ecology undergrad at UCSC. She is currently working on her senior thesis project along with another student TJ Adams. They've utilized the lagoons coastal prairie habitat for their research on the (Adams 2012) effectiveness of applied nucleation and dense planting to restore California Coastal grasslands. The research is based on the ideas of ecological succession and assisting nature in regenerating a native bio diverse habitat. The techniques tested were 'full planting and planting in patches or islands and their effectiveness at re-vegetating degraded grasslands with and without mulch.' Vegetation was completely removed and three native grass species were strategically planted in various research plots containing the two techniques being tested and control group. They then observed over time which area produced the highest population size of native grasses under varied conditions.

      My job with Mickie consisted of combing over each test area looking for and counting each of the native plant species being tested. It was not an easy task. We were on our hands and knees all morning searching for the tiniest of seedlings gathering a generalized consensus of the population size of each species in the test area. We were looking for and mainly found a lot of Clarkia davyi and Achillea millefolium. We were collecting data  using categories for population size range in the form of 0-10, 10-100, and 100-1000 species. As the morning progressed and the heat settled in nicely, a great conversation developed as Mickie described the her research and we got to know each other. we slipped into a nice rhythm collecting data and it become a joy to spot the native species and record their numbers. (Sounds silly I'm sure, but when you love what your doing...).

Word Count: 293

Happy Mickie Tang.

Mickie setting up to collect data.

        

Adams, Tianjiao. 2012. Effectiveness of Applied Nucleation and Dense Planting to Restore California Coastal Grasslands. UCSC. (Abstract)

Journal Entry week 2

January  30, 2013
Week 2

Work Hrs: 9 Total Hrs: 15

Week 2

      The day started out just as we Californians love, nice and sunny. The morning was spent working with the Wednesday crew Corrine and David. We were planting a few different native species, mainly  grasses on the beautiful YLR bluffs. Re-incorporating the various endemic native perennial grasses to the bluffs will restore a natural habitat for many insect, bird, and small mammal species. The grasses will develop strong root systems preventing soil erosion and once established combat exotics from taking over. Coastal prairies in California support the highest plant diversity of any grassland in the United States.

      This week I also volunteered with a non-profit organization called Oikonos. Oikonos is a non-profit organization that studies and protects imperiled ecosystems. The Santa Cruz chapter run by Bill Henry is working to restore West Cliff's Native Plant and Seabird Habitats. They are striving to remove all of the exotic ice plant currently residing along the whole of West Cliff and reinstating native plant populations. The ice plant was introduced  early on to stabilize railway cuttings and road banks, but it has been allowed to take over and squash all but a few of the native populations. Ice plant has a shallow root system and is very heavy, so much to common belief, ice plant does not hold soils in place as well as natives contributing to soil erosion. It also harbors an invasive black rat species  prey on seabird eggs and chicks severely depleting populations. It will be an ongoing process for the next.

      Also this week, we had a visit from the American Conservation Experience, a section of Americorps. They came out to help with trail management and maintain our fences bordering the bigger research plots and restoration areas in the main field area.

Word Count: 292

Corrine and Dave working to fill in a gully cliff side with native grasses.

  

Rush or Juncus patens I believe.

Trying to fill this gully and path with native grasses.

 

Free Lunch!

West Cliff.

Notice the patch where Ice Plant was removed next to the fence.