January 30, 2013
Week 2
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
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.
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