This year, Channel Islands Restoration (CIR) has increased our capacity for conservation along the Central Coast! Our field operations team has nearly doubled to accommodate habitat restoration work in Santa Barbara, Santa Paula, Malibu, Thousand Oaks, the Gaviota Coast, and the Channel Islands, to name a few of our project sites.
With our increase in crew and clientele, we've taken on additional costs to uphold our standards for excellence that clients have come to depend on after over two decades of environmental service.
From wetland research to specialized invasive plant control, coastal scrub enhancement to native plant propagation, and everything in between. Our team's range of knowledge and value has been instrumental in ensuring local habitats return to a more balanced equilibrium.
Our 2023 report has been accomplished and eclectic. CIR has removed 60 acres of artichoke thistle (Cynara cardunculus) along the Gaviota Coast. We're finishing a four-year project to remove 250 acres of giant reed (Arundo Donax) and other high-level invasive plants on the Santa Clara River near Santa Paula. In the Los Padres National Forest, we cleared 5 miles of forest service roads for spanish broom (Spartium junceum) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). This winter, we're working closely with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden to plant a diverse garden of native plants at Elings Park in Santa Barbara, transforming the landscape into a richer hotspot for biodiversity.
These are only a small selection of projects we've managed this year.
As our project sites expand, we need your support.
This month is the best time to support Channel Islands Restoration by helping us offset the costs of preserving the Central Coast. Your contribution will allow our crew to conduct additional scientific research and boots-on-the-ground operations. Your gift can mean one more salt cedar (Tamarix ramosissima) removed at Lake Piru, a day of propagation for purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) at our local nursery, or a week of sheep grazing at the San Marcos Foothills Preserve.
This holiday season, consider a gift to Channel Islands Restoration.
We thank you for your consideration and ongoing support.
Members of the CIR Board of Directors and Advisory Council in 2023 from left to right: Alana Rader, Carol Gravelle, Jeffrey Light, Angelica Daus, Oscar Martinez, Cindy Kimmick, Connie Jenkins, Art Levitt, Russ Charvonia, Ken Owen