Channel Islands Restoration has been kept very busy this spring:
MAINLAND PROJECTS:
We are working with our project partners on two restoration sites on the San Marcos Foothills with funding from the Goleta Valley Land Trust. We've plant several thousand plants at both locations and made war on some very tenacious invasive weeds. To see some details on both of the projects (including lots of photos) check out the following links:
We finished up the iceplant removal project at Carpinteria State Beach, in partnership with South Coast Habitat Restoration and the Southern California Wetland Recovery Project. We "solarized" the iceplant (killed it without the use of herbicide) and planting nearly 3000 native plants. If you have not visited this site at the Mouth of Carpinteria Creek, we highly recommend that you check it out! For more information including some photos detailing our work, follow this link:
Carpinteria State Beach Iceplant Removal and Native Species Re-vegetation
Our project at the Santa Barbara Zoo along the Andree Clark Bird Refuge has been a wonderful success! This project is also funded by the Southern California Wetland Recovery Project, and it has involved removing Myoporum trees (and other invasives) and planting of several hundred natives. We put up some amazing "before and after" photos on our web page which you can check out at this link:
Andree Clark Bird Refuge/ SB Zoo Invasive Plant Eradication and Re-vegetation
CIR continues to work on a major dune restoration project along Harbor Blvd. in Oxnard. We are working with Arcadis US. on the North Shore/McGrath project, which is large is scope. We control invasives at the site and have helped install plantings. We have posted photos of the project here:
McGrath/North Shore Dune and Wetland Restoration
CIR has partnered with Bio Resource Consultants to restore 3.25 acres of habitat, including approximately 2 acres of giant reed (
Arundo donax)
and 1.25 acres of disturbed southern willow scrub on the Santa Clara River near Santa Paula. The goal of the project is to create and restore/enhance riparian habitat to increase wildlife diversity, including creation and/or enhancement of southwestern pond turtle habitat. This project is meant to mitigate impacts of the City's new waste water treatment facility. Work began in late spring of 2011.
CHANNEL ISLANDS PROJECTS:
On the islands, CIR took nine elementary school classes to Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands to learn about conservation ecology and to help with invasive plant removal. We did this with funding from several grant sources and we plan some more trips this fall. Holy Cross School in Ventura contracted with us to take them on a four day volunteer trip to the Nature Conservancy side of Santa Cruz Island.
We led several volunteer trips for adults to Anacapa Island as part of a program we have with Channel Islands National Park to restore the native plant communities of that island. The island nursery is now up and running, and volunteers are now helping to grow plants for the project. Check out some photos of this project here:
CIR is helping the U.S. Navy in a program to eradicate Sahara Mustard on San Nicolas Island. We would love to provide volunteer trips there in the future, and also to San Clemente island, perhaps as early as this fall. Stay tuned!!
Some photos of recent trips to San Nicolas and San Clemente can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cirlogin