Didactic Decal!

Fellow environmentalists!

This past Friday I got to drop in on the activities of the Decal and learn quite a bit from them about invasive species, restoration efforts and the natural flow of events in nature.

 

We initially spent some time removing periwinkle (genus Vinca) from the area- an invasive species whose shallow, spongy root system allows it to rapidly take over an area but does not provide soil stabilization for when the rainy season hits. This stabilization would normally be provided by other plants such as the Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) which have roots that are several times as long as those of the periwinkle. As such, all the invasive does is prevent native plants from taking root and reduces the biodiversity of the area (since acorns from trees such as the redwood cannot produce new plants due to a lack of available resources) and is overall a detriment to the development and maintenance of a healthy ecosystem. It is worthwhile to note that the invasive’s root system also makes it rather difficult to pull out but one should recall that the proper and easiest way to pull out invasive species is to squat and then stand up so as to reduce strain on the body.

 

After a bit of removal we discovered a tiny Coast Live Oak- Quercus agrifolia- that was being smothered by the surrounding invasives and cleared the area for it.

 

We then took the invasives that we pulled out and dumped them into the creek to create a natural dam. This would create two different water flows, the slow variety of which creates a pool habitat which supports fish and a fast variety which will have more oxygen. This would mimic the natural order instead of the campus norm. In natural systems when trees die they occasionally fall into the river and create these flows on their own but on campus diseased trees are taken down and fallen ones are simply removed from campus entirely. Since breaking away from the natural order creates inconsistencies and makes it that much more difficult to foster a healthy environment for flora and fauna, we decided to experiment with this system and see if it can produce any beneficial effects.

I was also taught about several of the native species that we helped out today. Toyon- Heteromeles arbutofolia- for example, whose red berries are inedible was discovered earlier

that day. The California bee plant - Scrophularia californica- was also uncovered and will be a great pollinator in the spring for a variety of species that otherwise would lack any plants to pollinate. We also found cow parsnip - Heracleum maximum. However many more species benefited from our actions today and will hopefully continue to be benefited by the actions of people like you! Take a step to get involved today and make a difference. Until next week!