Alpha Phi Omega

Thanks to Alpha Phi Omega, we got a ton of work done today in the nursery and garden!

Danthonia californica seeds.

Soap plant seeds.

Sowing seeds.

Preparing a flat.

Flattening the path.

Putting on some finishing touches.

L.W.D. (Large Woody Debris)

In the past month, two members of Berkeley's beloved tree community have started to move on toward the ends their long, woody lives. The two trees, one bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) and one coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), will be missed.

The bigleaf maple, much beloved by the campus creek restoration community, met its downfall during the last big storm over spring break. This individual took root near the ruins of one of Berkeley's oldest bridges, and now itself spans the waters.

The coast redwood, amongst its grove, likely lost its footing during the same storm, and now precariously leans towards Stephens Hall.

As tragic as these events may seem, fallen trees are an integral part of creek ecosystems, providing fish habitat, stream modification, and new nutrients.

The listing coast redwood (S. sempervirens)
in the vicinity of Stephens Hall.

The downed bigleaf maple (A. macrophyllum) in
question, located near the West Entrance.

Rain, Rain...

After a very dry January, it seems like we're finally getting our late rains. Nothing is more exciting than watching Strawberry Creek during a storm; stop by and take a peek if you happen to venture outside. One thing to look for are the check dams that are periodically positioned along the creek. Be sure to observe their effects on the depth of the streambed and the steepness of the banks.

A check dam, just above the confluence on the North Fork.

Saturday in the Nursery and on the Creek

Thanks to all the wonderful participants from GETH (Global Environmental Theme House) making the world a little bit greener!

One seedling at a time.

Chris is in the zone.

Rose giving a demonstration.

The cavemen (left to right): Chris, Prashant, and Addien

The GETH crew.

Weekend Events!

We've got a weekend full of events here at the Strawberry Creek Restoration Program! Here's what's what:

 

What: Berkeley Project

When: Saturday from 10am-4pm

Where: Meet at the rugby statue near the southwest corner of VLSB. 

Notes: Please bring water and a bag lunch. Wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty and closed-toe shoes.

 

What: Open Nursery

When: Sunday from 2-4pm

Where: Native plant nursery in the parking lot behind Gianinni and Wellman Halls (map).

Notes: We may be doing some digging for the new native plant demonstration garden, so bring gloves if you have them. A personal snack might also be a good idea. Other things we might do include planting, watering, or weeding.

Planting in the West Cresent

We've finally begun planting in the long-awaited West Crescent area. I wish I had a before photo, but this area was formerly chocked in with a wall of Chilean red currant. It'll be exciting to see things fill in again once the native plants start taking off.

Urban Archaeology

Today's haul from the creek:

Some interesting finds: A (whiskey?) bottle, shell casings,
a workglove, and a stylish brown v-neck.

Planting Plants

Thanks to everybody who came to the open event today! It was a bit chilly (still no snow), but we got so much done! In addition to clearing out invasive vinca and ehrharta, we also planted tons of cow parsnip and soap plant.

Wilson and Vincent get down to business.

Mauna and Thy and their new friends.

Hard at work.

For Ashley, broken bones are no excuse!

A flurry of restoration activity.

Ranger Dave letting some ehrharta know who's boss.

Gina and Ramey run on renewable smile-power!

Thank you, eco-warriors!

Looking at the pictures, it's hard to realize that we're on campus, but VLSB is probably only 100ft away! I hope that everyone who came out today can look at the creek and campus in a new way.