This year's Creek to Bay Day event in Garber Park was very different from last year's. One year ago we were clearing large areas and steep hillsides of decades of garbage and debris, but this year we were able to tend and advance the goal of restoration of the park's riparian woodland ecosystem. We picked out three work areas and our great volunteers accomplished all our goals. We were able to clear the entrance hillside of invasive Erharta grass so that the native seeds from our restoration beds would have a better chance of rooting when the rains come and the growing season begins. Along those lines, the stalwart blackberry cadre took out a large stand of Poison Hemlock that had sprung up on the banks of Harwood Creek in the open areas that had been previously cleared.
Lech Naumovich's CITIZEN SCIENCE WORKSHOP was able to establish and carry out the transect of Garber Park following Harwood Creek from top to bottom. Lech, Bob, and Janet established the beginning point and measured, marked, and collected data for about 60 feet of the transect, leaving a good amount of work still to be done at future workshops. On the way to photograph them, I was astonished to run into a substantial patch of
Aster radulinus, a shy and very infrequent native that we have not seen in Garber to this point.
Creek to Bay Day which is expertly organized by the City of Oakland is a great opportunity to get work done and to assess developments in the Park. The Stewards are grateful for this program and look forward to next year's event.
