Short Summary

Garber Park is a 13-acre wildland park owned by the City of Oakland located behind the Claremont Hotel in Claremont Canyon. Garber Park is home to significant stands of big-leaf maple, California buckeyes and regenerating coast live oak woodland and forest. The Garber Park Stewards vision is to safeguard the native wildland resources of Garber Park while reducing the risk of wildfire and improving the trail system.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

CREEK TO BAY DAY IN GARBER PARK

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 9AM-NOON.  Wildland Volunteers, please join us in Garber Park for CREEK TO BAY DAY.  The Garber Park Stewards are offering three structured restoration activities each designed to advance the native riparian character of our oak woodland.  All levels of interest and capacity are welcome and invited.

1) ADVANCING THE EVERGREEN LANE ENTRANCE RESTORATION BEDS
At the Evergreen Entrance, there are five restoration beds now nearly one year old.  Extensive maintenance, native identification, documentary photography, boundary demarcation, and native seed collection will assist in the planned expansion of this very successful project.  The native restoration of the entire hillside is our goal.

2) FRENCH BROOM, CAPE IVY, AND POISON HEMLOCK REMOVAL FROM MIDDLE COURSE CREEK BANKS
Halfway around the Loop Trail, the removal of Himalayan blackberry which choked the creek has left a sunny expanse that has invited opportunistic weeds including French Broom, Cape Ivy, and a large stand of Poison Hemlock.  One good volunteer session will clear the area of these invaders making way for the slower resurgence of the native creekside flora.

3)MAPPING HARWOOD CREEK THE DIRTY WAY
Lech Naumovich of Golden Hour Restoration Institute will conduct a special CITIZEN SCIENCE workshop.  This will accomplish the first ever super transect of Garber Park, from the top of the park down to Claremont Avenue, following Harwood Creek.  Lech will utilize a scientific method (point intercept) to record vegetation and creek features every meter as we travel from top to bottom.  Data will be used to create a vegetation map of the current conditions of Harwood Creek.  Be ready for some hardcore science as well as some mud, as we travel from top to bottom.  Since this activity is optimal with only (12) twelve participants, please RSVP to Lech at lech@goldenhour.org  by September 15 if you are interested in this workshop.
MEET at the Evergreen Ln. Entrance at 9AM, sign in, enjoy some coffee and snacks, and then be ready for an enjoyable morning of restoration work.