October was a busy month in Garber, from a fun habitat
restoration day, to the sad but expected news that Sudden Oak Death is
spreading in Claremont Canyon and other parts of the East Bay, to our onsite
visit and planning session with Lech Naumovich, Golden Hour Restoration
Institute. The Garber Park Stewards and
Golden Hour are once again offering several exciting and informative workshops
this Winter season. Highlights below:
October Saturday
Workday. THANK YOU to all of our wonderful volunteers - we couldn’t do it without you! Seventeen volunteers came to contribute to
Garber’s restoration, which allowed us to split into several groups. One
group dug up Himalayan Blackberries that were invading the 1st Creek
along the Lower Loop Trail. which will allow the thimbleberries and ferns to
continue to fill in this beautiful creek area..
Another group focused on the Sylvan Trail, cutting ivy from the trees
and around the ferns. A third group
stayed at the Evergreen Lane Restoration area, pulling invasive weeds and
cutting back the Bromus, revealing lovely new sprouts under the blanket of
leaves. A most satisfying day.
On-Site planning with
Lech Naumovich, Executive Director of Golden Hour Restoration Institute. We always look forward to our quarterly
planning sessions with Lech where we assess the status of Garber, monitor our
restoration sites, and plan future stewardship priorities and workshops. This year, because of the lack of rain – it has been the
driest year (January-October) on record - Garber does look parched. So, we were pleasantly surprised to find that
most of our seedlings, buried under a blanket of leaves, appeared to be alive
and well, waiting for the rains before springing
back to life. It will be very interesting
to see what the return of the rains produces at our restoration sites.
Citizen Science
Workshops. The Garber Park Stewards
are excited to be partnering with Golden Hour for several
exciting workshops throughout the winter season, beginning with a Woodland
Understory Restoration on Sunday, December 8. Below Fireplace Plaza we have found a large flat
area where the ivy has not yet totally blanketed and engulfed the area. Lech will discuss best practices and keys for
ivy removal which we will then remove from the project site, find and flag any
new natives we find in the area, and, if the soil is wet, create a small woodland habitat using existing nearby materials. And,
most exciting of all, Lech said this will be a great workshop for another TimeLapse Video!
