EARTH WEEK a TREMENDOUS SUCCESS

Thanks to this crew, led by Bob Strayer, we
now have a bench with a view!  

And Thanks to Bob's leadership we also have
a new bridge on the Lower Loop Trail.

Walking Garber’s trails just became easier – and safer – thanks to the wonderful turn-out and hard work of our volunteers for our first ever Earth Week of activities. Our focus was on improving the  trails – from removing the spring weed growth to shoring up the trails.  For 5 consecutive days, 41 volunteers contributed 123 hours clearing the trails of overgrown weeds, raking the trails of debris, re-building a bridge, installing ersosion control measures along the creek, shoring up the trails from winter damage, and placing a new bench at a special spot near the Rispin Junction with a view across the Bay.

Thanks, everyone, for a fun and successful week of trail restoration.  We couldn’t do it without you! Spring is beautiful in Garber.  Do come and enjoy this gem of a Wildland Park at the Gateway to Claremont Canyon, and if you see a volunteer say “Thanks.”  Better yet, join us on our next volunteer workday: Saturday, May 19, 9AM-Noon.  We will focus on eradicating the invasive weeds from our restoration sites. With your help we can push back the invasive weeds and keep Garber fire safe and a community gem of a park!   

Along switchbacks at Claremont Ave Entrance

Along the Claremont Ave Trail

At the Claremont Ave Entrance

 Clearing the trail at Evergreen Lane Entrance

                         

Cape Ivy and Seedlings

Fern Glade.  Five years ago this beautiful area
in Garber was covered in ivy.  Today, it's a
a beautiful site of ferns, Big Leaf Maples,
and other native plants.

We had the  Luck of the Irish for our St. Patricks Day monthly habitat restoration workday in Garber.  NO RAIN, early Spring blooms popping up throughout the park, and the Trilliums are still blooming.  Thanks to Mark we continue to make progress on one of our most aggressive invasive weeds.  He can frequently be seen in the park near Harwood Creek and Horsetail Meadows carefully pulling Cape ivy off the plants.  THANK YOU Mark and all the volunteers who have chosen to work with Mark on this most important task.  Without you Horsetail Meadows would still be a blanket of Cape Ivy with the growth of the new Horsetails suppressed.

California Coast Live Oak.  We found many seedlings
throughout the park.  We have a caging program to save
the seedlings from being stomped on or eaten by the deer.

Our most exciting find was an abundance of seedlings from Big Leaf Maples to Coast Live Oak.   At the Claremont Ave. Entrance we found hundreds of tiny Big Leaf Maple seedlings.  After much discussion we decided to weed around the seedlings and cage the entire area off to try to save these seedlings from being stomped on.  With this abundance of  late Spring rain – and more to come – they have a chance at survival during our dry summer.  Even if only a few survive, this TLC to this beautiful California Native Tree will be worth it. 

If you missed the St. Patrick’s Day Workday you will have another chance  - Earth Week in Garber.  This year we decided to celebrate Earth Day all week long with several Habitat Restoration Days the week before Earth Day.  We hope you will be able to join us on one or more of these days.   We want to make an assault on the invasive weeds and get a head start on making Garber as Fire Safe as possible.  The schedule:  Wed, April 18 and Thurs, April 19 from 3:00pm-6:00pm.  Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22 from 9:30-12:30.  Details to follow soon.  Contact Shelagh garberparkstewards@gmail.com.  We hope you can join us in celebrating Earth Week in Garber. 

A great Day in Horsetail Meadows

A wonderful workday - good weather and a good turn-out of volunteers - veterans and new.  A major effort was made in Equisitum (Horsetail)Meadow.  The equisitum is now popping up but the Cape Ivy and Himalayan Blackberries, with their aggressive and invasive growth, are threatening the lovely horsetails.  Bags of Cape Ivy and Horsetail were pulled, chopped, and bagged.  Thanks, everyone, a tough job,  but a rewarding and valuable one in the ongoing restoration of Harwood Creek.  In another month the Horsetails will dominate the meadow with their bright green stalks. Thanks everyone for a successful workday.


An extra special treat - the buckeyes have leafed out and the beautiful Trillium are in bloom!

The Fascinating World Beneath our Feet

 

            MUSHROOM WORKSHOP IN GARBER A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS

On January 20, Lech Naumovich presented his first Garber workshop of the 2018 Season, Titled:  Fungi, Soil and the World Beneath Us:  Restoration in Focus.  For this workshop we had TWO wonderful leaders:  Lech and Thea Chesney, mushroom taxonomist and botanist.  When I drove up to the Claremont Ave. Entrance to set-up the refreshments for the event, Thea was already there, finding many, many mushrooms right at the entrance, and had set up books, samples, and a microscope on the hood of her car!  I knew we were in for a treat.

It was a cold day, but clear, and had rained just a few days before, making it perfect for finding mushrooms.  Thea continued to excite us in learning about mushrooms for the next FIVE hours – not just the 3 hours scheduled for the workshop.   THANK YOU, LECH and THEA for such a fabulous workshop – opening up a another fascinating eco-system in Garber – THE WORLD BENEATH US.