Article Launched: 08/17/2008 12:00:00 AM PDT
Volunteers worked with the Resource Conservation District Saturday to help beautify the forest around Soquel Creek by plucking invasive plants that had taken over the habitat.
The conservation district started the volunteer cleanup in 2004, when volunteers helped restore native plant ecosystems by pulling invaders like ivy and reeds. They planted 50 native plant species in 2005.
"[Volunteers] are really essential because we have very limited grant funding to get work done on these sites each year," restoration ecologist Jennifer Stern said. "So any help we get is really critical to the success of the project."
Stern taught volunteers which plants to pull so that they can apply what they learned to their own yards.
"I started off here and couldn't find any of the bad [plants] but now realize they're all bad," volunteer Steve Kennedy said. "Soquel Creek is a tremendous resource for our community and it's really not utilized. We would just like the creek to be in better shape. Anything we can do for Soquel."
Since 2004, volunteers have helped by planting berries for birds and saving trees that provide nesting habitats and shade for steelhead trout in the creek.
The conservation district has about five volunteer days per year throughout the county. They also provide education, technical assistance and outreach to land owners and land users through multiple programs, teaching them how to restore, conserve or enhance natural resources.
Stern said that it takes at least five years of maintenance to build a strong plant community.
"We're hoping to shift to 100 percent volunteer efforts at these sites next year. So it will be even more important that people come to these volunteer days," she said.
People who want to be added to the volunteer list can contact Jennifer Stern at 464-2950, ext. 24. |
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