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March 10 & 11, 2011: Larson Creek Beautification and Restoration
On March 10 and 11, 2011, SPAWN and kids from kindergarten to 6th grade planted natives at the site cleared last year at the Lagunitas School and San Geronimo Community Center. The first area is fenced by a beautiful split rail fence installed by SPAWN a few weeks prior and will house a native plant garden designed to attract native bees and butterflies. The kids came out in shifts to dig holes, move mulch, plant, and learn a few things about the riparian corridor and the importance of restoring it.
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With the bee and butterfly garden planted, the children began planting in the riparian restoration site right along Larson Creek. Here the kids planted lots of trees to help stabilize the creek banks, prevent erosion and sedimentation, and provide overhanging shad that will help the endangered coho salmon and steelhead grow and flourish! A big thank you to all the parents, teachers, and children for helping on such an important and beautiful project!
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March 5, 2011: A New View with the College of Marin Ecology Group
Our restoration day started with an ear-throbbing chorus of Ferraris (they weren't on their way to help remove invasive species). As they sped by the SPAWN offices beside Lagunitas Creek, Emi and I turned from analyzing a bramble of Himalayan blackberry slated for demolition by a College of Marin Ecology class.
Minutes later, a motorcycle turned off of Sir Francis Drake Blvd. and revved down the gravel drive. Our first volunteer had arrived!
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Professor Fernando Agudelo-Silua interjected ecological tidbits as we toured the Turtle Island Restoration Network property. His students' inquires highlighted land use: one is hard-pressed to wander the series of odd structures half-submerged in the floodplain without pondering the history of this site. We admired willow branches arching across the creek and marveled at a carpet of freshly-sprouted poison hemlock. Then we pulled on work gloves and tackled the blackberry, bamboo-like arundo, and trees of English ivy.
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The group's energy tore past a small fence and into the thicket behind. Within the hour, they'd completed our planned invasive removal project for the day. Mountains of twisted ivy trunks sprawled across the lawn. Blackberry tentacles stretched beside them, as the diligent students wielded clippers, turning vegetative chaos into ordered piles.
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When it was over, we stared in awe. A ferocious bite of invasives lay in tatters while exposing a view we'd never seen before: behind the 500 feet of blackberry, ivy, and arundo the students had removed stood another fence mangled by ivy and guarded by dense arundo. Prime for the next restoration workday!
GLOBAL WORK PARTY! October 9th, 2010!
Thanks to all who came out and joined SPAWN for the 350.org 10/10/10 Global Workparty! We had a wonderful time performing restoration on Lagunitas Creek floodplain habitat, joining the efforts of volunteers across the planet to put in some hard work to help bring down our carbon emissions. Volunteers removed invasive blackberry roots and ivy to make way for native trees and shrubs that we'll be planting this Fall and Winter! The Salmon are returning soon, let's give them some wonderful habitat! Keep an eye on our restoration schedule page (http://www.spawnusa.org/upcomingevents/number-5) and spend a beautiful Saturday with us this Fall!
Rehabilitating a Redwood Grove, September 2010!
Wonderful volunteers (new and old) including Mike, Pax, Julia, and Kay came out and helped us continue our work at 7410 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. This SPAWN-owned land sits right on the San Geronimo Creek in Lagunitas and one day will house interns and volunteers. It will also make a wonderful showcase for educating students about redwood forest and stream ecology (not to mention the wonderful redwood shade is lovely on hot summer days!). We worked hard at removing invasive hypericum that had dominated much of the understory around the house. We also tended to newly planted trees and beautiful coffeeberry! Join us this fall/winter for more planting, or just to check out the awesome old-growth redwood stump that still has evidence of logging from over a hundred years ago!
Breaking new ground at Larsen Creek, July 31 2010!
Saturday we came out, a strong force of 3 to tackle French Broom! We removed the invasive to prep the area for planting and riparain area widening on Lagunitas school grounds. This project is improving upon erosion and stormwater conditions found on school property. The plan to widen the riparian area will further filter parking lot runoff and a storm drain will be slated for disconnection. This will further the quality of water in the stream, Yay!!!
Roy's Pool's Restoration in July 2010!
Saturday, July 24th we had a crew of 4 dedicated folks to the mission of restoration in the valley. We tended the native plants that have been in the ground and monitored the ones we just planted. See below for native plants planted last week! We're always encouraged by the work we do when we visit this site because it's so successful and it's continually teaching us things about how the ecosystem there is functioning. Come join us sometime and learn more about this great project!
Roy's Pool's Restoration in July 2010!
On Saturday, July 17 we were a crew of 6 on a plant liberation mission. We succeeded to liberate such native plants as our nearing 6 foot tall redwoods, as well as california figwort and blackberry, red alder, big leaf maple, snowberry, sedge, sage, and more. We have a vast array of native plants the golf course creek banks have been restored with over the years. This project to date is our legacy project being our longest running one and the location where SPAWN first began doing restoration in San Geronimo Valley. Coming to Roy's on a volunteer day is a great introduction to a restoration project in progress! Come join us! Contact Jodie at jodie@tirn.net for any info inquiries!
New Stewards of the Land
Another group of CCC project Regen students joined us at our offices today! The transformation at 9255 Sir Francis Drake has been incredible to watch. The open, park-like setting is a far cry from overgrown, invasive-dominated mess that was here when TIRN moved in. This is a great project for students to be involved with! We are slowly removing all of the old rotting structures and the half-buried, rusting metal. Students tended to our native plant dye-garden, a new edition to the property in 2010. It's entirely due to the work of volunteers that we are able to perform such dramatic habitat restoration! If you're interested in helping us, please email Blaine@tirn.net!
Summer Restoration Fun!
July 2010
Summer is here, which means restoration is in full swing on both Saturdays and weekdays. We are joined several times a week now by students from CCC Project Regen. These kids are great! It's wonderful to see youth set aside time during their summers to aid in restoration throughout the county. Working with SPAWN, these students have removed invasives, maintained plantings, and have worked their butts off helping us get our NEW native plant nursery off the ground!
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Summer is a great time to join us on a Saturday morning - enjoy the weather, wildlife, and company of other enthusiastic community members, while making a visible and positive impact on one of the last salmon-bearing streams in the region.
Check out our restoration schedule HERE!
Blaine Vossler ~ Americorps WSP Intern
HAPPY EARTH DAY 2010!!!
April 2010
The SPAWN team and our wonderful volunteers help erected a NEW shadehouse for our expanding native plant nursery in Tocaloma!
Along with establishing a new nursery location, volunteers removed a staggering 2500 square feet of invasive himalayan blackberry along the creek at the SPAWN offices. This vital floodplain area has been smothered by blackberry for over a decade and thanks to the work of our volunteers it will soon transform into a beautiful riparian grove of native trees and shrubs. Volunteers also tackled huge amounts of invasive english ivy (choking our lovely redwoods) and bamboo!
We finished up the day with a delicious BBQ!
Join us next time!
Blaine Vossler ~ Americorps WSP Intern
"Restoration Day"
September 2009
Restoration Day
Up early. Eat breakfast - many calories to burn.
Though the temp will soon reach 90, long sleeves must be worn.
For my enemy is crafty, and has the devil's soul
and if it bites my unclothed arm, it leaves a gaping hole.
A pleasant drive now to the site, before the war ensues
where I size up the enemy and solemnly peruse
the gleaming lot of weaponry - assessing its appeal.
Clippers, shovel, trowel and pick; I arm myself with steel.
Soon the soldiers, they arrive, bathed in morning light,
we clad our hands in leather gauntlets, then prepare to fight.
Soon unfolds the grizzly scene, it's us against a thorn machine.
We find ourselves caught in between gnashing teeth of emerald green.
Tentacles like hydra heads that feed on volunteers -
for every single head you sever, another one appears.
Amidst the melee I can see where several emanate
I trace their length down to the earth where the demon's heart doth wait.
I boldly plunge my battered shovel deep into the ground
I dig and pry with all my might and Hark! - a lovely sound:
The tendons of our hideous beast do snap and break apart.
I lift my shovelful of dirt and unearth the ugly heart.
Hours pass and sweat it flows, and as we work my hunger grows,
so I pick a bloody, bulbous berry and in my mouth it goes.
Alas, at one, our work is done, and clean-up must begin -
a wheelbarrow rolls along and the dead are piled in.
And as we leave to nurse our wounds I hear the bramble say:
"Have a nice one sucker, I'll see YOU next Saturday!"
Blaine Vossler ~ Americorps WSP Intern
Hot Days, Cool nights
August 2009
Our restoration continues at Roy's Pools where we have maintained our fight against expanding invasive blackberry. We have installed larger protectors as our plants have grown with the season and we have mulched just about all of our restoration sites. This month we also had one of our Americorps sponsored restoration events. Blaine completed his independent service project at the Tocaloma property where we removed many invasives from the floodplain just behind SPAWN's office. The removal of blackberry and other introduced species has freed up the area for native plantings, which will be done later this fall during our other service project. As the rain comes and we have cooler temperatures we will stepping up our efforts at all of our restoration sites and planting natives every weekend. Please join us during our busiest time of the year!
Andrew Griffin ~ Americorps WSP Intern
The long dry season!
July 2009
This month SPAWN has started to restore its Lagunitas House property. We have been working every weekend this month to remove invasive hypericum(St. Johns Wart), vinca, ivy, and forget-me-nots to free up the under-story for native plantings. This long dry summer has been hard on our existing plantings around the valley, so the Americorps WSP interns have been working hard every Wednesday to water our restoration sites at Roy's Pools, Park St., Castro St., Arroyo/Barranca. A special thanks to Bill for the use of his classic Ford pickup for water transport to our sites. The season continues hot and dry and we appreciate the help from our dedicated volunteers, but we always need more help from you new volunteers out there. Visit spawnusa.org/upcomingevents for details on our future restoration sites and events. Please join us!
Andrew Griffin ~ Americorps WSP intern
Summer in Full Swing!
June, 2009
Wow! What a busy month and a half at SPAWN. In May we welcomed two new Americorps Watershed Stewards Project Interns, Andrew and Claire, who now join us for every restoration and nursery day. June brought many outreach activities including our volunteer appreciation dinner, Fairfax Ecofest (where SPAWN's salmon float took 3rd place!), SalmonAid, and the Woodacre 4th of July parade. While some of these Saturday events prevented us from performing our usual restoration, we've still accomplished a great deal. Recently, we've taken up more thorough efforts to restore the culvert at the intersection of Park Street and Redwood Drive in Woodacre as well as the SPAWN property in Lagunitas. We've taken out a large amount of ivy and periwinkle at both locations, and have done a TON of planting at Park St. - an area of the creek in serious need of some shade. A short visit to Roy's Pools offers a display of the fruits of our labor. Plantings are taking off! Where there was once nothing but invasive blackberry, there is now coffeeberry, coyote brush, sticky monkey flower, bi-color lupin, hazelnut, buckeye, sweet-smelling yerba buena and more - spreading and thriving. Keeping many of our young plantings sufficiently watered throughout the summer will prove challenging, but the reward is always worth it! The next two Saturdays (july 11 & 18) we'll be at the SPAWN Lagunitas House. Visit spawnusa.org/upcomingevents for details and directions! See you by the creek!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
Revitalizing Rain Reaches Roy's Restoration!
May 2nd, 2009
Yes! The first weekend in May brought heavy rains - a welcomed sight for the health of our watershed. Many volunteers worked through the fluctuating torrents to completely cover the North Creekside with mulch! Aside from adding to the asthetic element of the site, the mulch will help maintain erosion and provide ground cover for the many species of native plants along the path. Volunteers also kept hard at work eliminating the invasive himalayan blackberry roots that continue to plague the site. Some maintenance work was also done on a two year old bio-engineering site further upstream. A few volunteers planted dogwood and alder along the creek, which will provide shade and shelter for our little finned friends. With the help of several San Francisco State students, we accomplished a great deal, and are looking forward to displaying our work on next weekend's Eco-Tour : http://www.spawnusa.org/upcomingevents/number-75 Please join us!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
Earth Day Adventures!
April 18th and 25th, 2009
SPAWN held two restoration efforts surrounding this year's Earth Day. The first was at our very own Roy's Pools. We planted a TON of lupin by the cart path on the South side of the pools, as well as yerba buena and sticky monkey flower! We had lots of cookies and tasty tabouleh from the Lagunitas Deli, an info table and plants for sale! Overall, it was a successful restoration day. The Saturday following Earth Day SPAWN held restoration in conjunction with Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Several SPAWN volunteers hiked through the park picking up trash, trimming back poison oak, and providing awesome native plant knowledge to other volunteers. It was a nice sunny saturday away from Roy's Pools - but we will be back next week to continue our efforts!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
Several Super Saturdays!
April 4th and 11th, 2009
The first two restoration days in April were wonderful! Although we had smaller groups of volunteers, we accomplished a great deal. The 4th was spent performing maintenance on young redwoods and coyote brush planted last year. These guys were being overtaken by large patches of poison hemlock and thistle. Several of us got quite the workout clearing the weeds and mulching around our redwoods. We also layed down cardboard which will help our little trees hold water during the dry months ahead. What a transformation we made at this site! April 11th was spent digging up the last remaining roots (or so we hope) of blackberry at our main site at Roy's Pools. The last remnants of a large bramble of invasive Himalayan Blackberry were ripped from the ground to make way for extensive planting of Beeplant, or California Figwort. We also planted some wild cucumber from our nursery alongside its naturally-occurring brethren. We also watered all of our plantings - something that will become more and more crucial as the summer months approach. NEXT SATURDAY will be our fabulous Earth Day Restoration ~ snacks, refreshments, plenty of plants and a great chance to learn more about the work we do at SPAWN! Come on out and give back to Mother Earth while having a great time!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
Clearing the Way!
March 21st and 28th, 2009
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We've had great crews the last two Saturdays! Both restoration days were spent attacking the Vinca Minor which skirts the edge of the fairway at Roy's Pools. This invasive periwinkle has overtaken much of the understory along the creek in the upstream side of the pools. It offers very little in the way of shade, food, or habitat for local species and thus must be replaced with a more beneficial type of ground cover. While less dangerous than the Himalayan Blackberry (in terms of thorns) the Vinca often means a dense network of underground roots that re-sprout quickly unless thoroughly removed. After a lot of digging (and some sweating) we continued to push back the front lines. We also unearthed a plethora of golf balls and other miscellaneous waste. Some of us continued to dig up root structures in the areas we've cleared of blackberry. Some of them are sending up new sprouts - pointing out the diligence required in clearing invasives without using herbicides. One of the highlights of this past Saturday was the installation of a new SPAWN information box along the cart path! This will allow golfers to learn a bit about SPAWN and our efforts as they approach the bridge. We'll be back next Saturday to continue clearing the way for more native plantings! These little guys can use all the help they can get, so bring your friends and family and enjoy the Spring sunshine!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
Another Successful Saturday
March 14th, 2009
Well, the sun didn't shine but the rain held off long enough for a great crew of volunteers to beat back the invasive Himalayan Blackberry and Vinca creeping ever-outward. While one crew protected Redwood and grass plantings from encroaching Blackberry, another attacked a band of Vinca (non-native periwinkle) skriting the edge of the fairway. Beating back the Vinca will keep the need for herbicide use along the creek to a minimum. This will also provide a great area for riparian plantings. After all the hard work a handful of us hiked deeper into the golf course to admire previous restoration areas - now flourishing along the water. Thanks to the helpers of all ages who made it yet another successful saturday!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
The Restoration Continues!
March 7th, 2009
Great weather and an even better turnout led to an AMAZING day of restoration! Volunteers from all over came out and really put forth an amazing effort - tackling a wall of blackberry well over our heads! We eradicated roots as we went, clearing a large area that will be the new home for some of our beautiful little native plants. Volunteers also helped maintain and weed past plantings along the maintenance road near the pools. We began a beautification effort on the near side of the cart path as well, putting in maple and coyote brush by the Roy's Pools marker, which proudly showcases SPAWN as an integral part in its construction. The transformation I have seen at Roy's Pools in just the short amount of time I've been here really is astounding. It's necessary and awe-inspiring work that can't be accomplished without the help of our amazing volunteers, who care so much about our environment. I'm excited to be a part of such a great effort, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for Roy's Pools and the upper reaches of the San Geronimo. I hope you'll join me next week as the restoration continues...
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
Diggin' It !
February 28, 2009
The rain gave us yet another break as we tackled buried blackberry roots on the far side of Roy's Pools. Lively discussions and jokes filled the air as our valued volunteers dug deep and removed tons of blackberry roots. The beautiful boulders that just weeks ago were completely obscured by rampant blackberry are now a sheltering wall for new plantings. Buckeye, hazelnut, coffeeberry, and coyote brush all went into the ground, flanked by the lovely Yerba Buena (meaning 'good herb') which will provide spreading, sweet-smelling ground cover and erosion control. Its still amazing to me how quickly a small group of dedicated individuals can transform a big patch of dirt into a gorgeous bed of beautiful natives. Many compliments from the passing golfers (and no incoming golf balls) made for a rewarding day. Back again next Saturday, March 7th to continue planting and beautifying this superb piece of riparian habitat.
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
The Root of the Problem...
February 21, 2009
Another sunny Saturday! The nice weather brought out many new (and very old) volunteers of all ages for an exciting day of restoration. We worked diligently to uncover the buried root systems left behind after the last few weeks of clearing blackberry. Shovels plunged deep into the soft earth pulled up the giant tuberous growths with a gratifying 'snap!' The overturned soil was great for planting our natives. Many buckeye, hazelnut, coyote brush, and even some pacific ninebark - a flowering shrub that grows right beside the water's edge - were put into the ground, completely transforming the site. BIG THANKS to all the new and returning members for making it such a lovely and productive day! We'll be back again at Roy's Pools next Saturday (the 28th) to work on the opposite creek bank, and hopefully do some maintenance on plantings from the past. See you at the creek!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
..a LOVE-ly day..
February 14, 2009
Valentines Day brought SPAWN volunteers & friends a short reprieve in the much needed rain that has been filling our creeks and streams! A rainy morning gave way to sun and smiles as the restoration team continued the invasive blackberry removal at Roy's Pools. Our spirits were lifted with the rising flow of San Geronimo Creek, and we worked hard through the morning (with a short break for cupcakes!) In the area north of the pools workers continued clearing a huge section, lovingly untangling native blackberry overtaken by the Himalayan. We even uncovered what appeared to be a muskrat den, which we then worked to recover, in case it is still occupied. Volunteers also continued clearing an area of invasives around and under the bridge, which will yield prime ground for planting native species right along the water! Before long this crucial riparian habitat will serve as a wonderful educational area and an example for golfers and eager fish seekers who stroll by. Thanks to all for your continued efforts! We'll be back again at Roy's next week, see you at the creek!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
Slowly But Surely...
February 7, 2009
This past Saturday was bright and clear and we had a great turnout of volunteers, both new and old, to continue our blackberry removal efforts at Roy's Pools. It's amazing to see how much our work has paid off. We now have an awesome riparian area cleared for necessary native planting, and an ever-growing brush pile of cut blackberry! Thanks to Mel and Barbara for getting down right under the bridge to make way for planting right beside the water. Everyone's work is very appreciated and I can't wait to see you all out again next Saturday, the 14th, at Roy's Pools once again for some special Valentine's Day restoration. See you at the creek!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
The Battle Continues at Roy's Pools
January 31, 2009
The last Saturday Restoration Day of January came with clear, sunny skies once again - bad for the endangered coho but great for those of us working hard to restore the riparian area. Many of our wonderful volunteers came out to help us beat back the invasive blackberry that has been choking the area around Roy's Pools. We cleared another sizable area and uncovered native blackberry bushes once oppressed by the suffocating weight of their Himalayan counterpart. We also managed to clear out the remnants of what was once the SPAWN nursery, making way for great areas to plant more of our native species. Big thanks as usual to our volunteers and all the new faces! I had a great time and can't wait to get back out next Saturday (February 7th) to keep up our efforts. Lets keep our fingers crossed for rain!!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
Another Lovely Saturday at Roy's Pools
January 24, 2009
The war on blackberry continues! Several volunteers showed up for the second week in a row to help clear invasive himalayan blackberry near Roy's Pools. This was, however, my very first saturday restoration as the new WSP Americorps member with SPAWN! It was so nice to see the great turnout and meet die-hard volunteers such as Bill and Lee. We opened up a nice big area and found a few more plantings from years past buried beneath the blackberry. Additionally, we planted a bunch more coyote brush as well as some coast live oak saplings. We'll be back again next saturday Jan. 31st and I can't wait to get back to work and continue refurbishing this beautiful riparian area. Big thanks to the Environmental Traveling Companions for helping us out! See you at the creek!
Blaine Vossler ~ Watershed Stewards Intern
Sunny Saturday at Roy's Pools
January 17, 2009
With the sun shining and the creek trickling by, myself and 11 other SPAWN volunteers worked shoulder to shoulder along Roy's Pools to clear out an area of invasive blackberry that had smothered our native plantings from previous years, overgrown into the old SPAWN Nursery area, and completely covered decorative boulders put in place at the time of the Roy's Pools construction in 1999. This site is great because we were able to speak with and promote our activities to several groups of interested golfers that played nearby. It was clear to all that the creek levels are much lower than a typical winter, and our discussions on native plants, coho salmon, and watershed health kept coming back to the serious drought that our state is facing now and into the new year of 2009. The corner site with its decorative boulders and easy access promised to be a focal point for lots of great SPAWN restoration efforts in 2009. We will return here next weekend, on Saturday January 24th, to plant native plants, monitor our birdhouses, and remove more of the blackberry that is choking out other riparian plantings. See you at the creek!
By Chris Pincetich, Watershed Biologist.
Away With The Blackberry!
June 7, 2008
Here at SPAWN's office we have a beautiful scenery out back next to the creek. All of the staff love to go next to the creek during their lunch. The biggest problem with the area is the Himalayan Blackberry. I think most of the community of West Marin has this nasty invasive creeping toward their territory.
Everyone has their special technique for destroying this invasive species, but there is no real easy way to do it. Rather than using nasty pesticides near the creek, we decided to tackle this using human power. Organizing a work party seemed to be a great way for the community to learn about salmonids, our local watershed, and why native plants are important for nature. Before we starting the removal we had a nesting survey done to make sure no harm was done to the song birds that could have been nesting in the area.
With the help of 18 volunteers and tools provided by Point Reyes, we removed a very large area near the creek. This was done by several steps of clipping the top layer and digging up the roots with a shovel.
After everyone had worked up a sweat, there was a nice meal provided for everyone. Everything was donated by Lagunitas Deli, Good Earth, Noahs Bagels, and Trader Joes. The creek will soon have lots of native vegetation to replace all of the invasives that were removed.
Thanks to everyone that was involved! :)
Big Nasty Broom!
May 2008
By Kevin Cook Watershed Steward Intern
SPAWN's volunteers have been recently removing the invasive Scotch Broom on the property of Giacomini along San Geronimo Creek. This site is heavily covered with invasives and volunteers are now trying to remove all of them. As soon as these invasives are cleared, there will be space ready for the planting of a variety of native plants (Douglas Fir, Redwoods, Alders, ect.)
Volunteers have come across many interesting species along our rampage of removal. Kevin found a ring neck snake, which he showed to all of the other volunteers that day. Many birds join in the restoration activities with their wonderful songs.
Bill, Mel, and Jenny entertain the group with many smiles as they talk of what the site will look like when the work is done. Tackling each individual invasive is not always easy when the evil poison oak is in the way!
Super Saturday
April 12, 2008
Saturday's volunteer group was remarkable!
Things started off with Chris Pincetich, SPAWN's new Watershed Biologist, recruiting volunteer, Angie, all the way from the East Bay! Smolt trap monitoring was the first task of the day. For the first and one of the very few mornings that Director, Todd Steiner, was not in attendance, Chris, Angie, Kevin, and Jenny traveled from trap to trap geared up in waders and ready to see what the traps would reveal! With Coho and Steelhead smolts, 2 crayfish, and some lamprey as the catch of the day, things were off to a fun start!
After the traps were monitored, there was a smooth transition into SPAWN's first salmonid rescue effort of 2008. Even more volunteers came out for this! Mel and Nancy added to the fun. Shortly after his morning radio interview, SPAWN Director Todd Steiner made a special trip to visit the fish rescue team. He came equipt with better nets, so that everyone could participate and work together. Though he was busy, he still could not resist taking a couple of dips with the ol' net to help save some salmonids! After wishing us well, and leaving the fish in able hands, the volunteers worked until they found 250 fry to relocate downstream to a stable and safe portion of Arroyo Creek. After the transfer, guess what? More volunteering and restoration work!
Those that were able headed over to Roy's Pools to meet up with Tom and a new volunteer, Robbie, to take on some creek-side restoration. Some nasty non-native and invasive blackberry was removed while sedge, elk clover, and beautiful creek dogwood were planted. What a great day of work! From quiet moments together, to fighting battles with invasive species, to good hearted jokes, and love-filled plantings, you can't go wrong with this bunch! The volunteers are such a fun and positive group that there is so much true enjoyment! I wish everyone could experience the good times we have, so come on along!