Zone 5 Project Summary

Restoration Plan Outline for Restoration of Native Habitat for “Zone 5”

Submitted by Judith Lowry

Goals:

After removing the eucalyptus in “Zone 5,” whose growth habits and current health have become hazardous, we hope to restore that part of the Bolinas Sewer Pond Lands to native habitat. Each restored area out of the approximately 12 acres will include its own palette of carefully chosen locally native species. These will be determined by the site’s particular topography, whether flat or sloping, the degree of slope, exposure, the prevailing winds, the soils and drainages.

Restored to What?

Some of the Sewer Pond Lands were likely once held by mixed woodland species like coast live oak, (Quercus agrifolia), California bay laurel, (Umbellularia californica), and California buckeye, (Aesculus californica). Shrubs like coffeeberry (Frangula californica), blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus), and toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) are still present. Other areas were composed of coastal chaparral, coastal prairie, and coastal scrub. Wet places fostered willows and sedges.

Some of the land was coastal prairie consisting of native bunch grasses and many herbaceous species. Much of the Sewer Pond land is still grassland, but the native bunch grasses have been replaced by invasive non-native grasses, in particular, tall fescue, (Festuca arundinacea), a large and tough grass that is difficult to remove once established. Real coast prairie is now extremely rare, and the return to this rich plant community, once it is gone, is not easy. Only on small selected areas will restoration to coastal prairie be a part of this project.

As well as through the efforts of our committee, and the sustained efforts of the Land Stewardship Committee, for which we are grateful, the results of a biologist’s survey will be incorporated into our plant list. (see below).

Native species already present will be mapped and flagged, with every reasonable effort made to keep them safe during tree removal activities. Planting strategies appropriate to the site (by direct seeding or transplant) will be determined, as well as which weedy species exist on-site. One of the most deleterious is cotoneaster, whose roots usually require removal by machine, which will need to happen before planting ot seeding takes place.

Trees will be spaced to provide room for healthy growth; some will be single trees, others will be growing in groups, but all will be planted an appropriate distance from our roads and paths, planned so that even in their maturity, they will not loom over the road or trail. This is crucial to public safety.

When:

If eucalyptus removal begins in late winter and early spring and continues through the summer, plantings can take place in the following early to late fall, from October through February. In case rains are not present, a source of irrigation for early establishment of the plants will be identified.

Disposal of Eucalyptus Logs, Chips, and Stumps:

As much biomass as possible will be handled on-site. Local sawyers will be contacted to see if and how much of the wood they could mill, the optimal solution. The technique called “hugelkultur” will be used to incorporate some of the eucalyptus logs into the plantings.

Stumps and smaller limbs will be chipped, the chips to be distributed in a number of ways.Chips will be used to suppress weeds on-site. They will be made available to the town for mulch, used for composting by Resource Recovery, and smaller trees, 8” dbh and under, will be made available for firewood.

Planting Strategies: Adaptive Management

Two strategies will be employed - 1. Direct seeding, and 2. Transplanting from containers into the ground. The efficacy of direct seeding is demonstrated by the numerous oak seedlings surviving on their own, particularly on the Knoll, the area stewarded by the SPLC. Acorns and buckeyes are particularly successful with this technique.

Transplanting from nursery containers requires more water and has more chance of several kinds of contamination from nurseries than direct seeding. The rule of thumb is 1” of water weekly through the first dry season after being transplanted. Lead time of six months is usually required to produce one to 5-gallon plants. Some transplants will be caged for protection from deer.

In accordance with current thinking about climate change, a small percentage of acorns and buckeyes from further south will be included in the direct seeding. A few small sections of dryer plant communities, such as chaparral, will be included on dryer south-facing slopes. This is part of current best practices.

Plant List

Category 1. What exists on this site in the present, with invaluable input from the Sewer Pond Lands Committee.

Category 2. What is known to have existed there in the recent past (personal observation).

Category 3. What is likely to have existed there in the past, based on findings throughout the Bolinas area.

Saving What is Already There

We have all observed with pleasure the relatively few native species that have managed to survive the domination of eucalyptus.These specimens will be fenced off during the removal, and everything possible will be done to protect them. Once freed from competition with eucalyptus shade and debris, they should quickly grow, make their presence known, and then begin to reproduce..

Category 1:

• Coffeeberry, Frangula californica Blueblossom, Ceanothus thyrsiflorus Toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia

• Coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia California Buckeye, Aesculus californica Monkeyflower, Erythranthe aurantiacus Shrub lupine, Lupinus propinquus Douglas iris, Iris douglasiana

• Western Sword Fern, Polystichum munitum

• Coastal Form of California Poppy, Eschscholzia californica var maritima

• Yerba buena, Satureja douglasii

• Blue-Eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium bellum

• Coyote bush, dwarf form, Baccharis consanguinea consantuinea

• Arroyo willow, Salix lasiolepis

• Hairy honeysuckle, Lonicera hispidula

Category 2:

• Red Maids, Calandrinia menziesii (annual wildflower)

• Red Ribbons Clarkia, (Clarkia concinna)

• California oatgrass, Danthonia california (bunchgrass)

• Bi-colored lotus, Lotus formosissimus (perennial)

• Blue-eyed grass, Sisyrinchium bellum (perennial)

• Kellogg’s yampa, Perideridia kelloggii (perennial) - from herbarium specimen collected in the 30s.

Category 3:

• Ruby chalice clarkia, Clarkia rubicunda

• Farewell to Spring, Clarkia amoena

• Stipa pulchra, Purple needlegrass

• Red fescue, Festuca rubra

• California Hazelnut, Corylus cornuta var. Californica

Aftercare: Maintenance for an Absolute Minimum of Three Years

This part of the project is critical. Many a restoration project has ultimately failed because of a “goodbye and good luck,” protocol that does not include maintenance. It has become widely accepted that one of the many lessons to be learned from indigenous land-use practices is that the land needs us. The rich and thriving land the early settlers found was not a wilderness but a carefully maintained landscape.The indigenous peoples understood well what might be our motto: “LIfe is Maintenance.”A serious effort to engage the community in these activities will be made, from the Stinson-Bolinas School to the Young Stewards of Bolinas to interested volunteers.

Maintenance tasks will include: supplemental watering if needed, till plants are well-established, as well as weeding and mulching to prevent invasive species from impeding the re-establishment of native species. Also, coppicing, cutting back to the ground for species that need it, such as California hazelnut, will be employed. Hazels and elderberries, being relatively fast-growing, can be cut every 3 to 5 years.

Also included are the removal of any sprouts from the eucalyptus stumps. Most of them will be stump-ground to eliminate this possibility, but eyes on the stumps are still necessary.

Evaluation of Success of the Plantings: Adaptive Management

Did it work? Has habitat been successfully created? Has biodiversity been enhanced? A template will be created so that relevant measurements can be readily recorded. Comparisons with the initial biologist’s report can be made.

In reality, ten to 100 years are needed, but given that we are not a research institute, we propose that once every three years local ornithologists and entomologists, possibly from the College of Marin’s Marine Lab, or from Point Blue, will be engaged in this evaluation. Adaptive management, which forms plans for the future based on what worked or did not work in the past, is the name given to the kind of strategizing frequently used in restoration projects. The evaluation of whether biodiversity has been protected and increased will be based on the diversity of interactions, not just the number of different species present.

In this way, we can reopen the door to the coevolutionary history of our plants and their associated insect and bird species here in Bolinas, a door that has been closed for way too long.