There was another great turn out of 22 with a few new members and a mix of new and older members. Most of our workdays go more or less according to plan with an occasional tweak needed if we encounter something unexpected, but our Sept. 20th work included a number of issues that resulted in one adjustment after another.
Morning Gathering
Coastal Redwood 5 Years after the Fire
We were taking a break from our usual post-fire trail clearing to return to the Redwood Loop Trail (RWL) that was starting to look a little ragged with all the thistle growing along the trail edge. The Loop is typically the trail most first time park visitors initially walk and we wanted to make sure it provided a positive impression.
The thought going in was the vast majority of thistle seed pods would have dispersed their seeds by late September and we would only need to cut the stalks off at ground level and then hide the debris off trail to make the area look better. Not the case. Although we saw lots of thistle seeds blowing in the wind, a lot of the pods looked like they were still filled with seeds so a change in plans was needed.
We began trying to deadhead the stalks to remove and bag the unopened seed pods, but that slowed progress considerably and we wanted to work as much of the Loop as we could since it was a one-day event.
We heard from someone in maintenance that we could use the bin just outside the south entrance to the park at Saddle Mtn to dispose tarp loads of debris, but when the first load arrived the bin was largely full and we had lots of material, so we passed on the offer.
Lunch in the Amphitheater
The next thought was to dispose of the debris in out of the way areas along the Loop, but we also didn't want to introduce thistle into new areas where it didn't already exist, so yet another new plan was needed. In the end we decided the best way forward was to add the debris to several existing burn piles along the Connector Trail over to Hihn Hammond Rd where there was already thistle in the vicinity.
There are still a couple of areas on the backside of RWL along Opal Creek we didn't get to, but even with all the ups and downs during the day the area looks better. And we're already making plans to return to the Loop next spring-early summer for a more focused effort on removing all the seed pods before they disperse.
The crew put in 162 hours and thanks to Fremont Bainbridge, Daryn Bieri, Jeff Bleam, Jim Brooks, Rory Brooks, Karen Cheeniyil, Santhosh Cheeniyil, Tom Condy, Dale Elliott, Mimi Guiney, Janie Leifhelm, Jack Marshall, Janette Mello, Mike Peasland, Dale Petersen, Devdutt Sheth, Doug Smith, Kris Kiefer-Woolery, Chris Young, Nina Donna from the park's interpretive docent program, and newcomers Jeff Bowers and son Aiden, for a great turnout.
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Birds of the Day
California Quail, Band-tailed Pigeon, Acorn Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Hutton's Vireo, Steller's Jay, California Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Wrentit, Northern House Wren, Bewick's Wren, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) Junco, Song Sparrow, California Towhee, and Spotted Towhee
Sky Meadow less the Ramada
by Mike and Jeff
photos by Dale E., Dayrn, Jeff, and Mike