We spent the morning giving our bikes some much-needed love and care so that the bikes can be ready for the launch of the Bren Bike Program this school year. The bikes are available for use by all students and help those without bikes to get to their destination faster, so it's important that they are well-maintained and riding smoothly.
This past Saturday, several members of the BSSC worked at Fairview Gardens for a few hours to earn some local produce for our barbecue. We started the morning working in the Pollinator Garden doing some weeding to clear the path and remove some unwanted plants, some of which were edible. The sunflowers were also getting a bit crowded and needed to be thinned out. While we were pulling weeds we found a monarch caterpillar and a couple of butterflies. After the garden was weeded we visited the Children's Garden and then headed to the asparagus field to do some weeding there. I had never seen what asparagus looks like when it's growing. It's a pretty odd looking plant. Then came the best part. Picking our food! We split into groups to get our tomatoes, green beans, carrots, avocados, lettuce, and a bit of basil. Eating a small tomato with a fresh piece of basil is pretty tasty. The avocados that ripened in time for the barbecue made really good guacamole for our tacos, and with the rest we had an avocado toss and gave them away. Several members of the BSSC went back to the Piedras Blancas Light Station from April 26-27 to continue helping with the restoration work, and to see some whales! We were also camping this time because whale scientists were staying in the buildings at the Light Station. We had to set up our tents in the wind, which made the process extra challenging, but we managed to get all of our tents set up with time to see some seals and otters on the way to the lighthouse. There was a pair of otters swimming together and playing together in the waves near the shore, and another two farther off the pier. We also spotted a Common Loon and an Eared Grebe on the water. Next we stopped at the beach to see the elephant seals. All the adult male seals are out at sea, so the beach is covered with young seals (called wieners) and adult females that were molting. It was as usual a noisy bunch which lots of sand throwing and copious amounts of blubber. Once we were at the lighthouse there we even more sea otters! A group of around seven were floating around close to the lighthouse with kelp wrapped around them. We also saw a couple gray whales swim past the lighthouse. After a tour of the lighthouse the brave among us made the journey up to the windy top. After the spiral staircase there is a ladder the very windy top of the lighthouse. After some delicious food at the Main Street Grill in Cambria, we enjoyed a campfire and looked at the stars before going to sleep. The next day Ivy made us some tasty pancakes before we headed out to pull some invasive plants. We were in an area that was mostly restored but there were some sneaky mustard plants and a couple other invasive species in patches. We dug up piles of mustard and also admired the wildflowers. After our work was done we rewarded ourselves with some delicious food from Sebastian's in San Simeon before some of us went to enjoy the pier and others headed home. Thanks to funding from Coastal Fund, BSSC was able to participate in a restoration at Coal Oil Point on February 8th. The goal for this particular planting area, in addition to providing habitat and resources for pollinators and other animal, is to keep people on the path and form a sort of "green fence" to keep people out of the restored areas. 12 members from BSSC, along two Bren interns at Coal Oil Point and members of Circle K were able to plant 300 total plants. Some of the plants we installed were California bush sunflower (Encelia californica), coastal sagebrush (Artemisia californica), lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia), quailbush (Atriplex lentiformis) and grasses. We had some exciting wildlife sightings while installing the plants. We saw a red-tailed hawk eating a rabbit and a gopher snake, slender salamander, and young alligator lizard. A few of us walked along Sands Beach after the restoration and were able to see some Western Snowy Plovers and other shorebirds as well as see how the king tide had changed the beach. We appreciated the opportunity to spend the morning outside helping to restore Coal Oil Point. More information about the Coastal Fund: Coastal Fund website More information about Coal Oil Point: Coil Oil Point website Sixteen BSSC members went to Piedras Blancas Light Station on November 16-17 to help with restoration at the lighthouse by pulling invasive plants. Most of the iceplant and other invasive plants had been removed from the area where we worked, so it was our task to find the small sprouts that were popping up. Some of the species we removed were oxalis (sorrel), New Zealand Spinach, ice plant, and dune radish. By removing these plants we allow the natives that are there to have room to grow, and with our help and continued restoration work, native plants will once again cover that area. We helped restore the fragile dune ecosystem by removing dune radish that can grow on top of native plants, taking over the area. The restoration was a success and we also took the opportunity to view the elephant seals of Piedras Blancas. It was a great trip and we hope to do more restoration events at Piedras Blancas in the future. Thanks to funding from Coastal Fund, BSSC was able to participate in a restoration of the West Campus Bluffs with the Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration (CCBER). The goal for the day was to plant native grasses, including purple needle grass, sea cliff buckwheat, and coast golden bush, along the path from the end of Del Playa to Coal Oil Point Reserve. 10 members from BSSC were able to plant 500 total plants. Restoration of the West Campus Bluffs began in 2011 and has helped reduce erosion and provided habitat for many native species. The trail is often used by UCSB students and community members to access Sands Beach and the Coal Oil Point Reserve trails. In terms of the native grass planting Lisa Stratton of CCBER states that "native coastal grasslands are becoming increasingly rare - less than 10 percent remain and besides being beautiful, they also support populations of small mammals that support a larger food chain.” BSSC was thankful to be able to contribute to the restoration of this scenic and unique coastal area. More information about CCBER: CCBER Website More information about the Coastal Fund: Coastal Fund website BSSC (and the worms in the kitchen) would like to officially thank Adam Knox and Katy Sartorius for stepping up for the Worm Wrangler officer positions. Without their help we would not be able to support composting in the Bren kitchen. In addition to Adam and Katy's dedication we rely on volunteers to help them keep the program running each week. A message from Adam and Katy: We are excited to keep this practice fully functioning as it contributes to our environmental message and education during our time in the program. If wasted food can not be avoided, composting it is a great way to recycle nutrients that would be otherwise be lost to the landfill which contribute to GHGs and further land use/impact. Composting is also very EASY! Anyone can participate and those who do join will have the opportunity to take compost home for their gardens. We invite you all to "dig in" over the course of this academic year to become fellow Worm Wranglers. We will be presenting a short information/instructional session on Wednesday 11/14 at 11:30 in the 3rd floor kitchen for those who are interested (attendance not required to participate). |
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May 2014
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