A volunteer plants a bee plant (Scrophularia californica) at
Point Isabel. Photo by Jane Kelley.

Saturday, February 4 (first Saturday of each month) at Pt. Isabel on the Bay Trail, 10 am to 2 pm. We remove invasive plants and re-vegetate with native plants grown from plants found at the site. We are located at the end of Rydin Road just off the I-580 next to Hoffman Marsh. Contact info: e-mail: kyotousa@sbcglobal.net, cell: 510-684-6484

Saturday, February 4 at 9:00 a.m. Redwood Regional Park
Join the monthly Genista (aka French broom) rip at a new location: the Canyon Meadow Picnic Area. You can bring your own gloves or tools, or park staff can provide you with loaner gloves and tools. We usually finish up around 1 pm, but you are welcome even if you can’t stay the entire time.

Directions: From Oakland or Highway 24, take Highway 13 south, exit at Redwood Road (35th Ave. exit from 580). Turn left at the end of the exit ramp, and follow Redwood Road over the ridge, past Skyline, and continue downhill for about 3 miles. You will see an entrance sign on the right for Lake Chabot Regional Park, but keep going. The entrance to Redwood Regional Park will appear on your left a short distance further. Drive past the entrance kiosk, and go straight through on the entrance road until you see the signs for Canyon Meadow picnic area. From Castro Valley or other points south, take 580, exit at 35th Ave, and turn right to follow 35th Ave. uphill. 35th Ave. will change its name to Redwood Road--follow the rest of the directions for Oakland. If you have questions, you can contact DRosario@ebparks.org or janetgawthrop47@gmail.com.

Saturday, February 11 at 9:30 a.m. Huckleberry Regional Park. Meet at the main parking lot, where we will decide on the month’s worksite in light of early February weather. If you need loaner gloves or tools, please e-mail jmanley@ebparks.org or janetgawthrop47@gmail.com. We will finish up around 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, February 19 at 9:00 a.m. Sibley Regional Park. We will meet at the Skyline parking lot in Oakland, not the Old Tunnel Road area. If we finally get substantial winter rain, we may continue work on near the volcanic overlook path by the parking lot. If the weather stays on the dry side, we may try denting the wall of broom on the far side of the creek.

Directions: From Highway 13, exit at Moraga/Thornhill if you are coming from Highway 24 or other points north. Stay on southbound Moraga as it parallels Highway 13 until it changes its name to Mountain. Turn left (uphill) onto Snake at the stoplight for Mountain and Snake. To go to Redwood Park, keep going straight as Snake changes its name to Shepherd Canyon Road and follow it until it ends at the intersection with Skyline. Turn right onto Skyline and follow it to the Skyline Gate entrance on the left side of the road. For Huckleberry and Sibley parks, follow all of the directions up to the left turn onto Snake. You will then make a hard left turn (more than 90 degrees) to stay on Snake. Follow Snake to its end at Skyline, and then turn left to follow Skyline to the parking lots. Huckleberry Park appears first on the right side, and Sibley Park is a scant half mile further north on Skyline.

First Saturday of each month at Pt. Isabel on the Bay Trail, 10 am to 2 pm
We remove invasive plants and re-vegetate with native plants grown from plants found at the site. We are located at the end of Rydin Road just off the I-580 next to Hoffman Marsh. Contact info: e-mail: kyotousa@sbcglobal.net, cell: 510-684-6484

Saturday, January 7, 9:00 am, Redwood Regional Park
This group meets at the Skyline Gate entrance to remove French broom along East Ridge trail, and nearby areas. Tools and gloves can be provided—just show up.

Saturday, January 14, 9:30 am, Huckleberry Regional Park
Meet at the main parking lot, where we will decide on a worksite and invasive plants to remove. There will be French broom sprouts, but there is also cape ivy and Vinca to pull and bag. If you need loaner gloves or tools, please e-mail jmanley@ebparks.org or janetgawthrop47@gmail.com.

Sunday, January 22, 9:00 am, Sibley Regional Park
We will meet again at the entrance on the Oakland side of the park, located off of Skyline about a half mile north of Huckleberry Park. Depending on the weather and trail conditions, we may work near the entrance or further inside the park to remove French broom. If you need loaner gloves or tools, please send an e-mail request as directed in the Huckleberry announcement.

Past Work Party at Pt. Isabel

An eight person volunteer crew took extra care while planting at Pt. Isabel in windy conditions on December 3rd. We had to ensure the ground was properly prepared and ready for planting the moment we exposed the roots to the air. Working quickly, and hanging onto our hats, we planted seven bee plants (Scrophularia californica) four purple needle grass (Nassella pulchra), three sage bruch (Artemisia californica), one quail bush (Atriplex lentiformis), and a California fuchsia (Epilobium canum). Volunteers also removed radish sprouts and the ever emerging oxalis on the lower bank while the upper bank remains free of weeds thanks to the mulch that we have spread. We checked on the new plantings on December 9 and they are all thriving. Bruce Adams from the EBRPD brought us all the tools we needed and complimented the crew on the work achieved so far. Passersby continue to stop and ask questions about the project. We much appreciate the consistent support provided by Scott Possin, Bruce, and their colleagues from the EBRPD.

Jane and Tom Kelley

First Saturday of each month at Pt. Isabel on the Bay Trail. Our hours are 10 am to 2 pm. We remove invasive plants and re-vegetate with native plants grown from plants found at the site. We are located at the end of Rydin Road just off the I-580 next to Hoffman Marsh. Contact info: e-mail: kyotousa@sbcglobal.net, cell: 510-684-6484

Saturday, December 3 at 9:00 am, Redwood Regional Park. (See below for meeting place.) Join volunteers and Regional Park staff to pull French broom (Genista monspessulana) at nearly the easiest working time of the year. Native vegetation is emerging in sunlight left after removing Genista thickets, especially along East Ridge trail. Dress in long sleeves and pants that can get muddy. Bring your favorite tool and rubber gloves, or you can ask Park staff for loaners. Official ending time is 1 pm, but the hard core may keep going. Fungus kingdom enthusiasts are welcome, as unknown lichens and mushrooms sprout after early rains.

Meet at: Canyon Meadow Parking Lot, Redwood Gate, 7867 Redwood Rd., Oakland, CA 94619

With the winter rains upon us, we’ll meet down in the canyon for this month only so we can walk to the remaining big broom along the trail. Come enjoy the amazing views and company as we remove French broom, an invasive shrub and ladder fuel. 

Saturday, December 10 at 9:30 am, Huckleberry Regional Park
We will return to the Huckleberry parking lot to scope recent weather, soil and the best places and plants to work on. Of course, there will be Feench broom sprouts from the wet weather, but also trees to liberate from cape ivy and Vinca major to pull and bag. As at Redwood Park, you can bring the gloves and tools of your choice, or let us know if you need loaners.

Saturday, December 17, Restoration Planting Party in Garber Park, 9 am-noon with lunch to follow.
Approximately one year ago the Garber Park Stewards conducted their first ever native Restoration Planting in Garber Park. The planting, which was guided by Lech Naumovich, Golden Hour Restoration Institute, involved the planting of 200 plants in five planting beds across the Evergreen Lane entrance hillside. With the information gained from this successful initial phase, we are now planning a phase two planting, which will cover a significant portion of the entrance hillside.

We are fortunate, once again, to have Lech planning and guiding our efforts. As always, there will be many different kinds of activities that volunteers can do on planting day – not everyone needs to climb the hill or dig in the dirt.

Dress in layers and wear shoes or boots with good traction.

Meet at the Evergreen Lane Entrance at 9 am. For directions and further information visit our blog: www.garberparkstewards.blogspot.com, or contact Shelagh Broderson at garberparkstewards@gmail.com or 510-540-1918.

Sunday, December 18 at 9:00 am, Sibley Regional Park at Skyline entrance. Meet us at the south end of the Sibley-to-Tilden trail next to the parking lot. Trail conditions will likely affect where we work, but winter will always produce French broom. and poison hemlock sprouts to rip. Weather permitting, we will work until 12:30 pm, but some may stay later. If you need loaner gloves or tools, you can e-mail janetgawthrop47@gmail.com or jmanley@ebparks.org.

Directions: You can access all three sites from Highway 13 by exiting at Moraga/Thornhill from either direction, and proceeding south on Moraga through Montclair Village to the traffic light at Moraga/Mountain and Snake. Turn left/uphill onto Snake and at the first intersection the routes diverge. If you are going to Redwood Park, continue straight and you will find that you are now on Shepherd Canyon Road. Follow Shepherd Canyon uphill until it ends at Skyline. Turn right onto Skyline and follow it until you see the Redwood Park signs on the left side of Skyline. To get to Huckleberry and Sibley parks, follow the same directions, but then make a hard left/uphill turn to stay on Snake, instead of continuing straight. Follow Snake northeast to its end at Skyline and then turn left. Huckleberry Park will be on the right side a short distance north on Skyline, and Sibley Park is about 1/2 mile further north, also on the right side of Skyline.

Sunday, December 18^th  at 9:30am  (3^rd Sunday, not 2^nd)  Broom & Vinca Bust. Wayside Parking Lot, Redwood Gate, 7867 Redwood Rd.  Oakland, CA

Due to an unusual conflict, we have to change our 2nd Sunday of the month work party to the 3rd Sunday for this month only. Come pull some big broom in the cool canyon-at least in the morning! We also have lots of seedlings to sweep up. For the poison oak shy, we have areas where Vinca needs to be removed, and sheet mulching to be done.

We’ll have snacks and hot coffee for the hungry, gloves for the forgetful and technu for the brave! Remember to wear long sleeves, long pants, close toed shoes. If you don’t, I’ll make you wear a white plastic suit . . . very attractive!

Give us a holler if you’re coming to any of these events. We want to make sure we have enough cookies! If you are under 18, RSVP so I can email you a permission slip that your parent or guardian must sign.

We’ll have snacks and hot coffee for the hungry, gloves for the forgetful and technu for the brave!  Remember to wear long sleeves, long pants, close toed shoes. If you don’t, I’ll make you wear a white, plastic suit . . . very attractive!

Give us a holler if you’re coming to any of these events. We want to make sure we have enough cookies! If you are under 18, please RSVP so I can email you a permission slip that your parent or guardian must sign.

The Redwood Rangers,

Pamela, Jim, Monica & Di

**********
Contact listings for Contra Costa restoration projects: In the September Bay Leaf, Lesley Hunt wrote about several projects in Contra Costa County. Below is contact information for those projects.

Marsh Creek – Heath Bartosh
925-957-0069
hbartosh@nomadecology.com

John Muir NHS (Martinez) –
Elaine Jackson
925-372-0687
elainejx@att.net

Walnut Creek – Lesley Hunt
925-937-6791
ldhunt@astound.net

Sunday, November 20 at 9:00 am, Sibley Regional Park
Now that the rains have softened the trails, we will return to the parking lot off of Skyline, on the Oakland side of the park. Depending on trail conditions, we can go out to pull larger broom on the Sibley-to-Tilden trail, or remove broom and poison hemlock seedlings nearer to the entrance. This will be our chance to find out if clipping and bagging seeds earlier in the fall will noticeably reduce new seedlings.

Directions: To all locations, exit Highway 13 at either Moraga/Thornhill from the north, or the Park exit arriving from the south. Go to the traffic light intersection of Snake with Moraga/Mountain, and follow Snake uphill (only one direction is possible). To get to Redwood Park, proceed straight at the intersection of Snake and Shepherd Canyon—this will put you on Shepherd Canyon Road, which you will follow to its other end at the intersection with Skyline. Then turn right and follow Skyline until you see the Skyline Gate parking lot where you’ll turn in to park.

For Huckleberry and Sibley parks, follow the same directions until you reach the intersection of Snake and Shepherd Canyon roads. There, you will make a hard left turn, more than ninety degrees, to proceed uphill on Snake. Keep going on Snake until it ends at Skyline and then turn left to follow Skyline north. Huckleberry will be the first regional park on your right, and the Sibley parking lot is about another 1/2 mile further north on Skyline.

Janet Gawthrop

Many invasive plants have produced new seedlings in response to early rains this fall, but wet weather is also the easiest time to remove new weeds. In addition to the monthly Pt. Isabel crew, volunteer weed bashers will return to regional parks in the Oakland/Orinda hills at the following dates and times:

Saturday, November 5 at 9:00 am, Redwood Regional Park
This crew meets at Skyline Gate, but we’ll wrench out French broom (Genista monspessulana) further in the park, depending on weather and trail conditions. Bring your favorite glove or tool, or you can ask for loaner gloves and tools from park staff. In the absence of rain, this crew ends at roughly 1 pm.

Saturday, November 12, 9:30 am, Huckleberry Regional Park
We will meet at the Huckleberry parking lot, and then we’ll fan out to remove several exotic species. If you prefer to weed without a weed wrench, there will be new sprouts of Italian thistle and the usual mats of cape ivy and Vinca for hand pulling and bagging. Thanks to volunteer efforts this spring, western sword ferns, wood ferns and bracken ferns are spreading horizontally from their pockets in the driveway rocks. If you need loaner gloves or tools, please e-mail janetgawthrop47@gmail.com or sibley@ebparks.org.

Last Week’s Rains

Last week’s rains were good for our plantings at Pt. Isabel along the shores of Hoffman Marsh – and for the 8 volunteers who found the weeds easy pickings as a result of the rain softened earth. As we move into the planting season, we are clearing as much plantable area as we can of the non-native grasses and other weeds that compete so aggressively with the native plantings for the moisture and nutrients necessary for life. We know the bee plant (Scrophularia californica) will re-seed easily as will the wildflowers and we’re already seeing coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis) seedlings appearing on the cleared areas of the upper bank. We’ll be adding more sagebrush (Artemisia californica) this winter. It’s one of the shrubs that we first found onsite and the one that flourishes in the existing conditions of sun coupled with strong breezes.

The Park District brought us some more mulch that we spread in the hard-baked area near the trail (far away from the banks to avoid covering the entrances to the nests of the native bees).

Our wildlife count for the day included a beautiful gopher snake (shown below in a photo by Jane  Kelly, who also took the picture on the right) sunning herself amidst the yampah (Perideridia kelloggii), a great blue heron, and a monarch butterfly.

Jane and Tom Kelley