Volunteers continue at least once every two months to remove invasive weeds from this world-class stunningly beautiful location. Invasive weeds treated include Cape ivy, French broom (Genista monspessulana), poison hemlock, iceplant, summer yellow mustard (Hirschfeldia incana), Harding grass (Phalaris 'badboy' aquatica), and velvet grass (Holcus lanatus). Today on June 22, 2006, State Parks Senior Aide Amanda Yantos trained 6 volunteers on the safe application of herbicide.

Read more to check out more photos!

Herbicides such as Roundup can be purchased over the counter at local retail outlets and are useful if judiciously and appropriately used such as for spot spraying isolated infestations as a first step that is followed up by manual removal of resprouting weeds. Brushcutters, hand tools such as pulaski, mcleod, and hand saws, and hand pulling were also some weed removal techniques employed today!

State Parks Senior Park Aide Amanda Yantos using the Mcleod hand tool to rake the invasive velvet grass (Holcus lanatus) into piles after volunteer Phil Smith cut it with a brushcutter. Photo by Jan Shriner June 22, 2006.

Amanda Yantos providing a training session to volunteers on the safe use of herbicides.

Volunteer Mike Turbow applying Roundup herbicide to the invasive vine Cape ivy. Cape ivy is from South Africa and has no natural predators in the U.S. Cape ivy is uncomon in South Africa and is not invasive there.

Why is lizard tail bush called "lizard tail"? Maybe here is why. This photo shows two leaves of lizard tail next to a lizard. What do you think?

Volunteer Mary Paul trying to keep her pet hand tool Mcleod from flying away to join the red-tailed hawk. Photo by a flying manatee, June 22 2006.

Volunteer Bruce Delgado clearing dead brush to access and remove Cape ivy in coastal scrub at Carmel River State Beach. Photo by Jan Shriner June 22, 2006.

Bruce Delgado high on life in pardise especially since he gets to remove Cape ivy! Photo by Jan Shriner June 22, 2006.

Amanda Yantos discussing the safe use of herbicides to volunteers during a training session. From left to right Phil Smith, Mary Paul, Heather Brady, Jan Shriner, Amanda Yantos, and Mike Turbow. Photo by Bruce Delgado June 22, 2006.

Volunteers Phil Smith (left) and Mary Paul enjoying a rest after cutting, raking, and piling velvet grass at Carmel River State Beach meadows. Photo by Jan Shriner June 22, 2006.

That First Kiss (so we think!)! Between velvet grass(right) and volunteer Mary Paul while a Harding grass seed head looks on from above at Carmel River State Beach meadows. Click on the photo for a closer look. Photo by Jan Shriner June 22, 2006.

Volunteer Jan Shriner enjoying a close view of a red-tailed hawk. The hawk may be hard to see but the hawk will come alive if you click on the photo for a closer look. Later, Jan worked hard hand pulling Cape ivy and summer mustard from amidst thick brush. Photo by Heather Brady June 22, 2006.

Volunteer Mike Turbow all smiles after using a pulaski hand tool to clear Cape ivy and bag it! Photo by Jan Shriner June 22, 2006.

Volunteer Mary Paul using the Mcleod hand tool to rake just-cut velvet grass into piles. Velvet grass is an invasive grass from Eurasia that infests moist areas in Central California. Photo by Jan Shriner, June 22, 2006.

Posted by Dida at 08:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In 2005, certain suspicious characters noticed wild fennel was apparently sneaking around Carmel Valley and the Big Sur coast using Carmel Valley Road and Hwy 1 as it's springboard corridors from which it thinks it can take over Carmel Valley and Hwy 1 meadows, hillsides, and roadsides. Check out the below photo to see what we mean.

Lori Addison took this photo in fall of 2005 showing the yellow flowering wild fennel invading an empty lot near the mouth of Carmel Valley on Rio Rd. between the post office and the Chevron Gas station. This is indicative of what fennel can do to the rest of Carmel Valley disturbed and wildlands if left unattended.

Are we going to sit idly by and let this continue? NO!!! Okay, so starting in fall of 2005 concerned American citizens began inventorying and removing fennel along the westernmost 11.6 miles of CV Rd. (from Carmel Village to Hwy 1) and the first seven miles of hwy 1 south of the Carmel River (ending at Soberanes Creek). Are these concerned citizens alone? NO!!! It turns out that staff at Hastings Reserve (a certain Mark Stromberg) was already in the practice of removing fennel between Hastings Reserve at the 26 mile mark up CV Rd. and Carmel Village. Santa Lucia Conservancy/Rancho San Carlos staff and Robinson Cyn. residents are also about to begin removing fennel from watersheds that feed into the Carmel Valley system of fennel invasions. See photos below to get a feel for this whole fennel story.

Here is what this location looked like at 530pm on July 17, 2006, Click on the photo for a closer look!

And this is what this location looked like at 617pm after fennel was grubbed out for 45 minutes using a pulaski hand tool on June 17, 2006, heading east on Carmel Valley Rd. 0.1 miles from Hwy 1. So if you're playing the game of "Clue", the weed warrior did it with a pulaski next to the guardrail over Hatton Canyon Creek! And it was GOOOD! Click on the photo for a closer look!

Posted by Dida at 09:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)