Clear Creek Report
report from Bruce Delgado
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO VOLUNTEERED for a few hours or a few days of weed bashing and overnight camping overnight in this incredible area less than a 2 hour drive from Monterey, California! Some of the great volunteers who helped out and shown below standing from left to right were Robert Field, David Bates, Bill Hyman, Laura Kummerer, Ken Moore, Jan Shriner, and Pete Dequincy. Sitting on left is Heather Brady and center is Mary Paul.
Obviously something is going on here cuz this landscape is bizarre and beautiful! Well, its exposed serpentine soil and a forest of pines and incense cedar that grows nowhere else in the world. Located 90 southeast of Monterey in San Benito County, California, this is the San Benito Mountain and Clear Creek serpentine area, owned by you, the public!
Below are the father and son team of Jordon and Dan Fernandez and co-volunteer Jan Shriner.
Double click on the photo for a closer look!
THE PROBLEM:
There is trouble in paradise here and its name is yellow star thistle, an invasive weed that's causing trouble for people, landscapes, wildlife, and native plants, in a word, this noxious weed "crashes" ecosystems it dominates.
Please click the photo for a better look at this infestation of yellow star thistle.
Photo taken July 23, 2006.
THE SOLUTION:
The solution: Jason Lowe, Wildlife Biologist for BLM is shown here with a 40cc weed whacker removing yellow star thistle July 29, 2006, as part of a huge effort to use prescribed fire, mowing tractors, weed whackers, and hand pulling to eradicate yellow star thistle from 60 acres of your beautiful public land so value is increased for elk and other wildlife and native plants (some rare!) that live here.
Click on the photo for a closer look!
And if you'd like to volunteer any time between Aug. 3-14 just click on the Calendar of Monterey Bay Area Conservation Events tab in the column on the left of this photo and you'll get the scoop on details! Hope to see you out there!
