Parks Conservancy - Visit Six

Scott Little

Parks Conservancy

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On our sixth visit, Henry and I volunteered in the Presidio of San Francisco where multiple invasive species had taken over an area near a construction site. Our job was to dig up and remove these invasive plants, including radishes, nettles, thistles, and other weeds. The reason these plants are so dangerous is because when the majority of them came from Europe in the 1700s, they were and still are not affected by the diseases and predators of the Americas. Thus, they are allowed free reign to grow and outcompete native plants by not giving them any room to grow. In order to restore the area to its natural state, we used pickaxes and our hands to dig up and pull out the weeds, and then planted native species in their place.

This painstaking process went on for hours as we worked our way down the site. But while the work was hard, it was incredibly gratifying to see the progress we had made. What had been large patches of prickly weeds were now neatly planted plots of native species. And also after six visits, I began to make bonds with some of the members that I had encountered multiple times. We talked at our break time about our love for nature, and even were lucky enough to get a lecture from one of the volunteer leaders. He taught us about asters such as sunflowers, which are actually hundreds of tiny flowers that come together to form one larger “flower.” We were then able to look at examples of asters in a nearby garden, and this learning experience to me really made me realize why the work I was doing was worthwhile. We were helping to preserve the natural beauty of our local world, one day at a time.

Parks Conservancy - Visit Three

Scott Little

Parks Conservancy

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I have always been fascinated by nature, and so for my PACT project I immediately thought of going outdoors and helping the environment. This lead me to finding the organization Parks Conservancy. The primary goal of this organization is to restore local areas to their natural state by removing invasive species and planting local species, thus preserving the national parks for generations to come. Henry Fortenbaugh and I contributed to this on our third visit by volunteering at Milagra Ridge in San Mateo County. Here, we began by removing pine tree saplings, as the the pine is not native to Milagra Ridge. This involved de-rooting the smallest ones, and using hand saws to cut the slightly larger ones. It was really important to get rid of the pines because as they grow, they release nettles that cover the surrounding ground and prevent other species from growing. So not only do they take up space and out compete other plants, they also prevent the growth of native species by other means.

Next, we started removing the mustard plants, who are another invasive species that prevent native species from growing by taking up available space. We removed these using small pickaxes to loosen the roots, and then pulling the plants out of the ground. At the end of the volunteering event, I was able to learn more about the plants that are native to the area that I live in, and also was educated on how dangerous invasive species can be to our fragile ecosystem. Helping to restore the area I live in to its natural state gave me a sense of pride because I was helping make the environment a better place for not just me, but for many others to enjoy.