We have a new look! Changes coming soon!

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus has been quoted as saying, “Change is the only constant in life.”

We have seen many changes since the start of our blog on February 25, 2009.  Back then the Water System Improvement Program Projects on the Peninsula were just starting.

Today that program is about 97% complete. Together we have upgraded major transmission pipelines, constructed two new tunnels, and upgraded our water treatment plant. We’ve encountered all kinds of weather and all manner of plants and critters and interesting people along the way. All of which we have chronicled in this blog with you.

As we look forward to future projects, including the proposed extension of the Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail, we will start using a new platform with which to share these projects with you. https://sfpucnewsroom.com.

As of July 2019, we will no longer be posting new content here. You will be able to find all the fun and informational stories at the regional section of the SFPUC newsroom at the same link that brought you here: https://sfwater.org/peninsula.

If you would like to continue to track construction projects, please visit us at https://sfwater.org/construction.

For updates on the Crystal Springs and Sawyer Camp trails, visit https://parks.smcgov.org/san-mateo-county-park-advisories.

And follow us on twitter (@sawyercamptrail) for trail updates regarding SFPUC-related activities.

Thank you so much for reading, and we will see you at the NewsRoom!

Life on the Watershed: Summer's Youth

It’s summertime, the season of renewal and regeneration, and new, young life is thriving on the watershed. Watershed keeper Sarah Lenz has spotted half-grown foxes and bobcats—both reclusive nocturnal species that keep to hollows and other remote spots during the day. So any sighting of a cub is particularly lucky.

Flowering shrubs are in full bloom and sure to proliferate, alive as they are with bees, hummingbirds, and other pollinators. 

Plump young songbirds are everywhere, and the resident bald eagle pair has reproduced again. This year's three juveniles are just about

to fledge, and people on the trails might start seeing them too, high in flight above. 

The 17.5-mile Crystal Springs Trail—consisting of the Sawyer Camp Trail, the San Andreas trail to the north, and the southernmost Crystal Springs segment—is managed by the County of San Mateo Parks Department and open to the public every day.

For a more solitary watershed experience, the SFPUC’s Fifield-Cahill Ridge Trail is open by reservation for docent-guided hikes and bike rides on selected Saturdays and Sundays. To find out what's coming up over the next few weeks, visit sfwater.org/ridgetrail.

F

Responders Make Ready for Wildfires and Today's "New Normal"

When fire broke out near Peninsula watershed land earlier this week, our watershed keepers were ready, and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) crews had already made their way through the nearest gates. They’d all been preparing for something just like this.  

“Fires are more destructive than ever before,” Cal Fire Division Chief Jonathan Cox told firefighters, police officers, sheriff’s deputies, park rangers, and other first responders from throughout San Mateo County at the liaison meeting hosted by SFPUC Peninsula Watershed staff every year at Pulgas Temple.  

Calling today’s conditions “the new normal,” Cox said that fires are now larger and more frequent throughout longer fire seasons.  “It takes everybody to deal with wild lands, and it’s critical we coordinate throughout the County.”

The 23,000-acre watershed is home to a drinking water system that serves more than a million customers, said SFPUC Peninsula Area Land Manager Jonathan Perrin, and “proactive prevention is key.”  

Crews have taken out hazardous vegetation that’s potential fuel, there are 48 miles of fuel breaks to slow or stop the advance of flames, and watershed keepers are continually on the move to spot a potential event before it happens.  Watershed staff are also holding regular training sessions to familiarize fellow responders with the water system infrastructure, power lines, access gates, roadways, and water pickup points. Cal Fire is also planning a training burn on the watershed's San Andreas Dam for June 17, weather and other conditions permitting. 

“Everyone has a part,” Perrin said, “and it’s done through relationships. You have to be able to reach out, talk to someone, and ask for what you need."  

The Pulgas Temple Liaison event is a standing occasion to renew those bonds and get acquainted with newcomers. 

Temporary Trail Closures During June to Reduce Fire Risk

The County of San Mateo Parks Department will close parts of the Crystal Springs Trail during the month of June for its regular annual mowing to reduce fire risk. Here is the schedule:

Sunday evening, June 9 through Friday evening, June 14: Entire Sawyer Camp Trail closed, from the south entrance to Hillcrest.  

Monday evening, June 17, through Wednesday evening, June 19. San Andreas trail closed, from Larkspur to San Bruno.

Wednesday evening, June 19, through Friday evening, June 21.  Sawyer Camp South (the new segment south of the dam) closed.  

For updates, please visit https://parks.smcgov.org/press-release/summer-closures-crystal-springs-regional-trail.

Vegetation Removal Near Sawyer Camp Trail Starts May 6--Trail Will Be Open

SFPUC crews will return to Peninsula Watershed land adjoining part of the Sawyer Camp Trail, starting the week of May 6, to remove resprouted acacia saplings and other non-native, invasive vegetation. The trail will remain open, but crews may need to halt pedestrian and bike traffic for short periods when vegetation is being treated or removed. The work will be in areas adjacent to the trail between Mile Markers 1 and 3, and will continue for two to three weeks. 

This work follows our previous vegetation removal project for habitat restoration in 2016, when we cleared large acacias and other highly invasive plants from the same area over a four-month period. However, the control of re sprouts and other tenacious invasives can be ongoing if we are to protect and nurture the new native grasslands and oak woodlands we’ve restored in their place. The historic native habitats are vital for other native plants, butterflies, birds, and animals, many of them endangered.

Peninsula Watershed native habitats range from old-growth Douglas fir forests and coastal scrub to serpentine grasslands and freshwater marsh. Together, they harbor over 800 species of plants and trees, 165 bird species, 50 mammal species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. The 36-square-mile watershed also has the Bay Area's highest concentration of rare, threatened and endangered plant and animal life.   

  

Life on the Watershed: Serpentine Wildflowers

The annual wildflower bouquets are out on the Peninsula Watershed’s normally sparse serpentine ridges. 

Serpentine is California’s state rock—a gray-greenish rock originating from the earth’s mantle (and closely associated with our fault lines).  Its thin covering of serpentine soil is high in magnesium and iron, but low in plant-nutritious calcium, aluminum, and clay. So most of the year, the plants that do survive there are limited to stubby low-growing native grasses and small herb-like plants. 

But, come spring, it’s home to a multitude of native wildflowers—many of them rare or endangered—that thrive in the harsh conditions so unfavorable to their more common or non-native competitors. 

In fact, the long-protected watershed harbors the highest concentration of rare, threatened and endangered species in the Bay Area. In all, we have over 800 species of plants and trees, 165 species of birds, 50 mammal species, and 30 species of reptiles and amphibians. The place is also a State Fish and Game Refuge. 

Sawyer Camp Trail Temporary Closure April 14-19

The San Mateo County Parks Department will close the entire Sawyer Camp Trail, between the Skyline and Hillcrest entrances, from the evening of April 14 through the evening of April 19 for vegetation removal/ fire fuel reduction. Cyclists please use alternate routes from that Sunday evening, the 14^th, through Friday, the 19^th.  

Notices at the trail have been posted. For further questions, please call the Coyote Point Ranger Station, 650-573-2592.