The toyon bushes were garnished with bright red berries, newly
hydroseeded grasses were already greening the slopes, clusters of black-tailed
mule deer grazed the plentiful new food
supply, and people were loving it all.
It was the
first day of November, and the first in three months that a mid-section of the
Sawyer Camp Trail was open again for weekday use. Some walkers even stopped to admire the straw-filled fiber
rolls, which will naturally decompose over time. They are there to prevent erosion and keep stormwater from flowing into drainages, creeks and the reservoir.
The approximately
2-1/2-mile segment had been closed Mondays through Fridays for public safety
during habitat restoration on nearby watershed lands. The job included the removal of about 22 acres of non-native invasive acacia trees
that, over the decades, had choked out and displaced the original oak woodland
forests.
Another key component of our restoration is what we've left in place—like the tall dead trees shown in the distance at left. Hawks and other raptors will perch there to watch for prey or guard their young in nearby nests. Also left behind were large downed logs that will decompose into various stages of woodsy debris--and habitat for various wildlife species.
Our workers will finish hydroseeding native grasses on the newly exposed slopes next week. Acorn plantings
and healthy young forests will follow.
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