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.
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:
