Creekside Science

Archive for the ‘Restoration’ Category

The Bay Checkerspot Butterfly Returns to San Bruno Mountain!

In Bay Checkerspot, Climate Change, Nitrogen Deposition, Recognition and Media, Research, Restoration, Stewardship, Topoclimatic Studies on March 6, 2017 at 3:55 pm

The federally threatened Bay checkerspot butterfly was extirpated from San Bruno BCB_Larva_lanceolata_munch_SBM 3-1-2017 4-51-20 PM (1)Mountain in the mid 1980s.  On March 2 and 3 2017, Creekside Science biologists collected 3630 caterpillars from Coyote Ridge in San Jose and released them on the main ridge of San Bruno Mountain.  The larvae immediately started munching English plantain, a  non-native used by other closely related checkerspot populations.  The cool coastal environment, robust perennial hostplant, and extensive habitat are encouraging aspects of this project.  This project may show that we can reintroduce extirpated species without the technical challenges and expense of restoring all historical conditions.

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Find the very hungry caterpillar!

Many thanks to the Disney Butterfly Conservation Initiative, US Fish and Wildlife Service, San Mateo County Parks and Recreation, and SF Bay Wildlife Society for financial and professional support.

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Reintroduction high above San Francisco International Airport. Bay checkerspot flight #1 will depart in late March!

Creekside Science Quino checkerspot work

In Research, Restoration, Stewardship on February 10, 2017 at 1:34 pm

Creekside Science is working in collaboration with numerous agencies and institutions, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, San Diego Zoo, San Diego State University and Earth Discovery Institute, on reversing the decline of the critically endangered Quino checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha quino) in San Diego County.  Dr. Weiss has gone down to San Diego County a few times for field work, and he will be going again soon when the Quino checkerspot butterflies start flying. Please click here for more information.

New endangered San Mateo thornmint colonies seeded at Edgewood Natural Preserve

In Restoration on January 11, 2016 at 2:01 pm

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On December 4, 2015, Creekside staff and Edgewood volunteers seeded three additional colonies of federal- and state-endangered San Mateo thornmint at Edgewood Natural Preserve. These additional colonies are key to preventing extinction of this annual forb which exists in the wild only at one additional colony at Edgewood. Funding for this project has been generously provided by the Friends of Edgewood.

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By January 8, 2016, all 80 square meter plots had some germinated thornmint in them.

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Castilleja affinis neglecta seeded at Coyote Ridge and the Creekside Growing Facility

In Restoration on December 8, 2015 at 1:51 pm

On November 23, 2015, Creekside staff experimentally seeded federally endangered Castilleja affinis neglecta to enhance the Paintbrush Canyon population at Coyote Ridge. Plots will compare different seeding densities, irrigation, and stratification treatments against a control.

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A seed increase project continues at the Creekside Growing Facility, where Castilleja are grown with Achillea millefolium hosts. Seeding is the preferred method of restoration while concerns about Phytophthora or other pathogens in nursery stock exist. On December 3 and 8, 2015, a total of 2100 seeds were planted at the facility.

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Medusahead Treatments Showing Success

In Restoration, Stewardship on June 9, 2014 at 4:34 pm

creekside pano of medusahead mow at edgewood 2014 smlWe are very excited to publicly report that our medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski) treatments at Edgewood Preserve have been an enormous success. Our treatments started in 2009 with medusahead infestations spanning some 5-6 acres of the preserve grasslands.  As we completed our 2014 seasonal mow, staff botanists observed only a few individuals throughout the treatment area. Our timed mowing has been extremely successful in reducing the invasive by > 99% according to our annual monitoring which occurs before any mowing.

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ARS photo: Brett Bingham

The Friends of Edgewood have volunteered many hours in order to help reduce resprouts and find new nascent foci and make our efforts even more successful. Thanks to San Mateo County Parks, Friends of Edgewood and all our partners for the great work. We will continue to monitor the site to ensure medusahead is (hopefully) eradicated from the site! 

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Native Prairie Restoration in Woodside

In Restoration on January 25, 2013 at 6:55 am

Lupine seed collection THPAWWe have been working on quite a few sites on the San Francisco Peninsula over the years. Certainly, Bay Checkerspot Reintroduction work at Edgewood County Park and Natural Preserve anchors our resume, but we also have worked on a rich palette of other rare and endangered species associated with grassland/prairie sites. The following project represents the culmination of 5 years of trial and error, most of which has been filled with success, and of course, gregarious spring wildflowers (lupine – goldfields meadows with freshly germinating grasses.) Read the rest of this entry »

Creekside Restoration, literally, San Mateo County

In Restoration on July 11, 2012 at 2:55 pm

Creekside has been working on rehabilitating a drainage in San Mateo county. Our project goals are to stabilize the slope the with a mix of woody perennials and mat-forming grasses. Here you can see our willows established and flourishing on site once we constructed some light duty cages to deter summer browsing. This was the first year these trees flowered.

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