Child Soldiers

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Filed under Invasive Species, Italian Thistle, Plant Life, Stewardship

At this point in the Italian thistle season, some of it is beginning to go to seed and you also start to see a particular phenomenon — tiny plants that are going straight to flower. It’s like they know that they only have a short window in which to go to seed before conditions become too dry, so they pop up and go to flower immediately. Of course we can’t ignore these, as their seeds have as much reseeding potential as seeds from a large plant, they just might not travel as far.

So that means being very watchful and careful to pull ALL the plants you see, rather than just the large, obvious ones. It might be annoying to have to bend over for these little guys, but if you don’t, next year will likely be worse. It comes with the territory.

This is also the time of year when we get out the cordless weed whacker and chop down large patches that we won’t have the time to pull by hand. Chopping the heads off before they seed is actually a last-ditch effort, as it isn’t as sure as pulling and carrying it out, and if it’s done too early the thistle can still put on new flowers. Some areas could need multiple sessions over time to prevent them from flowering.

As the Italian thistle season eventually winds to a close (although even after it goes to seed I might still carefully bag it), the Yellow Star thistle season begins, which will take us into August. Invasive species removal season really doesn’t have a season per se, as we could work on Scotch broom year-round, but I still consider January to August as being the main invasive species removal season, which means we are barely halfway through it.

 

LIMITED Opening of the Overlook and Montini Properties: PLEASE READ

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Filed under Hiking

According to an order by the County Health Officer, many (not all) parks in Sonoma County, including the Sonoma Overlook Trail and the Montini Preserve are open for hiking as of Wednesday, April 29th, under the following conditions: 

  • You must have NO CoViD-19 symptoms.
  • You must be able to get there by walking or biking (no driving and parking).
  • You must practice social distancing when within 6 feet of others (such as when passing on a trail).
  • You must wear a facial covering.

Please be aware that if you don’t comply, the parks could be closed again.

From my experience, people have not gone off the trail in the past to provide social distance. So please do this. It is necessary.

Major Milestone Reached in Invasive Species Removal

Posted
Filed under Invasive Species, Italian Thistle, Land Maintenance, Plant Life, Stewardship

The weapon of choice, with a pile of vanquished foes in the background.

I am very happy to announce that after years of work, and over three months of constant and focused effort this season, we have reached a major milestone in our fight against invasive species. For the first time ever, we have pushed the Italian thistle back away from all of the named trails on both the Sonoma Overlook Trail property and the Montini Preserve.

I am not making this declaration without first traversing all of the named trails (close to 5 miles of them) and inspecting them closely every step of the way. It doesn’t mean that I haven’t missed a plant or three, but it means that if I’ve missed something it wasn’t for a lack of trying. [To be clear, as of this writing the trails are closed, but I have official permission to only do maintenance work on the trails.]

This was our first goal for this season, and the fact that we were finally able to accomplish it is an indication that the situation along the trail is improving. Many areas (primarily on the Overlook, where much of our past efforts have focused) were much easier to clear this year than last year. But of course a great deal of work remains.

That continuing work will now focus on complete eradication in areas where it seems possible, preventing further spread, and tightening the noose on large infestations. We may also experiment with covering dense clumps with plastic and letting the sun do our job for us.

Those of you who would like some background on this decades-long battle can read our past posts “Why We Fight,” and “‘Don’t Look Up’ and Other Lessons from Invasive Species Removal.” Or perhaps you shouldn’t. Yeah, that’s the ticket, probably better to read a novel, now that I think about it. Or literally anything else.

The Trails are Closed Until Further Notice

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Filed under Hiking

Since hikers have not been observing social distance, the Sonoma County Interim Public Health Officer has ordered the closure of all City, County, and State parks. This even includes the Sonoma Plaza. Therefore, all trails on the Sonoma Overlook and Montini Preserve are closed until further notice. Please observe this order. We will let you know as soon as they are open again.

We Love You, But Keep Your Distance

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Filed under Hiking

As volunteers tasked with taking care of our beloved trails, we love anyone who also loves to get out on those trails and experience the beauties of nature. But in these days of a global pandemic, it’s very important that we heed the warnings to stay away from others at least six feet.

I’ve been out on the trail a lot in the past several days, and I’ve been dismayed to see the increased number of hikers simply passing each other on the trail, barely a foot away. Whenever I see someone coming, I get off the trail, and afford us both at least six feet of distance. I implore you all to do the same. If just one party leaves the trail, that’s all we need. Be that party.