CIR’s Work on the Gaviota Coast— A Retrospective

(Reprinted from the Gaviota Coast Conservancy “Coastline”)

Channel Islands Restoration (CIR) is well known for our many habitat restoration projects on the

CIR volunteers planting natives at Refugio Creek in 2007

Channel Islands.   Fewer people know that we have restored habitat at several locations on the Gaviota Coast, including planting thousands of natives, removing miles of Arundo from Refugio Creek and removing  invasive plants at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve and Refugio State Beach.  

CIR grew out of a volunteer project to remove invasive plants on Santa Cruz Island in the early 2000s.  Since then, and with the help of more than 6,000 volunteers, CIR has worked on all eight of the Channel Islands and at nearly 50 locations on the coastal mainland from Orcutt to San Pedro.  CIR specializes in removing invasive plants in sensitive habitats, particularly where they encroach on threatened or endangered plant and animal species.  We also construct nurseries and grow native plants that are used to revegetate restoration sites.

Not long after we started our work on the Channel Islands, we were approached by land managers and local government to work on mainland projects.  Starting as early as 2003, CIR worked with the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County to remove priority invasive plants at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve.  The Land Trust had already begun a vigorous volunteer program to remove weeds (several CIR founders participated in that effort) but CIR also worked under contract to remove some of the most tenacious invasives in what were often difficult to access areas of the Preserve.  These projects were not suited for volunteers and required CIR staff with special expertise to complete successfully.  Over the years CIR has worked to remove almost a dozen invasive plant species in several locations on the Preserve, all while carefully preserving the endangered species that live in the creek.

In 2007 the Land Trust hired CIR to remove large stands of giant reed (Arundo donax) from the

CIR staff chip Arundo canes at Refugio Creek in 2008

Refugio Creek watershed.  The Arundo, which reached 30 feet in height in most places, choked large areas of the lower three miles of the creek.  CIR used hand-crews and equipment to cut and haul out the Arundo, and then planted more than 3,000 native plants with the help of volunteers.  Bank stabilization techniques were used to prevent erosion while the native plants became established.  The removal process had to be done in such a way that the endangered steelhead trout and red-legged frogs living in the creek were not harmed in any way.  The removal of the Arundo and the planting of natives helped restore the creek to a more natural function, which directly benefits the animals that use the creek as their habitat.

In 2009 the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s office hired CIR to remove artichoke thistle (Cynara cardunculus) from the property just west of Arroyo Hondo.  Artichoke thistle is the wild variety of the common artichoke.  It spreads rapidly in rangeland and reduces forage, limiting the movement of livestock.  Since it is such a threat to rangeland, the Agricultural Commissioner has made its removal from the County a priority.

In 2013-2014 CIR partnered with South Coast Habitat Restoration (SCHR) to restore the lower

CIR staff supervise volunteers planting natives at Refugio State Beach
in January. 

portion of Refugio Creek at Refugio State Beach.  With funding from the Southern California Wetland Recovery project and with the help of California State Parks, dozens of invasive trees were removed from the creek banks.  CIR removed invasive Kikuyu grass and Pampas grass, and we helped recruit and organize more than 150 volunteers to plant natives at the site.

CIR is proud and honored to be a part of the solution to restore portions of the Gaviota Coast.  This amazing but threatened natural resource is a true treasure deserving of everyone’s efforts to preserve it.

CIR to Offer Fall Trips to Santa Rosa Island

Channel Islands Restoration will offer volunteer-funded restoration trips to Santa Rosa Island this

fall, in partnership with Channel Islands National Park.  There is no grant funding available to support all the many costs associated with this project, so CIR turns to our volunteers to cover some of the cost of these trips.  In return, volunteers enjoy an extraordinary experience!  The trips are designed to accomplish important environmental restoration projects, while enabling volunteers to enjoy some of the most beautiful and remote sections of that vast island.

CIR’s Santa Rosa trips are structured to provide plenty of satisfying volunteer work, yet also include time to enjoy hikes and swimming and spectacular views.  Volunteers work an average of 6 hours per day, excluding travel days.  Additional time needed for travel to and from work sites will make a full day.

Volunteers learn about island conservation, history, geology and ecology while helping to restore Santa Rosa’s unique island habitat.  The volunteer work adds to the enjoyment and understanding of the challenges involved with managing such a large island.

Volunteers will be involved with a wide variety of projects which may include stabilizing eroding slopes and gullies, planting natives, working in the island nursery, chaparral restoration and fence removal.  Volunteers need to be energetic and in good physical condition.

Volunteers usually camp at the Water Canyon campground, and CIR provides camp stoves, pots and pans and some ice (or ice blocks) for your coolers.  Solar-heated showers are also available at the campground.  In some cases volunteers may stay at the new Santa Rosa Island Field Station.  Watch for email announcements regarding trips in September or October, and feel free to visit the trip web site for more information: http://www.cirweb.org/sri

International Delegation Visits CIR

A delegation from seven countries from East Asia and the Pacific Region visited the CIR offices in

Delegation from East Asia and the Pacific on Santa Cruz Island.

Carpinteria in July as part of their U.S. tour of community-based environmental protection organizations.  The delegation consisted of government officials, educators, and members of not-for profit organizations from Brunei, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, China, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu.  Hosted by the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program of professional and cultural exchanges and the International Visitors Council of Los Angeles, the delegation also visited many sites in Southern California, including Channel Island National Park.

The delegation was treated to refreshments at the CIR offices, and Executive Director, Ken Owen,

The delegation visits Carpinteria State Beach with Ken Owen

showed a PowerPoint presentation highlighting CIRs habitat restoration and environmental education projects.  After the presentation Ken led the group on a short walk to Carpinteria State Beach to see the creek restoration project there.  The occasion provided a unique opportunity for the international visitors to learn about local conservation efforts and for CIR staff to learn about the wide variety of projects happening in East Asia and the Pacific.

March CIR Membership Party and Natural History Walking Tours Fun and Educational!

In March, CIR members were treated to a gorgeous day for our annual membership appreciation party at Rincon Beach Park in Carpinteria.  Each available picnic table was filled to the brim with the smiling faces of CIR members snacking on chips, salsa, and Duke McPherson’s delicious homemade guacamole, not to mention whole fruit and granola bar baskets to tease the appetite, in anticipation of the feast to come.

CIR Membership Party at Rincon Beach Park. 

As festivities got underway, everyone enjoyed the delightful sounds of musician, Lawrence Wallin and the Glendessary Jam, who generously donated their tunes, talents, and time in exchange for helping themselves to the pot-luck buffet and barbecued fare.  With a sighting of coastal bottlenose dolphins from the pavilion, outstanding ocean views and sunny skies, one couldn’t have asked for a better setting.

One entire twelve-foot picnic table was absolutely overflowing with pot-luck goodies from salads, sides, and snacks to delectable desserts—it truly was an impressive turnout of culinary contributions that satisfied everyone.  After

The Glendessary Jam making great music!

the feast, which featured marinated chicken and veggie burgers provided by CIR and barbecued to perfection by Mr. President himself, Duke McPherson, we all enjoyed a presentation given by Executive Director, Ken Owen, during which he crowned Ron Nichols the first-ever CIR volunteer of the year!  Ron was applauded and awarded a commemorative wooden plaque, as well as a brand new Anacapa Island t-shirt and CIR cap.

Following the picnic, CIR members took a short drive to the Carpinteria Bluffs Preserve where

CIR Board President Duke McPherson and Gretchen Ingmanson prepare BBQ chicken.

Wayne Ferren was the first to speak about the ecology and the plant communities of the area.  Members were then treated to a talk with Tanya Atwater on the beach about local geology, as well as a docent-led program at the Carpinteria Harbor Seal Sanctuary.  The final tour was a visit to the Carpinteria Tar Pits Park.  Here, members were addressed by Wayne Ferren, Tanya Atwater, and John Johnson of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History about the history of the tar pits and the ancient flora and fauna that had been preserved there.

Ron Nichols received an award as CIR’s first member of the year at the CIR Membership Party.  Ron has participated in dozens of CIR volunteer events on the Channel Island and on the mainland.

CIR Busy on San Nicolas Island

CIR is working in partnership with several organizations on four distinct restoration projects on San Nicolas Island.  Starting in February, CIR started growing up to 7,000 native plants in the island nursery.  The nursery was constructed by CIR staff and volunteers in 2012 to grow plants

for an erosion control project.  The latest batch of plants will be used to enhance habitat for the island night lizard and also to mitigate the impacts from a wind generation construction project.  The nursery is now filled to capacity with thousands of plants covering all three of the huge nursery tables.  An expansion of the nursery space is in the planning stages. 

The island night lizard (restricted to just three of the Channel Islands) was recently removed from the endangered species list, because lizard numbers have increased markedly with conservation efforts led by the Navy and the Park Service.  To help insure that the species continues to thrive, Navy staff on San Nicolas have designed a project to enhance the habitat of the lizard.  CIR is growing several plant species that the lizard is known to favor for habitat including, box thorn and three species of cactus.  In the wild, these plants grow in impenetrable thickets that protect the lizards from predators.   The plants will be installed with the help of CIR in the fall.

CIR recently welcomed Sheri Mayta to our staff to oversee the nursery on San Nicolas.  Sheri has over

nine years of experience in native plant nursery management and native plant propagation. She owns and operates Estero Natives, a native plant nursery in Carpinteria.  She worked for Coastal Restoration Consultants (CRC) as a senior restoration ecologist and nursery manager. With CRC she managed the production of up to 50,000 plants per year at on-site nurseries.  Sheri was raised in Ventura, Ca. where she currently resides with her two children.

In addition to growing plants, CIR is helping to eradicate invasive plants that are a priority for the Navy, who owns the island.  Several CIR staff and volunteers have also been helping to eradicate two invasive plants that are particularly troublesome, ecologically.  Sahara mustard (brassica tournefortii) was introduced to the island several years ago and is a highly invasive species that has devastated the ecology of many areas in our mainland deserts.  Carnation spurge (euphorbia terracina) has recently spread to many new areas throughout California, and several populations have been found on San Nicolas.  The Navy is working with CIR and other contractors to eradicate both of these highly invasive plants before they spread any further on the island.