We had two Planting Parties this month. Volunteers helped plant and mulch 100+ baby oaks, sycamores, lemonade berry, mulefat and elderberry.
A big thanks goes out to the Boy Scout Troop 669 for their fabulous efforts!
Weed Alert - London rocket (Sisymbrium irio)
Highly invasive mustard (Sisymbrium irio, London rocket) was identified in Del Dios Park.
Both line trimmers and herbicides were used to get control of the weed before it set seed. Eucalyptus mulch was spread around the Oaks to keep weeds down for next year. As a result, Del Dios Park is looking extra beautiful this year – green and trimmed.
February Work Party
Planting Continues
How'd we do? You decide! With the help of the Solana Beach ECO crew, we planted more than 100 natives:
- 9 Oak Trees
- 14 Sycamore Trees
- 66 Mulefat Shrubs
- 24 Willow Bushes
“A special thanks to everyone who showed up and joined our friends from the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club in habitat restoration by planting native trees. Check out their website to see photos of this amazing group helping to restore our native environment.”
Plant locations are planned in advance and indicated with colored flags.
As a Partner of the DDHPL, the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club has joined us at monthly work parties to actively restore our native habitat around Lake Hodges. Visit their blog to see more photos.
Interested in joining the action? Check our list of upcoming events - we'd love to see you there!
Del Dios habitat preservation receives major funding from NRCS
In the spring of 2008, eucalyptus seedlings popped up where coastal sage scrub had burned to charred nubs. The habitat destroyed had supported the rich bird diversity of the region, especially for the California Gnatcatcher, a well-known endangered Del Dios native. A merry band of dedicated local volunteers took action in 2010. We named ourselves the Del Dios Habitat Protection League. Through the years, many of our residents (you know who you are) have lopped, dragged and loaded dumpsters of eucalyptus. It’s satisfying to be out in the landscape, off trail, with a purpose. It’s quite the aerobic workout to boot!
What has been an all-volunteer effort has now been funded by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), a branch of U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. The continuity with the San Dieguito River Park/ River Valley Conservancy habitat restoration work both below the dam and into the San Pasqual Valley make this project a great fit for the NRCS funding for creating habitat for the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, another small endangered bird. Research suggests as we re-introduce willows, and other native trees, we will have both endangered gnatcatchers and flycatchers nesting here and feeding on the abundant gnats, flies and other insects that grace our lake.
Our goal is to remove eucalyptus and plant native trees and shrubs: Oaks, Sycamores, Willows, Mulefat, Toyon and Lemonade berry. We are balancing the removal of the non-native invasive eucalyptus with keeping nesting and perching sites for our native Raptors, and shade on our trails for hikers. There are 70 acres earmarked for eucalyptus removal, and 8 acres where we will be planting this spring. The long range plan is to see native trees growing along many water courses along the north shore of Lake Hodges.
Town Council is hosting an informational meeting about the project on September 10th 7PM. If you have specific questions or concerns please plan on coming to the meeting or please contact me directly at smccline@cox.net.