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Projects of the Stewardship Program:
Earthen Berm Project, Long Marine Lab
The Site Stewardship Program is working to restore native coastal vegetation
on the earthen berm located adjacent to the Long Marine Lab Research Facility.
The site has experienced heavy invasion from exotic weeds. Invasive weeds,
mainly poison hemlock, threaten native vegetation by limiting resources
and interfere with the growth and establishment of coastal scrub communities.
The Site Stewardship Program has begun working to restore the berm. Native
scrub species are being planted to crowd out invasive weeds and improve
this unique habitat.
Grassland Monitoring and Residual Dry Matter Study
Much of the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) campus is a rare
type of grassland called California coastal terrace prairie. These biodiverse
ecosystems, and many of the species native to them, are of acute conservation
concern. The campus grasslands are also an important part of the UCSC
culture. UCSC Grounds Services manages the different grassland regions
of campus using cattle grazing, mowing and manual weed removal to steward
vegetation for fire safety and meadow-like composition. The grasslands
are currently a patchwork of these management regimes. Despite the evidence
that different management practices of grassland may have very different
ecological consequences, there has been no quantitative monitoring to
evaluate local effects. Through the efforts of intern Jamie Self, the
Site Stewardship Program is now implementing a monitoring program in the
Great and East meadows. Data that is collected will aid in determining
the impacts of current management practices.
Upper Jordan Gulch Project
In the drainage between the firehouse and College 9 known as Upper Jordan
Gulch, pedestrians and cyclists have created a footpath through the forest
habitat as a shortcut. The disturbance has caused erosion and compaction
to the root systems of the native trees and shrubs. During winter months
the slippery trail surface is also a safety hazard. Consequently, trail-users
have walked on native vegetation to avoid slipping, creating new trail
scars. In an effort to restore the area, the Site Stewardship Program
will be breaking up the compacted soil and planting native vegetation
to encourage regeneration of the native habitat on the trail scars. The
primary trail has been mulched and further maintenance will occur in order
to keep the area safe for users.
Invasive Plant Removal
The conditions of our beautiful meadows are very delicate. The native
species are threatened by non-native grasses and chaparral species such
as baccharis. The Stewardship Program focuses on removing invasive species
such as French broom and fennel to encourage growth of native grasses
and forbes.
Internships
Students can gain field work experience by interning with the Site Stewardship
Program. Interns perform a combination of ecological restoration, public
outreach, interpretation, and education. Projects interns could work on
include population monitoring, vegetative mapping, invasive plant removal,
native seed collection, baseline data collection, revegetation, erosion
control, and developing outreach materials. Interns can choose their project
based on the needs of the program and the interests of the student.
There are several ways to become involved with the Site Stewardship Program.
A student can intern for one academic year and earn 2 units per quarter
and their fees paid by working with The Chancellor’s
Undergraduate Internship Program (CUIP). Students can also earn internship
credit through their department or the Environmental Studies Department
for one quarter. All members of the UCSC community are invited to volunteer
as a Site Steward to work on weekend projects. If you are interested in
becoming an intern or a volunteer, please email grounds_interns@ucsc.edu.
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