This will be the last of my published reflections on Sweet Springs, although the musings will undoubtedly continue unabated in my head. I've enjoyed writing them down and enjoyed working with the Journal's tireless editor, Judy Sullivan, even more. But I'm afraid it's become too much.
When I first started writing the articles, my primary goal was to let people know about the critical needs of the preserve for both maintenance and enhancement and to try and to motivate more people to volunteer. Unfortunately, I'm afraid my articles failed to inspire anyone to join our efforts. The majority of our volunteers still seem to come from the print media and community web sites. This month we had a large number of Cal Poly students join us for a special "Potting Up Party" in honor of Earth Day. They did an amazing job, potting up hundreds of seedlings from flats, liners, and six packs into larger pots. We had a wide assortment of coastal dune seedlings, from small herbaceous plants such as wallflower, horkelia, and yarrow to large shrubs such as silver dune lupine, mock heather, and black sage. Many of the seedlings were furnished by the Los Osos Middle School native plant program, managed by John Chesnut, while others were supplied by the Growing Grounds Farm & Nursery in San Luis Obispo. Most of the seedlings are eventually destined for the eastern section of the preserve, although some will also be planted in the native garden at the Middle School.
Egret Gets Lizard
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We had a few people volunteer from Los Osos, but not many. I've actually been puzzled by how few people from nearby neighborhoods turn out to help maintain and improve the preserve. We've had at most 50 over the years, although there are a dozen or so that have volunteered over and over and over again to whom I owe an enormous debt of gratitude. But in a town with over 14,000 residents, that represents less than one half of 1% of the population. The ironic part about it is some residents have actually been critical of the fact that the people who do take care of the preserve don't live in Los Osos. You would think that they would be grateful that people travel from San Luis Obispo and even as far as the North and South County to help take care of their backyard. I suspect it is a minority of residents that feel that way though. For the most part, volunteers are welcomed and thanked by visitors to the preserve, as they should be. Anyone who takes time out of their busy lives to help restore our natural areas for the benefit of both people and wildlife deserves our utmost appreciation.
Sand Verbena & Phacelia
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Over time, the rationale for the articles morphed into the necessity to provide information about Audubon's plans for restoration and implementing public access improvements on the new eastern addition. There is still a need for that, and if anything of note comes up, I expect Judy will be glad to publish an article in the news section. But the permit process is moving excruciatingly slowly and there's little to report on a monthly basis. So without a compelling reason to consolidate my thoughts for publication, it has become increasingly difficult to justify the curl on my peach trees because I didn't have time to spray, or the dead vegetable seedlings because I had no time to water, the errands not run, the hikes untaken, the friends not seen, the aging parent not visited… I took early retirement from my full time job a number of years ago, because I really wanted more time to devote to the people and things I care about and still have time to "smell the roses"… which would be Rosa californica in my case. They haven't bloomed yet this year, but they will soon. And I fear I will miss them. Too many months have gone by without a chance to hike to the top of a mountain or dangle my feet in a clear stream or pedal down a winding dirt road. Too many months have been spent driving freeways, pounding keys, leaving voicemails, racing to meetings, crossing things off lists, etc. Clearly I've drifted away from the path I started on and it's time to get back on course. It's been a pleasure sharing my reflections and an honor to be among so many caring, gifted writers, but it's time for reflections of a more languid kind, such as the glint of sunlight off a Sierra snowpack or a cascading stream. Thanks for your readership!
 Vision for Preserve by Doug Anderson
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