Sweet Springs Reflections -
2011 Columns
December, 2011 Reconciling Visions for Preserving the Preserve
On Saturday, November 19th Audubon hosted another Open House for the public to review our plans for the new addition to Sweet Springs and to take comments and questions from those in attendance. It had threatened to rain earlier in the day, but by the afternoon the clouds had parted, giving rays of sunshine a chance to break through. The event was quite well attended.
November, 2011 Sweet Springs Eucalyptus Removal Raises Questions
No doubt many of you have seen various letters to the editor and articles in local papers regarding the plans that Morro Coast Audubon has put together for the new addition to Sweet Springs, on the corner of 4th Street and Ramona. Although it appears that most people are supportive of the proposed access improvements and restoration of the areas dominated by veldt grass, some have taken serious exception to the proposal to remove up to 120 eucalyptus trees on the property over 10 years. I'd like to take this opportunity to correct some of the misconceptions about what we are proposing to do, as well as to address some of the concerns that have been expressed.
October, 2011 Sweet Springs East Project Moves Forward
As many of you know, we had our formal kickoff party to begin the restoration of the new addition to Sweet Springs on Saturday, September 24th. I owe a huge thanks to everyone who helped to make it a success, from the community leaders who inspired us with their thoughts, to the many local businesses who contributed food and drinks and to all of the volunteers who helped us take the first steps to reclaim the ground from invasive weeds. It was a very important beginning.
September, 2011 A Word of Thanks, and an Important Invitation
In May of this year, we installed what we call an "iron ranger," a term borrowed from the park service. The iron ranger is simply an unattended receptacle for the collection of fees, or in our case, the collection of donations to support the preserve. We installed it thinking we might collect a few extra bucks here and there that would help defray some of the costs for maintaining the preserve. I've been overwhelmed by the response we've received. I am absolutely in awe of the generosity of our visitors. We've had scores of good Samaritans provide their support and not a one has given their name or asked for a receipt. The preserve has obviously won a lot of hearts, and we will do our best to keep it a special place that will draw you back again and again. Thank you, Anonymous, one and all!
August, 2011 Great Expectations, Exceeded
I'm happy to report that we had an incredibly productive work party in July. We had a good mix of seasoned volunteers and first timers, and everyone gave it their all. We had three main goals: collecting seed for planting this fall, clearing the area to be planted, and collecting firewood to give away. I was on the seed collecting detail, and we came away with a good sized haul of nightshade, sage, lupine and poppies.
July, 2011 New Feathered & Scaly Friends
This has been quite the month for sightings of young wildlife at the preserve. The word has definitely gotten out about the Great Horned owlets that hatched this spring. People have been showing up on a pretty regular basis with cameras, scopes, and binoculars asking where they can find the owls. Fortunately, the owls don't seem too concerned about all of the commotion, although I do urge people to stay on the trail and remember their birding etiquette during their observations. We have received a number of complaints about people leaving the trail and getting much too close to the owls. They probably won't nest there again if they feel threatened. We should all heed the advice of the American Birding Association (ABA) suggesting that "Everyone who enjoys birds and birding must always respect wildlife, its environment, and the rights of others. In any conflict of interest between birds and birders, the welfare of the birds and their environment comes first."
June, 2011 Together Green
This past month brought with it some wonderful news! Morro Coast Audubon has been
awarded a grant by National Audubon to engage more volunteers in restoration efforts
at Sweet Springs. It's part of a five-
May, 2011 Amazing Hive Takes a Dive
The warm weather we had in March brought about the demise of the magnificent bee hive that hung from the large cypress tree at the entrance to the preserve. It must have made the wax just soft enough that gravity overpowered the bees' best efforts to keep the hive secured to the branch. It had lasted for years and I was so sorry to see it go. It was enormous. It must have housed thousands of bees. And it was a marvel of construction, with its undulating, almost molten looking honeycombs. Perhaps many bee hives are built like this. We don't usually have the benefit of seeing them, since they are usually tucked away inside the cavity of a tree. That's why this one was so remarkable and so special.
April, 2011 Spring has Sprung
This is the time of year when Sweet Springs is awash in bloom. By the time you read this, the Giant Coreopsis will probably have faded, but the wallflowers, poppies and phacelia should still be putting on quite a show. We even have a few tidy tips and baby blue eyes coming up from our seeding last fall. We'll be hosting a stroll through Sweet Springs at 10:00 on April 20th, if you'd like to take a look for yourself. The event is in honor of Native Plant Week, which was established last year by the state legislature to promote the conservation and appreciation of California's native plants.
March, 2011 Valentines Volunteers Turn out in Force
We had quite a turnout at our restoration party this past month with over 50 volunteers!
A good many of those volunteers were from the Cal Poly chapter of Alpha Phi Omega,
the largest collegiate fraternity in the country. Alpha Phi Omega is a co-
February, 2011 Welcome to Sweet Springs
Since this is my debut into writing for the SLO Coast Journal, a few words of introduction are probably in order. I manage the nature preserves for Morro Coast Audubon Society, including Sweet Springs and the Audubon Overlook in Los Osos. I imagine that I already know many of you, as one of the nice aspects of working out there is I get to meet a lot of people who come for a stroll or to say hello to the ducks or just sit and look out at the bay. I also get to meet a lot of wonderful volunteers who come out to lend nature a helping hand.