Salt grass

A native salt grass is starting to appear in the 30-acre grove.

Bakersfield Cactus patch

PV friend Larry recently spotted this previously unknown patch of Bakersfield Cactus on an out-of-the-way northern portion of the Preserve.

Before and After

The 30 acre plot was a barren field when the top picture was taken before Christmas, 2009. The second and third pictures were taken in mid-September, 2010 of Section F in the western end of this same field. Bill is making a plant inventory. Cuttings averaged 8-12 inches high when we planted them last spring; many are now taller than Bill, Phil, or Andy.

Spring and Summer 2010 have been busy with the planting of approximately 3000 trees and shrubs on the 30 acre plot. The well and pump are working well, the Natural Resources Conservation Service has given us the first part of its grant money, and the plantings flourished with regular water in the summer heat. We're also excited to see Nature starting to revegetate on its own-- a stand of native California Indian tobacco (in the foreground with yellow flowers) has popped up in the field.

Flooded Out

This soggy looking gopher did himself out of his own home by gnawing through a nearby dripline which then flooded his burrow and forced him up to the surface. Critters like him (her?) find dripline very tasty and snack on it all too frequently. "Walking the line" and repairing leaks is routine maintenance.

Bill mowed the 30 acre field in mid-March (see pictures below) after which the well was readied for use, drip lines laid for irrigation, and 6000 holes augured for the plants. We waited in eager anticipation for P.G. & E. to hook up the power for the pump. One postponement followed another (it was not until May 17 that the power company was able to get here!) Since Mother Nature generally waits for no man, not even a P. G. & E. electrician, Preserve volunteers started planting anyhow and rented a diesel generator for the pump. Luckily, M. Nature was a little off her rocker and sent unusually cool weather through April and May, good for the little plants. Higher temperatures (only in the high 80s) arrived only this week and the new plants are generally looking healthy. So far so good. These photos are from the same area shown in the March 21 blog . Thanks to the many volunteers who are helping make this happen. Much more remains to be done, however, so don’t hang up your shovel yet!

S. A. Camp has finished installation of the 10,000 gallon tank which will provide water for the 30 acre grove. The water comes from a well originally dug in the 1940s or 1950s for a cattle feedlot operation that was nearby; S. A. Camp refurbished it for Preserve use.