GREEN RAVINE @ CATALINA TURNS 1!
Catalina Island Test Plot
By Jen Toy
Test Plot Lead
DATE: Oct 22 2024
SOIL MOISTURE: Dry
︎ PLANT SIGHTINGS:
Out of the 174 plants planted one year ago (Nov 2023), about 30 have perished according to Lauren Czarnecki, the Test Plot lead steward of Catalina. Reasons include lack of water (see notes on irrigation system below), browsing by ground squirrels (esp loved wooly sunflower and don’t like golden yarrow) and transplant shock. Endemic species include Wallace’s nightshade, Catalina ironwood (not Santa Cruz which is more popular on the mainland), Mountain mahogany, Island Ceanothus, and the Catalina Island Manzanita. They are all surviving!
WEED SIGHTINGS:
We were lucky to be joined by a team from the Catalina Conservancy Invasive Plant Management team joined our group. Aaron Kreisberg, Plant Conservation Manager, walked the ravine and identified the major weeds, which were all located on the western edge of the plot.
They included:
He also suggested this amazing resource WEEDRIC (Research & Information Center) by UC Davis which lists invasive species A-Z and offers management strategies. He says he uses it every day!
︎WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS: None in the immediate plot area except a wicked spider web.
HUMAN ACTIVITY: Our team consisted of USC students from Alex’s class, Tawny de Guzman from Community Nature Connection plus 2 colleagues, Julio Soria from LA Nature for All, and Scott Applebaum from the ENST program. We weeded the ravine, planted 30 new plants, and gave the existing and new plants a deep water.
“ My favorite part of the day was when we got to dig holes for some replacement plants in the ravine. Some areas were very easy to dig down into whereas others were quite rocky and dry, so it was great to see our group really begin to cooperate more and work together on the harder spots. I also enjoyed locating a Dudleya that was hiding underneath some Encelia californica, and pruned back the shrub to provide more sunlight. “ - Mark Reid, USC Student
GENERAL NOTES: It was a beautiful day, with multiple dolphin and gray whale sightings on the boat ride there and back. Lauren has been an amazing steward over the last year, but watering is challenging and time consuming. She has been underwatering the plants (twice in the fall and spring and 3-4 times over the summer). The IBC tote (250 gallons of collected rainwater) was placed upstream and gravity feeds into 4 drip irrigation lines, with 1 emitter covering each plant (at least most plants). However it turns out the head pressure is only great enough to run one line (the top one) so the plants towards the bottom of the swale did not receive as much water. It takes several hours to drain one tote, and requires machinery to replace the totes. It is also tricky to find time to water during the cooler times of day. She learned a trick to spray the water to create more humidity, which helps against the dry Santa Annas.
SOIL: Scott Applebaum’s class spent time over the summer, and conducted more soil tests to compare with those taken in September 2023 (see LOG POST HERE). They found that the soil cores are shifting away from clay to include more silt.
COIR MATS: This is the first time we tried coir mats, and they are all still holding their form and intact. Lauren’s thoughts are that they have helped with water retention in the dry months. She noticed that if they were not staked down very well, they would rip and pull the plants away during winter when the ravine had active water flow.
TIMELAPSE: The Chronolog has been up and running since July. It’s a community science app that takes photos that people can upload and creates a timelapse video.
SUMMARY: Lauren reminded us the goal is 3 S’s : slow the water, spread it, and sink it. The rock check dams are working, and she observed standing water in July, which allows for species like the Baja Choir Frog to visit through June.
Catalina Island Test Plot
By Jen Toy
Test Plot Lead
DATE: Oct 22 2024
TIME: 10AM-2PM
TEMP: 73 F
︎
WEATHER: Sunny, Blue Skies, Warm
WIND (SPEED/DIRECTION): Not notIceableSOIL MOISTURE: Dry
︎ PLANT SIGHTINGS:
Out of the 174 plants planted one year ago (Nov 2023), about 30 have perished according to Lauren Czarnecki, the Test Plot lead steward of Catalina. Reasons include lack of water (see notes on irrigation system below), browsing by ground squirrels (esp loved wooly sunflower and don’t like golden yarrow) and transplant shock. Endemic species include Wallace’s nightshade, Catalina ironwood (not Santa Cruz which is more popular on the mainland), Mountain mahogany, Island Ceanothus, and the Catalina Island Manzanita. They are all surviving!
WEED SIGHTINGS:
We were lucky to be joined by a team from the Catalina Conservancy Invasive Plant Management team joined our group. Aaron Kreisberg, Plant Conservation Manager, walked the ravine and identified the major weeds, which were all located on the western edge of the plot.
They included:
| Atriplex semibaccata | Australian saltbush |
| Brachypodium sylvaticum | False brome |
| Brassica nigra | Black mustard |
| Bromus diandrus | Ripgut brome |
| Bromus hordeaceus | Soft brome |
| Centaurea melitensis | Maltese star thistle |
| Cynodon dactylon | Bermuda grass |
| Erigeron canadensis | Horseweed |
| Foeniculum vulgare | Fennel |
| Rumex crispus | Curly Dock |
| Salsola australis | Russian thistle |
| Salsola tragus | Russian tumbleweed |
| Stipa miliacea | Smilograss |
He also suggested this amazing resource WEEDRIC (Research & Information Center) by UC Davis which lists invasive species A-Z and offers management strategies. He says he uses it every day!
︎WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS: None in the immediate plot area except a wicked spider web.
HUMAN ACTIVITY: Our team consisted of USC students from Alex’s class, Tawny de Guzman from Community Nature Connection plus 2 colleagues, Julio Soria from LA Nature for All, and Scott Applebaum from the ENST program. We weeded the ravine, planted 30 new plants, and gave the existing and new plants a deep water.
“ My favorite part of the day was when we got to dig holes for some replacement plants in the ravine. Some areas were very easy to dig down into whereas others were quite rocky and dry, so it was great to see our group really begin to cooperate more and work together on the harder spots. I also enjoyed locating a Dudleya that was hiding underneath some Encelia californica, and pruned back the shrub to provide more sunlight. “ - Mark Reid, USC Student
GENERAL NOTES: It was a beautiful day, with multiple dolphin and gray whale sightings on the boat ride there and back. Lauren has been an amazing steward over the last year, but watering is challenging and time consuming. She has been underwatering the plants (twice in the fall and spring and 3-4 times over the summer). The IBC tote (250 gallons of collected rainwater) was placed upstream and gravity feeds into 4 drip irrigation lines, with 1 emitter covering each plant (at least most plants). However it turns out the head pressure is only great enough to run one line (the top one) so the plants towards the bottom of the swale did not receive as much water. It takes several hours to drain one tote, and requires machinery to replace the totes. It is also tricky to find time to water during the cooler times of day. She learned a trick to spray the water to create more humidity, which helps against the dry Santa Annas.
SOIL: Scott Applebaum’s class spent time over the summer, and conducted more soil tests to compare with those taken in September 2023 (see LOG POST HERE). They found that the soil cores are shifting away from clay to include more silt.
COIR MATS: This is the first time we tried coir mats, and they are all still holding their form and intact. Lauren’s thoughts are that they have helped with water retention in the dry months. She noticed that if they were not staked down very well, they would rip and pull the plants away during winter when the ravine had active water flow.
TIMELAPSE: The Chronolog has been up and running since July. It’s a community science app that takes photos that people can upload and creates a timelapse video.
SUMMARY: Lauren reminded us the goal is 3 S’s : slow the water, spread it, and sink it. The rock check dams are working, and she observed standing water in July, which allows for species like the Baja Choir Frog to visit through June.
