China Creek Report - September Work Party
--Warren Shaw
A good crew of volunteers braved foul smoky air and early fall heat to help get the fall semester of work at China Creek off to a good start. We fielded a team to battle our persistent weeds. Oddly, despite the drought, we found new plants, especially bullthistle, in areas we had previously cleared — evidence of their incredibly hardy nature. Sadly, we noticed a number of young Valley oaks that appeared very stressed and may not have made it through this hot dry season.
Stan filled in to mow the trail, which was not easy because the mower’s battery was dead and required jump starting. Probably time for a new battery and perhaps a solar charging setup. The trail looks nice now.
We also checked the entire trail and were pleased find all signs intact and needing only cleaning of the effects of birds perching on them all summer.
Puzzling over the fact that the north pond was dry, we checked and found a good flow from the creek. When asked why it wasn’t reaching the pond, longtime Park guru, Hank, said he thought it's all soaking in or evaporating before it gets there. We plan to explore in October in hopes we can find a way to remedy this.
The October work party will be Saturday, October 16, from 8am to 12pm. We’re planning to knock off work a little early and share a potluck lunch and do some planning for the rest of our fall semester work (details to follow). By then we hope the air will be cleaner and the temperature lower; we also hope you can join us for a nice fall day in the Park.
|