Don Edwards NWR Complex

   On day three of the trip, visited several natural reserve sites within the Don Edwards NWR complex. Our hosts were David Thomson (Senior Ecologist - Habitats Program at San Francisco Bay Observatory) and three staff members: Eric Lynch, Matt Bertken, and Miranda Melen. We cannot thank them enough for their hospitality and for the knowledge/insight they were able to share with us.

Left to right: Miranda, Eric, Matt, David, Betty (better picture of hosts at end of entry)

Don Edwards SFB NWR Environmental Education Center in Alviso -
   This area was the site of a former landfill that had been capped and converted into refuge land. Because there is no reference site, incomplete plant lists, and burning is suppressed (not to mention the topography is completely different due to the former use of the land), David explained that a more appropriate way to think about their work would be to call it habitat creation rather than restoration.

   Management of invasive species, control of litter, and reintroduction of native plant populations that were thought to have occurred in the area is a large part the work being done on the reserve.
   Some of the species we saw today will be included in this blog; species name will be in the caption:

Baccharis pilularis, Coyote Brush

Ambrosia psilostachya (Western Ambrosia) with Nesella pulchra

Euthamia occidentalis

Baccharis pilularis

Artemisia californica

Artemisia californica

Leymus triticoides

Symphyotrichum chilense

Frankenia sp.

WARNING: this blog is now being taken over by my new favorite plant - Salicornia pacifica, Pickleweed

   Okay, back on track.

So, we also toured the Don Edwards native plant restoration nursery. The ingenuity of of the on site crew is awesome. Seriously impressive, super cool people working with what they are able to obtain in order to meet their goals. See captions for explanations:

Testing humidity

for drying seeds

Same: for drying seeds

Seed drying rack

Vacuum for seed collection for some species

Native plant restoration nursery

Left to right: Eric, Matt, Miranda, David Thomson, David Gunn, Anna, Mikhail, Vladimir
Being awesome.