In this issue, a brand new preserve guide takes you on a tour of your Midpen open space lands, an opportunity to participate in community science during this year's sudden oak death blitz and news about ways Midpen cares for the land to promote biodiversity in the Santa Cruz Mountains from timed mowing to goat grazing.
Left to right: woodland woollythreads (Arthur Yang), purple mouse ears (MJ Nehl), fragrant fritillary (Dan) and serpentine linanthus (Philip Bouchard).
Nature in May: Flowers That Bloom in Adversity
Spring is in full swing with wildflowers beginning to bloom and adding pops of color to the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Some of the most unique wildflower displays occur on serpentine soils. Although serpentine soils only make up about 1% of California’s land surface, where they do occur, “serpentine syndrome” makes a striking impact on the landscape. Serpentine plant communities usually differ drastically from nearby non-serpentine soil areas because only a few highly adapted plant species can live in such a harsh environment.
Learn all about what Midpen preserves have to offer through our new Preserve Guide.
The guide contains detailed information about each of Midpen’s 25 publicly accessible open space preserves including maps, history and the flora and fauna you might see.
Get your free copy today at Midpen’s administrative office, outreach events or on our website.
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve’sPurisima Creek Road parking area and trail access, located at Higgins Canyon and Purisima Creek Roads near Half Moon Bay, is TEMPORARILY CLOSED as of April 15 due to the County of San Mateo resuming storm damage repair work to the adjacent roadway.
This temporary parking area and trail access closure is necessary to ensure safe passage for essential and emergency response traffic in the area. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Midpen will immediately reopen the parking area and trail access as soon as the County reopens Higgins Canyon Road to traffic, anticipated to be late summer 2024.
Multiple ongoing planning efforts are underway to improve sustainable public access to this popular preserve, including the Purisima-to-the-Sea Trail and parking area project which will expand trails and parking.
Controlling the spread of non-native, invasive yellow star thistle is a primary goal of the goat-grazing pilot. (Midpen)
Piloting a New Tool in Our
Conservation Grazing Program
Conservation grazing is one of many land management tools Midpen uses to achieve conservation goals on the San Mateo County coast, where supporting viable agricultural is also woven into our braided mission. This tool helps Midpen maintain coastal grasslands to protect their biodiversity, and manage vegetation to improve wildland fire safety. While Midpen’s Conservation Grazing Program is primarily achieved through partnerships with local cattle ranchers, we will be piloting a new conservation grazing tool this month: targeted, temporary grazing with goats.
From approximately mid-May to mid-June, goats will graze a 19-acre grassland area of Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve that has previously been managed with both cattle grazing and mechanical mowing to reduce brush encroachment and control the spread of non-native, invasive yellow star thistle. The goats will be in a temporary, fenced paddock visible from the Mindego Hill Trail, and will be overseen by a herder with dogs, which may occasionally bark.
Coastal grasslands are one of the most biodiverse and threatened ecosystems in North America. They evolved with, and can benefit from, periodic disturbances to prevent loss of biodiversity to introduced species, shrubs and forest. These disturbances were historically provided by grazing wildlife herds, natural fires and Native American burning practices no longer on the landscape.
You're Invited to Participate in Community Science!
Help Survey for Sudden Oak Death in Midpen Preserves
Midpen, UC Berkeley and several local conservation organizations are teaming up for the annual Sudden Oak Death (SOD) Blitz from May 18-21. This community science project is looking for volunteers in the Bay Area to help identify SOD symptoms in California bay laurel trees, record data and collect and submit symptomatic leaf samples for testing to determine whether or not the trees have been infected by the deadly disease.
Those who wish to participate can do so through UC Berkeley's registration process or by joining Midpen’s efforts. Midpen participants will need to attend a mandatory one-hour training on the morning of Saturday, May 18 at Midpen’s administrative office in Los Altos. Trained volunteers will then have the weekend to visit select Midpen preserves and collect valuable data and leaves in support of the project.
You may spot a large metal grazer in the grassy hills of Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve this summer. Midpen is implementing an enhanced mowing program targeting non-native grasses and thistles. The mowing will be timed to occur when the grasses are at their most susceptible stage: before their seeds become viable. The project will affect approximately 50 acres of grassland throughout the preserve through June 2024.
Midpen’s goal is to use mowing as a land management tool to mimic natural systems, benefiting the grassland’s health and resilience by combating invasive, non-native plants, which can comprise up to 90% of vegetative cover in an area. The project will also support general fuel management within the preserve as it relates to wildland fire prevention.
This work is performed under Midpen’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program, which follows 36 Best Management Practices to protect and support the area's ecology.
Midpen's growing number of staff that are certified as wildland firefighters perform an annual training each spring under the guidance of local fire agency partners to keep their skills current ahead of fire season. In the photo above, Midpen Ranger Lund and Ranger Barnes practice progressive hose-lays, a common technique where firefighters carrying packs with 100-foot lengths of hose work together to add hose progressively as they work up the flank of a fire to extinguish it.
The project team will return with findings from the carpool lot at a later date to determine if any other steps are recommended for Rancho San Antonio.
The Rancho San Antonio Multimodal Access Study aims to identify green modes of transportation to address congestion and parking issues and improve visitor experience.
Meetings may be attended in-person or viewed online. There is also a dial-in number to listen by phone. Links are included in the meeting agendas posted online 72 hours before the meeting.
Public comments are welcome at all Midpen board meetings. You can speak for up to three minutes in-person, via Zoom or provide written comments for the board to read. Either way, get started by submitting a public comment form.
EVENTS & ACTIVITIES
Get Involved with Midpen!
In addition to Midpen’s longstanding Volunteer, Interpretation and Education Programs and episodic hands-on projects in the preserves, other opportunities occasionally arise where you are able to join our efforts both behind the scenes and front and center. Whether you’re interested in making a difference in the community or contributing to projects that directly impact local woodlands and wildlife, the following opportunities provide a sense of connection to others and nature as well as a boost to your own self-satisfaction.
Help us identify, tag and sort images from wildlife cameras at Midpen preserves, join a brand new team of volunteers that will support our community outreach events, building networks and sharing information about Midpen's work or engage in community science during the annual Sudden Oak Death blitz.
Join Midpen partner Saved by Nature for the second hike in their new community hike series on June 1 at Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve. A trained Wilderness First Responder or a CPR/First Aid Certified leader will accompany the group throughout the hike with all participants receiving snacks and a complimentary lunch.
Saved by Nature’s community hikes take place on the first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. and range from 3.5 - 5.5 miles in length, with an easy to moderate difficulty level.
Sign-ups will open two weeks before the hike on Saved by Nature’s website under “Upcoming Events” and will have about 25 spots available.
Over Earth Day weekend, 12 hikers embarked on a beginner-friendly backpacking trip through the rolling grasslands, dense creekside forests and spectacular vistas of Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. Our community outreach partner Latino Outdoors, coordinated a two-day, one-night backpacking trip to Midpen’s one-and-only backpacking camp atop Black Mountain for these dozen participants.
While taking in the incredible views of the Santa Clara Valley below, backpackers learned how to camp on foot carrying everything they needed in an approximately 30-pound pack, hiking up to 2.5 miles each day. During the day, the hikers learned not only about the basics of backpacking but also about the flora and fauna that surrounded them, including blooming spring wildflowers.
“It was great,” said Latino Outdoors San Francisco Bay Area Regional Coordinator Aurora Cortes. “We saw deer, turkey, and even a coyote, and shared lots of laughs with the beautiful sunset.”
Free guided activities lead by volunteer docent naturalists offer a great way to explore a new preserve, learn about the natural environment or join others for environmentally sensitive outdoor recreation.
Join our talented and dynamic team as we work collaboratively toward our vision and put your passion for open space to work! Here are our current job openings:
You can also refer to our website openspace.org/careers for more information about working at Midpen.
Other photo credits: Sudden Oak Death: Karl Gohl; Timed Mowing: Ryan McCauley/Midpen; Wildland Firefighting: Chris Barresi/Midpen; Rancho San Antonio: Sherian Lee; Get Involved: Ellen Gartside/Midpen.
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