Info on upland land preservation / restoration
Thea
I realized I hadn't yet forwarded an email I got from Cheryl Strong,
one of the Wildlife Biologist that works at the Don Edwards Env
Center:
- Thea
My only other thought so far was that you contact the Upland Goals
folks
about their thoughts on this. They are doing a bay-wide effort for
recommendations and planning.
http://openspacecouncil.org/projects/upland
Cheryl
Cheryl Strong
Wildlife Biologist
San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex
cell: 510-557-1271 office: 510-792-0222
US POSTAL:
9500 Thornton Avenue
Newark, CA 94560
UPS/FEDEX:
1 Marshlands Road
Fremont, CA 94536
David Oliver
after bite, without stopping until it's completely gone. That's the way
ladybugs eat aphids - they just grab 'em and eat 'em.
I know this because as I was staring at some curled, dying leaves on my
dwarf apple tree in my dwarf backyard in Oakland one summer day - aphids
were sucking the leaves dry, and I was wondering what to do - a host of
ladybugs flew in for a picnic. The aphids were soon under control, though
enough survived to seed future generations and thus feed future generations
of ladybugs.
The ladybugs had come from the yard of my next-door neighbor, an avid
gardener who had purchased a breeding stock of a local species some years
before. Although her yard was as tiny as mine, she dedicated part of it to a
pile of leaves that served as a ladybug habitat. When aphids were out of
season, she would place apple slices beneath the leaves to feed her ladybugs
- so they wouldn't "fly away home."
That was my introduction to backyard biodiversity, the art and science of
providing appropriate habitat for native biota - a practice that turns out
to be critical for keeping the planet habitable.
Wildlife is increasingly threatened by development and farming, which
destroy its habitat; roads, which dissect ecosystems; cars, which kill
millions of animals every year; and invasive species, which can destroy
entire ecosystems. Unless these trends are counteracted on both the macro
scale, by limiting sprawl development and preserving natural areas, and the
micro scale, by providing appropriate wildlife support within existing
developed areas, species will continue to disappear, ultimately taking with
them the ecosystems upon which human existence depends.
Fortunately, homeowners and even apartment dwellers can foster native
biodiversity by providing the basic necessities - water, food and shelter,
a.k.a. habitat - for our fellow species. Providing habitat is easy and
inexpensive, and can actually save money on landscape maintenance as natural
habitats mostly maintain themselves.
The scale of the project can vary from a couple of flowerpots on a balcony,
containing plants that nurture local pollinators, to extensive waterways on
a large property. A neglected corner of a typical urban yard will suffice to
give a few plants and creatures a home, but allotting more space will allow
you to build a more complex and interesting habitat.
Ideally, a home habitat will support a wide array of species and re-create
the nutrient cycles found in natural ecosystems. Thus, organisms that break
down organic waste, such as fungi and detritivores (e.g., worms and soil
bacteria), would be as welcome as popular songbirds and decorative native
flowers. While predator-and-prey insect populations tend to balance each
other out over time, circumstances might dictate that you manipulate the
system in favor of certain beneficial species, such as ladybugs. Always keep
in mind that native plants support native animals.
A good start for your habitat, then, might be some old lumber or logs set on
the ground to rot, thus providing food and shelter for thousands of tiny
organisms and their larger predators, as well as soil nutrients for plants.
Brush and berries planted in the woodpile will provide shelter and food for
a different array of species, while trees, if there's room for them, will
shade and shelter the entire habitat.
Water must be clean - birdbaths with stagnant water containing bird feces
are poisonous - and, ideally, free of chemicals such as chlorine that kill
soil bacteria. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, so a fountain driven by a
small solar-electric pump is a good design option. (Mosquitoes don't breed
in moving water.)
Feed wild animals minimally and with caution. Dependence on an unbalanced
diet provided by humans can weaken them, and excess food stock can attract
pest species like raccoons and rodents. A well-designed habitat will
generate enough nutrients to support abundant biodiversity.
There is a simple way to populate your home habitat: Build it, and they will
come. However, you might need to introduce certain species or elements to
create the balance you want at your ecological house, so be prepared to do
some in-depth learning about your local ecosystem.
Philip S. Wenz is the founder and former director of the Ecological Design
Program at the San Francisco Institute of Architecture and teaches classes
at the Building Education Center in Berkeley. The author of "Adding to a
House" (Taunton), he lives in Corvallis, Ore. For more information, go to
www.your-ecological-house.com or e-mail him at ho...@sfchronicle.com.
Cheryl
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