PARK STEWARDSHIP PARK E-VENTURESFrom Flags to Flora at Mori Point
As you meander through Mori Point, you may be wondering: what all of the flags are for? Do the colors mean anything? And how long will they be there? Each flag at Mori Point marks a native plant that was planted by our volunteers or staff. The colors are not as important as one might think. We would have loved to mark each species with its own color. However, there are more species of native plants than there are colors in the rainbow. So why did we pick the colors we did? One reason is these particular colors fade the least over time. Having different colors comes in handy when we plant in the same area multiple years in a row, in which case we use a different suite of colored flags for each year. That way we can tell the difference between what was planted each year. So, why are there so many flags? Over the past three years we have planted thousands of plants. In the 2007-2008 planting season we planted 7,226, in 2008-2009 we planted 22,095, and in 2009-2010 we planted 8,901. Yikes! That is 38,222 flags! Have no fear, though, because they will all eventually be removed. The flags will be picked up under two conditions. The first condition is if the plants have grown big enough to outcompete any neighboring weeds and no longer require watering or mulching. The second, less desirable condition is if the plant does not make it. When this happens, we remove the flag and record it. This is one way we determine the survivorship of the plants at Mori Point, which so far is an amazing 80%! Another way we determine how many plants survived is by setting up survivorship plots. These are specific planting areas where each individual plant is tagged with the planted date and species name. Each spring we monitor these plots and record the data. The information we collect from these plots will not only tell us how many plants are surviving, but which species are doing the best. Besides survivorship data, the flags actually help the plant survive! How can this be so? The flags help us locate the plants to give them what they need. We rely on volunteers to help steward Mori Point, but not every volunteer can identify all 30 species we have planted. If they were not flagged, then they might mistakenly weed them during a volunteer program. So the flags help people identify the native plants. Once we can find the plants, we can water them, which is another activity volunteers help us with. But what about providing the plant with nutrients, sunlight, and room to grow? When we weed around the flagged plants we are giving them more space to grow as well as providing a larger area to stretch their roots out in search of nutrients and water, and stretch their leaves in search of sunlight. As you may have noticed, some areas have a lot of weeds that grow so tall we cannot find our newly planted natives. The flags help us find them so we can free them from their aggressive neighbors that are robbing them of nutrients, water, and sunlight. Without the flags, we have actually recorded lower plant survivorship. The first year we planted we did not use flags and the survivorship was only 68%. If they had been flagged, maybe people and dogs would not have trampled them. Or they could have been uncovered from the straw and watered. So, I’d like to give special thanks to all my flag friends for helping us keep the plants thriving! Planting Statistics: 2007-2008 Planting Season
2008-2009 Planting Season
2009-2010 Planting Season
June E-ventures: Park Stewardship: Coordinating our Effort, Expanding our Reach 
The Park Stewardship Program is currently in a period of change that will make our collective “strands” even stronger. We are doing this by: (1) reconfiguring our structure and volunteer programs throughout the Golden Gate National Parks, and (2) enhancing the way we provide relevant information to park volunteers. On the larger front, we are now working to reorganize the Park Stewardship Program into geographical regional teams (Marin County, San Francisco, and San Mateo County) and to better coordinate efforts among trails, maintenance, and natural/cultural resource teams. For our community volunteers, this integration will provide a wider variety of activities to choose from, new opportunities to move between sites within the park or region, and the chance to explore more areas of the park. We’re also improving the information we provide to our volunteers. An e-update, which will arrive in your inbox within the month, will provide a compilation of Stewardship-specific activities, information, and schedules for each region of the parks. Meanwhile, we’ve also redesigned Park E-ventures—your one-stop source for the best and most intriguing stories, hikes, photos, and news from across the Parks Conservancy’s programs and throughout the Golden Gate National Parks. Plus, the events and articles are specially tailored to your interests! To adjust your interests, log in to your profile. Whether planting near a creek in Marin, removing graffiti from a bunker in San Francisco, or improving a trail in San Mateo, community support has transformed these parklands and proven that together we can make the difference. Thank you for your ongoing support and we hope to see you soon in the Golden Gate National Parks! |
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