Go Wild for the Peninsula!
Happy news from the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy today as they announce their Go wild for the Peninsula campaign campaign to preserve 96 acres, restore it to wild lands, and form a wildlife corridor.
See also this article in the Daily Breeze, excerpted below.
The 96 acres is currently in a “mowed down” state, Wilcox said. So native plants — such as deer weed and rattle pod plants, which attract PV blue butterflies — haven’t had a chance to take root.
The first restoration step, Wilcox said, will involve reducing acacia, mustard and other other hazardous and non-native plants known to be fire hazards. Once that’s done, Wilcox said, some roots of native plants might be able to sprout.
The project will include transplanting new plants into the area from gallon containers, Wilcox said, and much of the steep hillsides will have to be “hydro-seeded.” The latter process is an erosion-control technique that involves spraying a slurry of seeds and mulch, giving them a chance to take hold in hard-to-reach areas.
Eventually, grazing goats will be brought in, probably in January or February, Wilcox said.
“Once the land is clear, we’re going to be embarking on an accelerated restoration program using a native seed material and wildflowers too,” Mohan said, “and, in particular, host plants for the blue butterfly and Monarchs to create butterfly sanctuary areas on the land.”
The wildlife corridor will also help protect other species, conservancy officials have previously said, including the coastal California gnatcatcher and the rare cactus wren, as well as mammals such as the gray fox.