Archive for Land Stewardship
Living Among Lions on the San Francisco Peninsula
Via Wikimedia Commons
A map of mountain lion sightings in residential areas in the San Jose Mercury News suggests that the cats are coming from the greenbelt of open spaces on the west side of Highway 280 — which includes several POST-protected parcels. One puma was spotted in Windy Hill. (POST Conservation Project Manager Abigail Adams also recently spotted a paw print on a POST easement near San Gregorio.)
That’s a good thing. More open spaces, along with a ban on hunting in California, are beginning to boost the predators’ numbers. Officials estimate there are 6,000 of them in the state.
Admittedly, it’s scary to spot a mountain lion on your block or to find one napping in your tree. But you are more likely to be killed by a deer than by a mountain lion, according to Zara McDonald of the Felidae Conservation Fund. The cats, by predilection, avoid humans whenever they can. In fact, some trackers have found evidence that humans have come within 50 feet of a mountain lion without ever knowing it was there.
When a puma ends up on Alpine Road, it’s probably looking for a mountainous throughway of another sort: Wildlife corridors are a vital ingredient for keeping puma populations healthy. When they can’t find natural throughways, pumas sometimes revert to highways and suburban byways, neither of which are good news for people.
Take another look at the Mercury map: You’ll see that almost all of the sightings are on the boundary of an open space or in a stretch of developed land between large open spaces.
So treat the cats with some respect if you happen to see one — and be sure to follow the experts’ best recommendations for not having a conflict with it.
You can make your home less appealing to a wandering mountain lion by avoiding feeding any wildlife that it might prey on. Make your best effort to keep deer away by landscaping with plants they don’t like to eat. Keep pets indoors. Motion-activated lighting can also repel the cats.
To steer clear of mountain lions in wilderness areas, avoid hiking alone or wearing headphones. Keep children and dogs close to you. Never approach or run away from a mountain lion, if you see one. Instead, make an effort to appear bigger by raising your arms. If all else fails and you are attacked, fight back! One 60-year-old woman likely saved her husband’s life by repeatedly jabbing an attacking puma with a ballpoint pen!
Battling Invasive Plants at Gregerson
By Meghan Scanlon, Conservation Project Manager
In 2008, POST documented a dense 41-acre French broom (Genista monspessulana) infestation on Gregerson, a 203-acre property above the coastside community of El Granada that POST acquired in November 2007.
Gregerson was historically grazed, but by the mid-1980s the then-fallow fields had been infested by a “broom forest.” The previous owners disced and planted it with oats for several years, but stopped doing so in late 2004. Since that time, broom reemerged and migrated into surrounding scrub habitat. The below map identifies the boundaries of the broom population as of April 2008.
Map of initial work.
The broom was encroaching on a population of endemic Montara Mountain blue bush lupine (Lupinus eximus). POST knew that if left untreated, French broom would likely come to dominate the entire area, forming a monoculture that would make it all but impossible for the Montara Mountain blue bush lupine and other native species to survive.
POST took immediate action, treating 35 acres of infestation before plants went to seed in March 2008. In 2009, POST worked to complete initial treatment of the entire infestation, and to re-treat the areas treated in 2008.
Hard at work.
With continued treatments in March 2009 and April 2010, POST effectively eliminated all mature French broom on the property, as well as new sprouts that had emerged after the initial 2008 treatment. The following map identifies the areas that contained broom seedlings as of June 2010. Note how the population has been substantially reduced!
Progress!
Ongoing follow-up treatment, which entails primarily spraying or pulling new seedlings by our dedicated volunteers, will be required for several years, due to this plant’s persistent seedbank.
Thanks to this effective treatment and scheduled follow-up monitoring and treatment, the Montara Mountain blue bush lupine, other Montara Mountain endemics, and other native plants will be able to thrive in this unique natural community.
Land Stewardship Feature: Conservation Grazing
By Meghan Scanlon, Conservation Project ManagerConservation grazing is an important stewardship method currently practiced on a variety of POST-owned properties. Most notable of these is Toto Ranch, 925 acres on the San Mateo Coast. Here, cattle, llamas, horses, sheep and goats graze the land, contributing to the overall health of the landscape.
A look at the animals on Toto Ranch:
Horse and foal
POST
Jeff Powers
Paul Ringgold
Meghan Scanlon
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