This past Saturday, interns from San Lorenzo High, Arroyo High, and Skyline High united forces to complete some bird surveys and restoration at Oyster Bay Regional Park in San Leandro.
Interns arrived early in the morning, eager to begin walking around our site for the day. After everyone was present, three East Bay Regional Parks ecologists, Jaclyn (an Earth Team alumni!), Natalie, and Barbara, began introducing themselves to the students. They spoke on their career paths and current jobs, and told interns what to expect for the day. We would be walking around and looking at birds using binoculars, followed by a planting of Torrey pine trees.
We began our bird walk, lead by wildlife biologist Natalie, by learning how to use binoculars, listening to bird calls around, and practicing patience while waiting for birds that were flying around. Interns were also able to use Merlin to identify and keep track of birds. They soon saw a gaggle of Canadian geese flying, flocks of gulls, and a white-crowned sparrow flying through the air. Then, we continued our walk and were greeted by a Black Phoebe prancing around the nearby grass patch, and a bushtit balancing on a branch in the nearby bushes. We continued our walk towards our planting sites, and interns were able to see turkey vultures, Ana’s hummingbird, house finches, and a red-tailed hawk. We then arrived to a beautiful view of the bay, where interns were able to use their binoculars to see greater scaups and surf scoters in the water.
After interns were full of bird identification knowledge, interns were able to fill up on snacks during a quick break, while East Bay regional parks staff began setting up supplies for tree planting. Interns were split into pairs, and they picked their favorite tree, and set off to a designated planting site. These Torrey pine saplings were grown at a local nursery, with seeds that were selected from the same Oyster Bay site—allowing them to be well-adapted to that microclimate. Interns were instructed to dig a large hole to place an underground gopher cage to protect these new additions to the local environment. Then, interns placed their sapling, and packed it in with dense soil. Next, interns placed some stakes and a larger cage, stapled down, to prevent people or other animals from damaging these trees. Finally, some compost and mulch was placed around the tree to maintain moisture in the ground. Interns grew fond of their trees, even giving them names such as ‘Demetri’, ‘Patricia’, ‘Bailey’, ‘Gigi’, and ‘Roberto’.
Step 1: Dig a hole
Step 2: Place gopher cage
Step 3: Plant the tree
Step 4: Install exterior cage with stakes
Step 5: Smile with your planted tree!
After the planting was complete, interns expressed their enthusiasm to visit them in the coming years, as these trees grow and provide shelter from wind for the soon-to-be endangered monarch butterflies. Skyline intern Fern said that she enjoyed being able to continue to visit this site with Earth Team and learn a new thing every time. She expressed that made her feel more connected to the site, and it added meaning to their experiences. Skyline intern Oliver also expressed that he “liked planting trees with the larger goal in mind” of helping this local ecosystem and our native species.
A special thanks to the ecologists at East Bay Regional Parks District for helping put on this event, and to our funder Alameda County Fish and Wildlife Commission.
