The team gathered to meet with Friends of Sausal Creek leaders and other community volunteers for a restoration workday. Beaconsfield Canyon, through which runs a walking trail adjacent to a small creek, is being restored in an effort to preserve the riparian ecosystem and protect surrounding communities from the threat of catastrophic fire.
Saturday’s group of volunteers was introduced to the site and its respective issues by Richard, a volunteer coordinator with Friends of Sausal Creek. The group then broke into smaller teams to take on different issues in the canyon. One group worked with Richard, focused on removing weeds from the flat areas along the creek. Another team, supervised by another volunteer named Wendy, headed up a steep hill to prune and pull invasive Himalayan Blackberry thickets that could cause major damage if a fire were to erupt. Finally, a group worked to re-build a stretch of trail to stabilize the hillside and prevent it from washing out in the first rain.
At the end of the day, volunteers bagged up all of the weeds they removed and packed them out to the trailhead to be disposed of. The workday ended with snacks and reflections, during which the team shared their satisfaction with the challenging but rewarding work. Thank you, Friends of Sausal Creek, for everything that you do!