This weekend, Earth Team interns from Arroyo, Castro Valley, San Leandro, and San Lorenzo high schools returned to the butterfly garden at Oyster Bay Regional Park. Spring has officially sprung in the East Bay, so the garden looked a lot different from how we left it during our last restoration event in November. While the garden still wasn’t ready for any planting or new additions, there was quite a bit of work to be done. Prior to beginning the work, interns listened to presentations by EBRPD Ecologists Jaclyn, Brenda, and Daniel on monarch butterfly overwintering behaviors, Ohlone native peoples, and proper gardening techniques.
Like our last trip to the park, the interns were split into three groups, weeding, removing dead plants, and mulching. The weeding group got to work right away removing weeds and invasive species from inside the garden as well as the perimeter of the fence line. While this may look like the easiest of the three jobs, many weeds had long taproots, meaning interns had to dig deeper before removing the plant.
The second group was responsible for removing the plants inside the garden that had died off this past winter. Most of these plants had been pre-cut by park rangers. Interns had to venture off trail in the garden, avoid stepping on any new growth, collect the herbaceous debris, and exit the garden, again without stepping on new growth.
Finally, the largest of all three projects, the mulching group worked out an efficient system to spread mulch. A few interns and campus coordinator, Healey, stuck by the mulch pile, filling buckets to pass along. Others would take those buckets of mulch and spread them around the outside of the fenceline of the garden. This prevents the spread of weeds or other invasive species. Once the outside of the garden was complete, interns even took time to mulch the pathway inside the garden. Not only does this highlight the trail and make it aesthetically pleasing to look at, the mulch inside the garden prevents visitors from leaving the path and stepping on any essential plants.
By restoring these vital habitats, Earth Team interns are not only helping Monarchs but also supporting a wide range of other pollinators, including bees and other butterflies essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems. Through these restoration efforts, we are creating a future where Monarchs—and all pollinators—can continue to thrive.
While this event focused mainly on habitat restoration for monarch butterflies, it happened to land on March 8th, International Women’s Day. Earth Team celebrates International Women’s Day by recognizing the incredible contributions of women in environmental science, advocacy, and leadership. From our dedicated female interns to the inspiring women leading sustainability efforts worldwide, we honor their role in shaping a greener, more equitable future. Together, we continue to empower the next generation of environmental advocates.
None of this work would have been possible without the help and collaboration of Jaclyn Lim from East Bay Regional Parks District. Her commitment to the interns and their education not only engaged students but connected them to their local environment. EarthTeam would also like to thank the Alameda County 2024 Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund from the Alameda County Fish and Game Commission for providing funding for this project.
