Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline – what once was a landfill is now a regional park in development. The weekend before Thanksgiving, our teams from San Lorenzo High School and Skyline High School joined forces to help the restoration effort at this beautiful and lesser known shoreline location at the end of Williams St. in San Leandro.
Because the park area used to be a landfill, many steps must be taken to turn it into a suitable park for the public. The Park District has spent a lot of time importing fill soil to ensure the ground is stable and surface drainage is adequate. They also plan to place soil so as to promote tree and vegetation growth and to create landforms for a variety of public uses, including walking trails, a bicycle skills area, and an off leash dog park. They are even installing a disc golf course!
The workday was led by Pamela Beitz from the East Bay Regional Parks District. First, she instructed our interns on how to remove two invasive plant species from the park – stinkwort and pampas grass. Some of the clumps of pampas grass were so big it took multiple people and several tools to remove them. It was hard work but as the morning progressed, the teams were able to work together to figure out the most efficient ways to remove the plants.
Some students also helped collect and plant Buckeye seeds. The seeds are quite large and have a light colored spot that makes them look like the eye of a deer – hence the name “buckeye”. Collecting some of the seeds off the trees and planting them can help increase the chances that new seedlings will propagate. It will take some time to see the results of this effort, but it will be rewarding to come back in the future to see the natural development! The team looks forward to working more on this project in the next few months – until next time!
LEADERSHIP – STEWARDSHIP – SERVICE
San Lorenzo Earth Team 