By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Editor
The meadow at SkyPark at Santa’s Village was bustling with activity on Wednesday, Oct. 23 as volunteers from the Southern California Mountains Foundation (SCMF), the Urban Conservation Corps and the California Climate Action Corps planted native plants.
Volunteer Gina Richmond had propagated those plants from seed at the nursery at her mountain home. She and Lisa Underwood, the restoration manager with the SCMF, oversaw the activity.
After getting the plants in the ground and putting down mulch paper, the volunteers covered the area with wood chips.
The ground in the meadow, Richmond noted, is hard and rocky. “It’s hard to grow in that soil,” she said. After the volunteers got the plants in the ground, they covered the area with mulch paper and then wood chips to keep the moisture in.
The SCMF, Underwood explained, runs seven programs, including the fire lookout towers and the Urban Conservation Corps. They partner with the U.S. Forest Service, she said, to do fuels thinning and collect native seed, which they grow in a nursery in Big Bear.
“We have one of the strictest nursery protocols,” Underwood said. “It is disease free. We grow everything themselves.”
They also run a group of Green Thumb volunteers, of which Richmond has been a part since 1998. And they oversee the California Climate Action Corps, which offers professional youth development.
The Urban Conservation Corps, Underwood noted, teaches skills. Through the program, the participants can finish their education. There are a number of work development opportunities, through which they can earn certificates and qualify for jobs. One former participant, Underwood said, is now a biologist with the National Park Service.
Some of the volunteers were part of the California Climate Action Corps.
The volunteers were working in two groups out in the meadow on Oct. 23. One group included three young women who are California Climate Action Corps fellows. They were planting sagebrush, yarrow and native grasses.
“We have the desire to do climate restoration work,” one of the women said. “We find ways to work with nature. We’re happy to give a little back – leave it better than we find it.”
Bill and Michelle Johnson were thrilled the volunteers were hard at work in the meadow.
“The Meadowlands project has been something we have strived to restore since the first day we purchased the Santa’s Village property,” they said. “Upon acquiring the property, we realized how damaged the meadow was from the logging companies and the overuse of the property. It was very important to us to not only restore the meadowlands but to create a place where children and other groups could learn about the environment as well as participate in its restoration.
“Gina Richmond has been with us every step of the way. Without her guidance and expertise, we would not have accomplished so much. The meadow’s beauty is a testament to her vision, skills and perseverance. We are so grateful to Gina for helping us with this project.”
Underwood and Richmond hope to return to the meadow before winter arrives to do more planting.
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