The project is intended to restore 7.5 acres of degraded coastal bluff and sage scrub and will be implemented over 7-8 years. The first 2-3 years are spent preparing the site, which involves weed control aimed at depleting the non-native seed bank. Once the seed bank has been sufficiently depleted, a diverse suite of native plant species will be installed via seed and container plants. For this project, IRC has added several rare plant species to the plant palette, including Coulter's saltbush, paniculate tarplant, cliff spurge, vernal barley, California box thorn, Orange County Turkish-rugging, and San Diego ground-cherry, all of which are known to occur in the park.
Once the seed and container plants are ready, they will be returned to IRC and installed on site during the winter of 2022-23. Germination and establishment will be carefully monitored in the field to determine the success of these rare plant introductions. Weeds will be managed for multiple years to reduce competition with native plants and promote establishment of a diverse and resilient native plant community that can support wildlife, resist future weed invasions, and be enjoyed by visitors to the park in years to come.
For more information about native plants on the Landmarks, visit IRConservancy.org or follow the Landmarks on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.