History – Old Nature Preserve
The story
of Heritage Creek Nature Preserve really begins with the ‘Old Nature Preserve’,
a tract of about 20 acres set aside as a nature preserve in 1974. In
his history of the first twenty-five years of CSU Dominguez Hills, Judson
Grenier describes the Nature Preserve:
‘A unique use of campus land caught
the public fancy. Twenty acres were
fenced off and protected from intrusion, allowed to return to a natural state,
with wild oats, mustard and meadow flowers in profusion, and small animals
running free. This “Nature Preserve and
Field Laboratory”, not duplicated in Los Angeles County, was a memorial to the
once-prevalent coastal grassland range.’ [1]
The
area remained fenced and preserved, without intervention, for 31 years. Generations of students took field trips to
the Preserve. Permanent plots were set
up and ecology students monitored them over time (though what happened to the
records is thus far unclear). Biology students surveyed reptiles, amphibians
and insects in the Preserve. And in
1993, Biology graduate student Carvel Bass wrote a thesis based on the Preserve
[2]. Bass describes the Preserve as ‘quiet,
protected Greenland oasis which, although surround by urban developments, maintained its own
silence’ [2]. Due to the preserves ability to serve several purposes
(relaxation; exercise; education), Bass recommended that the Preserve be opened
on a regular basis or on selected occasions to the surrounding community so
that students and local interest groups could tour the preserve for their own
enrichment.
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| Old Nature Preserve, looking southeast - October, 2004 |
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| Old Nature Preserve, looking east - October, 2004 |
The
size of the Preserve decreased over the years, as land was needed for student
housing. But the Old Nature Preserve
remained a viable Preserve until 2005, when Birchknoll Drive was extended and
the western half of the area was graded for parking lot 7. More parking was needed to serve a growing
student population and the new sports stadiums (Home Depot Center – now Stubhub
Center).
Knowing
that the area would soon be graded, Dr. Constance Vadheim (Dept. of Biology)
and her research students visited the Preserve several times in 2004-5,
collecting seeds and cuttings for propagation.
Among the plants they were able to ‘save’ were Coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis), Mulefat (Baccharis salicifolia), Arroyo Willow (Salix lasiolepis), Goodding’s black
willow (Salix gooddingii) and Palmer’s
goldenbush (Ericameria palmeri). The progeny of these ‘local varieties’ formed
the basis for the replanting in Heritage Creek Preserve. So the part of the legacy of the Old Nature
Preserve lives on today, in Heritage Creek.
But alas, there will never be another Old Nature Preserve.
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| Collecting seeds and cuttings, fall 2005 |
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| Remains of Goodding’s Black Willow – Old Nature Preserve |
History of Heritage Creek Preserve
When
the Old Nature Preserve was proposed to be decommissioned (2004-5), the faculty of the Department of Biology
urged university administrators to consider other options. The administration agreed to set aside a
wetland area on the very southwest edge of campus as a new nature preserve;
this fenced area became the Dominguez Wetland Preserve, which still contains remnants
of native plants that have grown on campus for many years.
But
the need for additional parking was critical and the Old Nature Preserve was
open and centrally located. When it
became clear that parking lot 7 would become a reality, several Biology faculty
members – including Professor Vadheim – strongly urged that at least the
southern portion of the tract be converted into a planted natural bioswale.
This would solve three issues: 1) drainage from Lot 7 and from the east
along the Perimeter Road; 2) partial mitigation for building the new [now
Stubhub] sports complex; 3) the desire to create a nature preserve to serve as
a living outdoor laboratory for students and faculty.
It
was finally agreed that a one acre tract at the southern edge of Lot 7 –
between the parking lot and the Perimeter Road – would be managed as a
bioswale/preserve by the Department of Biology. Native wetland plants, planted in the lowest
part of the preserve, would create a seasonal creek; this would slow and infiltrate
some of the rainwater and trap soil runoff.
The aerial photograph below shows the relative
locations of the Old Nature Preserve and Heritage Creek Preserve
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Old Nature Preserve (2005) in outlined in blue;
Heritage Creek Preserve in white |
By
the winter of 2005, Lot 7 was completed.
The Heritage Creek tract had been leveled, graded and all pre-existing
vegetation removed. A ‘wildflower seed
blend’ was spread to provide quick vegetation cover. Unfortunately, this blend also included a few
water-wise non-native species. We are
still removing some of these plants today (Australian saltbush (Atriplex semibaccata) an invasive
plant; Gazania species). In
December, 2005, Heritage Creek Preserve looked like this:
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| Heritage Creek Preserve - December, 2005 |
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| First restoration day, March 2006. |
The
first restoration day at Heritage Creek Preserve occurred on March 18, 2006.
This began a tradition of campus/community involvement in restoring and
managing the Preserve. At the first
Restoration Day, community volunteers (through ShareFest) and university
faculty spent the morning removing non-native weeds and planting the first
trees and shrubs. The weeds sprouted
from seeds/roots that remained behind after the site was graded. Volunteers removed a huge pile of Wild Radish
(Raphanus raphanistrum), a weedy plant
that was also common at the Old Nature Preserve (see above).
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| First planting of trees & shrubs, March, 2006 |
Volunteers also planted
Narrowleaf willow (Salix exigua), Arroyo willow (Salix lasiolepis),
Mulefat (Baccharis salicifolia) and Coyote bush (Baccharis pilularis). The Narrowleaf willow was propagated from a
local source; the rest were propagated from cuttings taken from the Old Nature
Preserve or other areas on campus. The photo below gives a panoramic view of the
site (looking east) in the spring of 2006.
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| Heritage Creek Preserve, looking east - March, 2006 |
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Plant Physiology students doing volunteer restoration -
Spring, 2007. |
In
the spring of 2007, Plant Physiology students started a tradition that continues
to this day: volunteering restoration hours at Heritage Creek Preserve. Since 2007, Plant Physiology students have
volunteered over 1500 hours at the Preserve.
From the beginning, restoration involved much time spent removing
non-native invasive species. Some of
these, including the Wild radish, Cheeseweed (Malva parviflora) and non-native grasses, sprouted from
seeds/roots already in the soil.
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Non-native, invasive Kikuyu Grass - Heritage Creek Preserve -
2008 |
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| Non-native Pampas Grass - 2008 |
Others,
like the invasive Kikuyugrass (Pennisetum clandestinum; see above) and Pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), were not
present in the Old Nature Preserve; they were likely introduced by equipment
used to grade the site. Other early
weeds included Caster bean (Ricinus communis), Mexican fan palm (Washingtonia robusta), Eucalyptus species,
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and Garland chrysanthemum (Glebionis
coronaria [formerly
Chrysanthemum coronarium])
likely started from seeds blown in or deposited by birds.
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| Hedgerow soon after planting - 2008 |
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| Hedgerow in 2012 |
2008
was important in several ways. First was the decision to plant a hedgerow on
the western edge of the Preserve, in the area between the driveway and the
concrete drainage channel. Original
plants included in the hedgerow were several Lemonadeberry shrubs (Rhus integrifolia), and several Toyons (Heteromeles arbutifolia). While not native to the Dominguez Hills,
these plants are common on the Palos Verdes peninsula. They were chosen to increase habitat
diversity by providing food for fruit-eating birds and animals.
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Path & bench, first Eagle Scout project in
Heritage Creek Preserve - December 2008 |
In
the fall of 2008, the first Eagle Scout Project was completed in Heritage Creek
Preserve. Scout John
Cortenbach and members of Boy Scout Troop 388 (Lomita) installed the western
half of a pathway through the Preserve, as well as the first bench (see
above). John’s was just the first of
five Eagle Scout Projects completed by this troop at the Preserve; Troop 388
Eagle Projects are responsible for trails, restoration, the stump seats, both
information kiosks and the Preserve’s monument sign. Over the years, Eagle Scout projects from
other troops have installed additional trail, benches, information markers and
plants at the Preserve. In short, most
of the hardscape that makes the preserve accessible and interesting is thanks
to the hard work of Eagle Scouts and their troops.
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| Jeffrey Hessick doing restoration work, 2008 |
Several
university students did internships at heritage Creek in the early years. These included Jeffrey Hessick from CSUDH
(above) and Alyssa White (below). Both
helped plant some of the early shrubs, trees and grasses in the Preserve.
The
period from 2009 to 2012 was a time with normal rainfall. The first plantings increased in size,
changing the appearance of the Preserve dramatically. Many more birds, reptiles and mammals were
observed at the Preserve. Several students
did observational studies of the Preserve during this period.
Restoration
emphasis was on removing non-native species and planting smaller riparian
plants (grasses, rushes and perennials) as well as upland grasses in the middle
of the Preserve. Some Bush sunflowers, buckwheats and other
shrubs were planted on the south slope near the road and near the hedgerow. Drought tolerant shrubs were installed at the
corners. New plants were watered in
summer using ‘Homer buckets’ (drip buckets that hold 5 gallons of water and
release it slowly to the plant). The
pictures below are representative of that era.
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| Watering near hedgerow, August, 2011 |
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| View looking east, May, 2011 |
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| East end of Preserve from path - April, 2012 |
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| Southwest corner planting - April 2012 |
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| View from the south side, looking northwest - April 2012 |
In
2013 and 2014, the region experienced the most severe drought on record. Restoration efforts were severely curtailed
as a result of the drought. A few
shrubs were planted on the south slope and in the hedgerow. The Salvias planted the year before in the
hedgerow bloomed, attracting a wider range of pollinators including native bees
and hummingbirds.
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| Native sage (Salvia) blooming near hedgerow |
Given
the extreme drought, it’s surprising how well the established plants did. The
hardest hit were the Coyote bushes (Baccharis
pilularis) and the newer Bladderpod (Peritoma arborea [formerly Cleome isomeris; Isomeris arborea] growing along the Perimeter
Road. The native grasses pretty much
disappeared, one of the many lessons of the drought. The early and late-blooming shrubby sunflowers
all did remarkably well.
Even in the drought, the Preserve had summer wildflowers
like Annual sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)
and Hooker’s evening primrose (Oenothera
elata spp. hookeri) blooming in summer 2014. The Cliff aster (Malacothrix saxatilis), a perennial
wildflower, bloomed less and earlier, but survived; same was true of the
California poppies (Eschscholzia
californica ssp. californica),
which were spectacular and re-seeded in new areas of the Preserve. The pictures below are typical of this
period.
2014 ended
with several significant rainstorms (below).
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