The plant nursery on Anacapa island is in full production, and among the native plants we are growing there are two kinds of grasses, Coreopsis, yarrow, morning glory, wild cucumber and even some prickly-pear cactus! Many thousands of plants are being grown (with more species to come) and volunteers are helping make it happen. This fall and winter the natives will be planted in areas where invasive iceplant has been removed.
The nursery is a joint project of Channel Islands National Park (NPS) and Channel Islands Restoration (CIR). CIR helped initially raise funds for the project with a grant from the Ventura Patagonia store and with donations from our Board of Directors. CIR Board member Gordon Hart (with help from fellow board member Dave Edwards and others) supervised the construction of the nursery in close cooperation with NPS staff. The project is now chiefly funded by the NPS, and CIR has recruited hundreds of volunteers to staff the nursery. Sarah Chaney (NPS restoration biologist) provides overall leadership of this important project (see previous blog posts for background on the restoration project).
CIR and NPS sponsor ongoing trips to the island so that volunteers can help with the project. If you would like more information about the CIR trips, contact our Volunteer Coordinator at: volunteer@cirweb.org.
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