MROSD and POST get grant for weed eradication

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has awarded the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) and other agencies in the San Mateo County Weed Management Area (WMA) a combined $100,000 grant to eradicate and control infestations of slender false brome, pampas grass, St. John’s wort, and other non-native, noxious weeds. The grant includes $19,800 to the Peninsula Open Space Trust to assist in eradicating new infestations of Canary Island St. John’s wort on POST lands along Highway 1 near Gazos Creek and $10,000 to POST to help remove and control pampas grass on its 119-acre Pillar Point Bluff property to restore native plant communities and reduce the source of pampas grass seed in the area.

The grant is a success for the WMA, which was formed by state and local agencies, private landowners, the agricultural industry, and environmental organizations to fight invasive plant species in San Mateo County. In addition to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, the WMA includes the County of San Mateo (Agriculture and Parks and Recreation Departments), California Department of Parks and Recreation, Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve, and others.

The District’s slender false brome eradication project will receive $10,000 and is one of four projects funded by the grant. Slender false brome is a quick-spreading, perennial, non-native grass that threatens redwood forest and grassland ecosystems by inhibiting tree seedling establishment, out-competing native forest floor and grassland species for nutrients and light, altering the composition of forest understory, and reducing the value of livestock pastures. Slender false brome, so far found only in Oregon and Woodside, CA, was recently upgraded to an A-rated noxious weed by the State of California, triggering significantly increased cooperative multi-agency efforts to eradicate it on publicly and privately-owned lands.

The District’s eradication project aims to remove slender false brome from private properties in the Woodside area to prevent the grass from spreading to protected redwood forests and beyond. The District has already removed 40 acres of slender false brome from the Thornewood Open Space Preserve in Woodside, but complete eradication from the surrounding private properties is required to prevent further ecological losses in California.

Other projects funded under the San Mateo County Weed Management Area grant include:

 

• $50,700 to help restore native grasslands at San Mateo County Parks’ Edgewood Natural Preserve by testing different methods for controlling non-native annual grasses and promoting the establishment of native wildflowers and perennial grasses.

 

• $19,800 to the Peninsula Open Space Trust to assist in eradicating new infestations of Canary Island St. John’s wort on POST lands along Highway 1 near Gazos Creek.

 

• $10,000 to the Peninsula Open Space Trust to help remove and control pampas grass on its 119-acre Pillar Point Bluff property to restore native plant communities and reduce the source of pampas grass seed in the area.

All projects include additional in-kind money and time donated by local agencies and volunteer groups to complete these valuable projects.

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                    Created by voters more than 30 years ago, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District has successfully protected and managed over 50,000 acres of open space. The public enjoys the District’s diverse and beautiful preserves 365 days a year. The District is an independent, non-enterprise, California special district whose mission is to acquire and preserve a regional greenbelt of open space land in perpetuity, protect and restore the natural environment, and provide opportunities for ecologically sensitive public enjoyment and education.