FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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FRIENDS OF EDGEWOOD NATURAL PRESERVE
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2007 WILL BE AN AMAZING YEAR IN EDGEWOOD By Peter Ingram The pre-Solstice change of weather is a wonderful harbinger for Mother Nature’s agenda of what we humans call “The New Year.” As I contemplate what this annual ritual might mean for 2007, I cannot help but lapse into a bit of awe and a whole lot of excitement at the idea that we Friends are going to significantly and – hopefully – positively intervene in the natural cycle of processes in Edgewood’s grasslands in the very near future! I am alluding to the Edgewood Preserve Butterfly Habitat Restoration and Community Outreach Project. The Friends, along with the San Mateo County Parks staff, the San Mateo County Parks & Recreation Foundation, Dr. Stuart Weiss, and the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, have been working hard for the past several years to make this special project happen. In the midst of this effort, along came REI in 2006 with a $10,000 grant, supplementing the multi-year $10,000/year grants from PG&E. Now fast-forward to the spring of 2007: There has been a major distribution of a wonderful educational brochure (5,000 copies), several public presentations, multiple press releases, and a really fun kick-off event in the Preserve, attended by hundreds of people drawn by the magic of butterflies. What follows is truly amazing, and occurs in two very different ways. First, over a 3-week period in the sloppy spring rains, Dr. Weiss and a small band of committed volunteers painstakingly collect and transport several hundred Bay Checkerspot Butterfly larvae from Santa Clara County open spaces to Edgewood. Their work is un-glamorous, wet, tiring, and even laborious. But then on a bright spring day in April, the magic happens: Dr. Weiss triumphantly releases hundreds of adult Checkerspot butterflies into the Serpentine grasslands, and for the first time since the late 1990’s, these majestic creatures are flitting around the Preserve, sipping the nectar of restored stands of Tidytips and Goldfields. Those present for this historic human intervention are struck by the sheer beauty and gracefulness of it all, and go home humbled by the experience, grateful for the opportunity to contribute in some meaningful way, and ever hopeful that the new population will survive and thrive in Edgewood. So, join us in the New Year for this exciting change in Edgewood. And know that your support as members and contributors has, and will make, a real difference in the history of Edgewood Natural Preserve. Best wishes for the holiday season, Peter Ingram |
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