At Acterra our restoration projects help bring back balance to damaged ecosystems. A healthy ecosystem provides many important services, including:

• Clean water
• Productive soil
• Pollination
• Pest control
• Climate stability
• Natural beauty

Plants are the foundation of our ecosystems, and plants that evolved locally do a much better job of fitting into our local ecosystem. They provide food and shelter for insects, birds, and other animals, which in turn support wildlife up the food chain. Native plants also support a wide range of pollinators that help human food to grow. They are adapted to the climate and soil of the area and many of them, such as our perennial bunchgrasses, grow deep roots that provide erosion protection and improve water quality while also sequestering carbon and mitigating global warming.

For all these reasons, a major goal of Acterra Stewardship Program is to increase native plant numbers and diversity. We also work to reduce erosion and provide structures such as brush piles, bee blocks and bird boxes. Ecosystems are healthier when there are lots of different species, each playing a different role in the community.

The following are highlights from our ongoing work at Arastradero Preserve, Redwood Grove, the San Francisquito Creek Watershed, and beyond. All of our work is “community-based” meaning that without the involvement of hundreds of volunteers most of the work would not get done. Find out how you can join us by visiting our Get Involved page!

Arastradero Creek Daylighting Project, Arastradero Preserve

This unnamed tributary of Arastradero Creek was daylighted in 2006. Before daylighting, the creek had been inside of a concrete culvert underground. Acterra has been installing native riparian plants along the creek and oak woodland and grasslands species in the upper more dry areas of the site. To date, we have installed several thousands of plants, removed several thousands of various non-native weed species and have involved thousands of volunteers in this project. Our goal is to create a functioning riparian ecosystem that can be home to wildlife such as the Western Bluebird, Red-Legged Frog, Gray Fox, Gopher Snakes, Monarch Butterflies, and much much more!

Mowing Program, Arastradero Preserve

The mowing program has been in action since 2003. The City of Palo Alto Rangers along with Acterra Staff and volunteers mow and weed whip areas of the preserve that are invaded with non-native plants such as Yellow-Star Thistle, Italian Thistle, Milk Thistle, Poison Hemlock, Bristly Ox-Tongue, and many more. Mowing at the right time can help decrease the number of flower heads and seeds that plants put out. Eventually the seed bank gets depleted of non-native species and native species can flourish.

Sausal Creek Daylighting and Revegetation Project, San Francisquito Watershed

Sausal Creek in Portola Valley, tributary of San Francisquito creek, was daylighted in 2008. Before daylighting, the creek flowed inside an underground culvert that provided almost no habitat value. Acterra coordinated the planting of thousands of native riparian plants along the creek and shrub and grassland species in the upper, drier areas of the site. To date, hundreds of volunteers have planted over 10,000 plants and native grass plugs! Our goal is to create a beautiful native plant garden that can be home to native insects, birds and other wildlife. The initial planting was completed in 2008 but there will be many opportunities to help maintain the site in years to come.

Oak Understory Demonstration Garden, Redwood Grove

Students from the St. Francis High School BRIC Brothers and the Homestead High School National Honor Society adopted a Valley Oak and a Coast Live Oak tree along Adobe Creek. They worked hard to clear them of Algerian Ivy and Himalayan Blackberry, which literally growing over, under and through the trees. They also raised money to purchase native plants to install under the Valley Oak tree. These were planted in March 2011. Volunteers return regularly to keep any resprouting blackberry and other weeds in check. Having evolved in our summer-dry Mediterranean climate, oak trees can suffer from crown rot and other fungal problems if given too much water in the summer. The plants selected for the understory of our Valley Oak are locally native plants adapted to a dry shade environment. (See Resource Page for plant list.)

Endangered Fountain Thistle Rescue Project, Stulsaft Park

Stulsaft Park is a gem of an urban park with a perennial creek, Arroyo Ojo de Agua, passing through oak woodland, riparian and serpentine grassland communities. Three species of endangered or threatened plant species grow in this park. Acterra has involved the community as stewards of Stulsaft Park since 2006. Hundreds of students and community members have participated in restoration and educational projects at Stulsaft including creating signs and a nature trail, and removing invasive ivy, blackberry, and broom and planting madrone trees and other local native plants. Acterra is also helping to eradicate Arundo donax, or Giant Reed, that was smothering endangered Fountain Thistle habitat. This project has increased the chances that this endemic plant will survive.