Before attending the "Weeding for Wildlife" events co-hosted by the San Francisco Bird Bay Observatory (SFBBO), I did not know San José even had marshlands! However, the event quickly became one of my favorites once I sat down to pluck out weeds while being surrounded by lush greenery and birds. It provides good exercise and sometimes the roots of well-established weeds resemble tree roots! At times, it takes the strength of 2-3 people, but when the weed finally pops out, you can't help but feel a sense of pride!
During the event, I had the chance to talk to volunteers as we casually plucked out weeds, such as Timothy Dobbins. He's a real soldier, actively involved in many of our cleanups, weeding events, and programs like "Adopt-a-Park." However, I like Tim because he's one of the few people to laugh at my jokes, and we get fired up in discussions about issues like trash accumulation in the creek and San José's growing homeless crisis. The weeding is a great time to make friends while working towards a good cause.
No discussion of the event would be complete without mentioning its standout contributor! Eric Lynch has been present at every event I've attended and always shows up with an enthusiastic and proactive attitude. He is good at public speaking and always gives KCCB a shoutout before we talk about what we do. I saw him randomly with his wife and baby at one of our community outreach events at Our City Forest Community Nursery, and it was great talking to him. I hope to see him again in December at the seasonal planting event, where the rains will help rejuvenate native plants.
Eric here always makes sure to stop the group by these construction machines to make the quick joke that we'll be working with them to weed, massive props for that!
After months of attending these events, I now have a better understanding of the importance of preserving native plants by clearing space for them and managing invasive weeds. I think these lessons can be applied to Coyote Creek, where the cities has been planting trees. These efforts aim to promote greater plant, animal, and insect diversity, all of which depend on these ecosystems. With the rains, we hope these plants will thrive for years, rejuvenating the creek. However, these plants still need an environment that is relatively clean and not polluted, which is why we continue to support nature by cleaning up trash. In the coming years, we hope data from our BioBlitzes will document the ecological impact of our efforts.
When construction ends around here, I wouldn't mind passing by these marshlands and remembering the experiences of protecting them!
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