As a new resident of California’s Central Coast, I have been taking on stories that will enable me to travel and get to know the area. So, one of the first assignments I accepted was covering local groups that volunteer and clean up parks and beaches in the county.
My story took me to the Big Sur coast, where I found a volunteer group that partnered with the state department to pull invasive plants from state parks. I headed to the Garrapata State Park on an early weekday morning before work and was more than shocked at the beauty of the landscape.
I was on a cliffside looking over a large trail filled with native plants and wildlife and behind them was the entire ocean ahead of me. I couldn’t help but snap photos and send them to family members before I even got started on the reporting aspect. The Monterey Bay Hiking Group was very kind and they allowed me to photograph and interview people freely while checking out the trail.
Mr. Sam Winters was the leader for the day, recently taking on the job with the state department. He said the group was focusing on removing sweet alyssum, poison hemlock, ripgut brome, and mustard, among other invasive plants. He explained that these weeds and plants take space and nutrients away from native plants that need them.
“Sweet alyssum is a great example. It doesn’t really support many of our native pollinators,” he points out. “But they are taking up space from plants like seacliff buckwheat, which is the only plant the Smith’s blue butterfly will use when migrating. So we’re losing space, and the ability for that butterfly to survive.”
The group was a mix of young adults, families, and long-time volunteers who show up every week to keep up with their work. One of the senior volunteers Helen Ogden said getting involved with the group trained her to know what plants to look out for. Now, she volunteers weekly and visits Garrapata with a small group on her own to pull invasives.
“I knew nothing about plants or invasive species three years ago,” Ogden admits. “It grows into a passion.”
The landscape alone made me want to revisit, but seeing the comradery within the group had me thinking I should start volunteering with them, even if it’s just to get a glimpse of the trails once a month.
Overall, it was a great experience and helped introduce me to the outdoor recreation space in this region.
Follow the link below to read the full story I wrote for the newspaper.
Originally published in the Monterey County Weekly February 2, 2023.