The Conservancy deploys a herd of 300 goats to graze on overgrown weeds. Goats effectively remove invasive weeds including fennel, ice plant and other non-native plants. This method of weeding by goat grazing is considered an environmentally friendly and economically efficient approach for fuel modification. The goats are the most popular weeders because they make very little noise and leave no trash behind. Since 2009, the goats have been helping the Conservancy clear invasive plants from its lands. Goats can clear an entire acre in a single day, which takes a crew two or three days to accomplish. Their droppings provide natural fertilizer that replenish the top soil.
Mustard – the beautiful yellow flowers that cover our hillsides for a couple of weeks per year – poses the biggest risk for fire on the peninsula! Join us, and some hungry goats, to help remove mustard weeds and replace them with native California bush sunflowers, which have deeper roots and beautiful yellow flowers, feed tons of birds, bloom repeatedly from March to October and don’t pose a fire risk.
The Conservancy collaborates with other Palos Verdes blue butterfly Recovery Partners including Moorpark College, Urban Wildlands Group, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who oversee the butterflies reared in captivity and release them each spring onto lands the Conservancy has restored. Habitat restoration programs also bolster populations of other species of concern such as the cactus wren and California gnatcatchers. The restoration projects are designed by Conservancy biologists in collaboration with ecological restoration scientists in order to meet the needs of the species.
“These species are in peril. Each year that passes without new and plentiful opportunities for the Palos Verdes blue butterflies to take hold on the landscape presents a mounting risk of their ultimate extinction. The Palos Verdes blue butterfly is not alone in this plight – monarch butterflies, local bees, and many other species face a dire future as development and aggressive, non-native plants destroy their natural habitats. Purchasing this wildlife corridor is the central opportunity that the Palos Verdes blue butterfly and its ecosystem companions need in order to thrive. We have plans to quickly expand butterfly and songbird habitats in key areas around the Peninsula in order to provide a network of opportunities for these species to recover. We need the support of the Peninsula community in order to accomplish this goal.”
Adrienne Mohan, Palos Verdes Land Conservancy Executive Director
The Land restoration occurs through a carefully planned strategy to re-plant and re-vegetate needed by native local wildlife to survive or repopulate the area. Following the removal of invasive weeds, local plants grown in the Conservancy’s native plant nursery are planted, followed by low-drip irrigation and consistent maintenance of the landscape as it matures and thrives. Sixty different species are grown from seeds collected by Conservancy Stewardship staff helped by dedicated volunteers and annually plants nearly 23,000 seedlings on restoration sites of the preserved lands.
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