thedrifter
09-05-06, 06:37 AM
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Ecologist battles seedy aliens at the Great Park
Steven Handel aims to rid Great Park of invasive plants.
By JEFF ROWE
The Orange County Register
In a half-century of active duty, tens of thousands of Marines passed through El Toro, sharpening their combat skills on some very lethal weapons.
Despite all the weaponry and training, millions of invaders infiltrated the base and not a shot ever was fired.
That's because the invaders were seeds, borne by the wind, stuck on car and truck tires, or hitched to supplies brought to the base over the years. The invader seeds fell to the ground and sprouted.
At El Toro, artichoke thistle, mustard and other plants from as far away as Europe silently choked out native grasses and sage, which denied food and shelter to the birds and other animals that lived there.
Steven Handel aims to fix all that. He says the Great Park is one of the biggest habitat restoration projects in North America. From his office at the Great Park, he looks out over an expanse of weeds, thirsty trees and crumbling buildings. "There is nothing natural left here," he says.
And without an assist from humans, the natural environment can't return, he says. "It's too fragmented, too changed, too degraded."
Q. Why is it important to rid the Great Park of invasives?
A. If we allow the natural links to be broken here, we may lose birds in Canada. The natural environment is interconnected; invasives destroy biodiversity and native habitats. We need plots of native plants to allow birds and other animals to live here and to migrate.
Q. Describe the strategy in battling the invasives.
A. Planting native California plants such as brome grass, sunflowers and goldenbushes will create enough shade to kill some of the invasive plants. If we have to use chemicals, they will be ones that break down quickly.
Q. What do you hope the natural environment of the Great Park will become?
A. Cottonwoods and sycamores along the streams, oaks and walnuts above the canyons, perhaps some palms throughout the planned two-mile-long canyon. Coastal sage scrub would do well in many areas – hundreds of species of plants could be nurtured here. The Great Park could become a source of animal life rather than just a passageway.
Q. What is your hope and dream for the Great Park?
A. If we do it right, this will be a magnet for people around the world. Visitors won't want to leave Southern California until they have been to Disneyland and seen the Great Park.
CONTACT US: 949-553-2914 or jrowe@ocregister.com
Ellie
Ecologist battles seedy aliens at the Great Park
Steven Handel aims to rid Great Park of invasive plants.
By JEFF ROWE
The Orange County Register
In a half-century of active duty, tens of thousands of Marines passed through El Toro, sharpening their combat skills on some very lethal weapons.
Despite all the weaponry and training, millions of invaders infiltrated the base and not a shot ever was fired.
That's because the invaders were seeds, borne by the wind, stuck on car and truck tires, or hitched to supplies brought to the base over the years. The invader seeds fell to the ground and sprouted.
At El Toro, artichoke thistle, mustard and other plants from as far away as Europe silently choked out native grasses and sage, which denied food and shelter to the birds and other animals that lived there.
Steven Handel aims to fix all that. He says the Great Park is one of the biggest habitat restoration projects in North America. From his office at the Great Park, he looks out over an expanse of weeds, thirsty trees and crumbling buildings. "There is nothing natural left here," he says.
And without an assist from humans, the natural environment can't return, he says. "It's too fragmented, too changed, too degraded."
Q. Why is it important to rid the Great Park of invasives?
A. If we allow the natural links to be broken here, we may lose birds in Canada. The natural environment is interconnected; invasives destroy biodiversity and native habitats. We need plots of native plants to allow birds and other animals to live here and to migrate.
Q. Describe the strategy in battling the invasives.
A. Planting native California plants such as brome grass, sunflowers and goldenbushes will create enough shade to kill some of the invasive plants. If we have to use chemicals, they will be ones that break down quickly.
Q. What do you hope the natural environment of the Great Park will become?
A. Cottonwoods and sycamores along the streams, oaks and walnuts above the canyons, perhaps some palms throughout the planned two-mile-long canyon. Coastal sage scrub would do well in many areas – hundreds of species of plants could be nurtured here. The Great Park could become a source of animal life rather than just a passageway.
Q. What is your hope and dream for the Great Park?
A. If we do it right, this will be a magnet for people around the world. Visitors won't want to leave Southern California until they have been to Disneyland and seen the Great Park.
CONTACT US: 949-553-2914 or jrowe@ocregister.com
Ellie