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STORY MAP. From the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the Midcoast Community Council (MCC) website, January 26th 2025.
Native grassland conservation and restoration is ongoing at Rancho Corral de Tierra. The project involves removing invasive conifers which are spreading from neighborhood plantings into native grasslands. The goal is to protect “core” grassland areas which contain rare and sensitive native coastal prairie habitats that were treeless less than 40 years ago. While this seems like a big change, only a fraction of the trees in the Montara parcel for prairie restoration are being removed. There are also ongoing projects to reduce wildfire risk by thinning trees and brush near neighborhoods.
Website with story map that describes the project purpose and scope.
The Montara Prairie Renewal Project will remove trees and shrubs that are encroaching upon grasslands, and will replant cleared areas with native grasses and wildflowers. The goal of the project is to remove invasive trees and shrubs in the “core grassland areas,” which were grasslands just thirty years ago. Cape ivy, another invasive species, will be removed from key wetlands in Rancho.
Native grasslands and wetlands in Rancho benefit both the local ecosystem and community. Restoring native grassland habitat will only become more difficult over time as more acres are lost to plant invasions. Once grassland plant communities are converted to forest communities, it becomes much more difficult to restore native grass communities. This project will halt or reverse the ongoing loss of ecologically important coastal prairie and herbaceous wetland habitats supporting rare, endemic, and endangered plants at Rancho. Coastal prairies and wetlands contribute significantly to biodiversity in the Bay Area, which is a global biodiversity hotspot.
Where do you notice trees growing in 1941 vs. 2018?
More on GGNRA on Coastside Buzz
Author: Coastside Buzz
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