Tilden Regional Park
Friends of Five Creeks has led \volunteer groups in Tilden Regional Park in the Berkeley hills since 2011. Weed Warriors and affiliate groups from K-12 schools, UC Berkeley, and firms have focused mainly on removing invasive, fire-prone French broom (Genista monspessulana) and smothering cape ivy (Delairea odorata). Our work has reduced fire danger, improved diversity, and helped visitors see nature as it should be in many of the park’s most heavily used areas, particularly from near the Little Farm to the Carousel and Lake Anza. These years of regular work have paid off in steadily decreasing need to pull out young seedlings. We still need to check these areas every year or two, though!
Our volunteers have also contributed to citizen science, using cell phones to map invasives on monthly walks and tracking the spread of Sudden Oak Death.