It won't be easy saying goodbye...

Today we heard the terrible news that Mary Baird had died suddenly earlier this week.

Mary was for many years a dedicated volunteer in our Stewardship Programs - digging up many weeds, with mattock in hand, at the Colma Creek restoration area on San Bruno Mountain. She was also a dedicated Mission Blue Nursery volunteer, religiously showing up every week to do her job with her usual attention to detail - carefully transplanting delicate seedlings, worrying about each one and concerned whether it would survive.

After her recent cataract surgery she was looking forward to winter seed processing sessions - where she would now be able to actually see what she was doing!

We will miss her - as Mary is irreplaceable.

Please share your memories by posting a comment below.

Update:  the date has been set for Mary's memorial service:

March 3
2pm to 5pm
Club opens at 1pm
Memorial service starts at 2pm

Sierra Point Yacht Club
500 Sierra Point Parkway
Brisbane, CA 94005

Mary Baird Memorial Service Registration

Organizers would greatly appreciate it if you would complete an online registration form at the above link. If you have problems registering, or would prefer not to use the online form, please email Michele Salmon.   

Close friends of Mary suggest that, in lieu of sending cut flowers, you please consider making a donation in Mary's name to the Mission Blue Nursery. This gesture would be a wonderful way to honor Mary who loved San Bruno Mountain and donated many volunteer hours caring for native plants destined for habitat restoration projects on the mountain. A donation check should be made out to San Bruno Mountain Watch and specify that it is for the Mary Baird Nursery Fund: San Bruno Mountain Watch Mary Baird Nursery Fund P.O. Box 53 Brisbane CA 94005

What a difference a year makes...

Mission Blue Nursery - June 2010Times flies when you're having fun (and working hard) and the Mission Blue Nursery volunteers and interns have sailed through this last year.  And what a difference a year makes. The nursery has put on 3 successful sales in the Spring, Summer and Fall of 2011. The proceeds from these popular sales support our Stewardship Programs.

A new misting room, with its automated watering system, has taken the nursery to another level - making it possible to successfully germinate seeds and propagate cuttings with ease. This is an invaluable addition to the nursery's capabilities. The construction and design was by Marc and Jacob Salmon (Salmon Mission Blue Nursery - today!Construction) - Brisbane natives who continue to prove their dedication to Brisbane and San Bruno Mountain. Greenhouse tables donated by the Presidio Nursery of the GGNRA (old to them - new to us!) have made it possible to organize and present our ever-growing inventory of San Bruno Mountain native species.

Through a Capacity Building Grant awarded by the Goldman Foundation to San Bruno Mountain Watch we were able to hire interns in nursery management and stewardship management.  Kaya MacMillen - nursery intern Spring/Summer 2011Kaya MacMillen became our nursery intern in March 2011 and had an immediate impact. Kaya brought to SBMW, in addition to his enthusiasm, an extensive knowledge of nursery operation and California native plants. Lawrence Fernandez joined us in April 2011 as our stewardship intern. In addition to overseeing restoration projects and working with volunteers in the field, he also spends many hours at the nursery and has amazed everyone with Lawrence Fernandez - current stewardship internhow quickly he has expanded his knowledge of native plants under the tutelage of our Stewardship Director Joe Cannon. Lawrence attends UC Berkeley where he is studying for a degree in Conservation and Resource Management while continuing his internship at MBN. Kaya has moved on to UC Davis where he is finishing his degree in Ecological Restoration and Management. We miss him and are currently looking for a replacement - difficult shoes to fill!

We can always use more volunteers - if you're interested - we work every Wednesday from 10-12:30.

The Mission Blue Nursery is located in Brisbane -- so come on down! 

For email notifications of stewardship events, complete the signup form.

Spring 2011 Native Plant Sale was a wet success...

It doesn't seem possible that it has been a month since our first ever native plant sale at the Mission Blue Nursery on Saturday March 19th.  The weather was TERRIBLE - even though forecasters said the rain would be "off and on" throughout the day. Well... it actually seemed mostly on.  But eager native plant enthusiasts braved the rain and thunder storms to browse our inventory.

And the sale was a solid success - one of the best fundraisers ever for San Bruno Mountain Watch.  The proceeds will go to Stewardship Programs and, of course, the nursery.  All of this directly benefits San Bruno Mountain and both ongoing and future habitat restoration efforts.

Volunteers at the nursery put in many hours to generate thousands of plants for the 2010-2011 planting season on the mountain.  The restoration efforts and plantings were focused on 2 areas:  the Bog Trail and wet meadow in the Saddle area and a grassland area between Buckeye and Owl Canyons.

Even though the planting season is officially over for this year, the nursery volunteers are still busy whipping things into shape in preparation for the next season.  In addition to ongoing maintenance, we will soon be planting seeds and collecting plants for propagation.

We can always use more volunteers - if you're interested - we work every Wednesday from 10-12:30.

The Mission Blue Nursery is located in Brisbane -- so come on down! 

For email notifications of stewardship events, complete the signup form.

First outplantings at Bog Trail wet meadow...

It’s finally happening – the first outplantings in the Bog Trail wet meadow – a seasonal wetland meadow that is the last remnant of this endangered plant community on San Bruno Mountain – a plant community that has all but disappeared from other areas of the San Francisco Peninsula.  The threatened California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) and the endangered San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) are no longer found here. However, when restored, this seasonal wetland habitat will be a good candidate location to reintroduce both species to the mountain.

This area is part of the larger Bog Trail restoration project.  For over a year volunteers have worked to remove non-native invasive species in this meadow area – predominantly the very aggressive perennial and invasive Velvet Grass (Holcus lanatus).  And now plantings in this area (see plant list) will continue well into March.

Future planting days for the Bog Trail are Feb 26, Mar 12, Mar 26, Apr 9 (more?)
For email notifications of stewardship events, complete the signup form.

Scientific Name	Common Name	Plant Family
Artemisia douglasiana	mugwort, California	Asteraceae/Sunflower
Carex densa	sedge, dense	Cyperaceae/Sedge
Carex harfordii	sedge, Harford's	Cyperaceae/Sedge
Carex obnupta	sedge, slough	Cyperaceae/Sedge
Cirsium brevistylum	thistle, indian	Asteraceae/Sunflower
Juncus occidentalis	rush, western	Juncaceae/Rush
Juncus xiphioides	rush, irisleaf	Juncaceae/Rush
Myrica californica	myrtle, California wax	Myricaceae/Wax Myrtle
Phalaris californica	canarygrass, California	Poaceae/Grass
Potentilla anserina grandis	potentilla, Pacific	Rosaceae/Rose
Scirpus pungens	bulrush, three-square	Cyperaceae/Sedge
Scirpus microcarpus	sedge; bulrush	Cyperaceae/Sedge
Sisyrinchium californicum	yellow-eyed grass	Iridaceae/Iris
Trifolium wormskioldii	clover, cow	Fabaceae/Pea

Grassland planting continues...but where's the rain?

This restoration area is a section of a north facing ridge between the western edge of Brisbane and Buckeye Canyon. It is part of a much larger native prairie grassland that extends up to the ridge, along the eastern ridge and covers large areas of the southeast slopes. These slopes and grasslands are the natural haunts of the Callippe Silverspot and Mission Blue butterflies due to the presence of host plants and favored nectar plants.

The restoration area has thin, rocky soil - characteristic of ridges on the mountain - and was burned in the fire of 2008 when backfires were set along Army Road - perfect conditions for some of our worst invasive plants to thrive. Volunteer Weed Rangers spent last year removing problem plants in preparation for outplanting this season: pincushion flower (Scabiosa atropurpurea), French broom (Genista monspessulana), wild radish (Raphanus sativus) and mustard (Hirschfeldia incana).

And now, into the ground go the native grasses and perennials - and just as work was finishing up on January 29th a slight sprinkle of rain started and continued into the next day.  Temporary relief for all flora and fauna, but we're still waiting for more...

For email notifications of stewardship events, complete the signup form.

Scientific Name	Common Name	Plant Family
Elymus glaucus	western rye grass	Poaceae/Grass
Eriogonum latifolium	coast buckwheat	Polygonaceae/Buckwheat
Erysimum franciscanum	San Francisco wallflower	Brassicaceae/Mustard
Festuca idahoensis	Idaho fescue	Poaceae/Grass
Festuca rubra	red fescue	Poaceae/Grass
Grindelia hirsutula	gumplant	Asteraceae/Sunflower
Luzula comosa	wood rush	Juncaceae/Rush
Melica californica	California melic grass	Poaceae/Grass
Nassella pulchra	purple needlegrass	Poaceae/Grass
Phacelia californica	California phacelia	Hydrophyllaceae/Phacelia