PITTSBURG — Amidst the sprawling landscape of Los Medanos College, a 2-acre gem thrives with life, rooted in its mission to preserve California’s native plants and provide a sanctuary for students.
Started in 1999 as a collaborative effort between faculty and students, 90% of the Los Medanos College Nature Preserve now includes drought-tolerant plants that are native to the state.
Ricardo Black, an alumnus who first volunteered in 2014, is the lead caretaker of the preserve, located near parking lot B, not too far from the student union and college complex. Black said many plants are medicinal or culturally significant and serve as vital hosts for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
“We don’t really need to water them,” said Black. “All we do is to take care of the species that are established, and we try to add more with the goal of increasing biodiversity.”
The preserve has about 86 native plant species, including some rare and endangered such as Nevin’s barberry and the Antioch Dunes Buckwheat. Other species include California rose, blue elderberry, white sage, and purple sage.
Black, an environmental soil scientist and graduate of the University of California, Davis, said the preserve was merely a lawn before it was transformed into a diverse environment with native plants. However, there are some parts of the preserve that threaten the soil’s health and native biodiversity.
Black said invasive grasses, brought in by Spanish settlers, had altered the natural balance, but things went “downhill” after the Gold Rush era.
Ranching practices brought fast-growing, drought-resistant grasses to feed cattle, said Black, but these grasses outcompete native vegetation by sucking up vital nutrients and changing the soil, making it difficult for native plants to thrive.
“The original land stewards were the indigenous. They would use fire for stewarding the land (but) that was prohibited,” said Black. “Over decades, we’ve had this massive buildup of stuff from lack of burning.”
He explained pathogens such as sudden oak death, believed to have originated in Asia, attack tanoak, coast live oak, California black oak, bay laurels, and others.
Black said plants can act as “bio-engineers,” changing the soil for their benefit. He said invasive species that have altered the structure of the soil in Los Angeles played a role in the devastation caused by recent fires.
Ranching practices brought fast-growing, drought-resistant grasses to feed cattle, said Black, but these grasses outcompete native vegetation by sucking up vital nutrients, making it difficult for native plants to thrive.
The invasive grasses overcrowd and prevent sunlight from hitting any slow-growing native plants. Once the summer hits, the grasses dry out, creating more pollen and increasing fire risks, said Black.
“We have massive biofuel (and) just with one spark could really trigger something. From a bigger perspective, with Los Angeles, you could see the direct effects of poor management that stem from decades,” said Black. “This problem is not new. It started a long time ago from the ignorant land practice implemented.”
However, invasive grasses are not the only culprits acting as stumbling blocks for native plants. Black said eucalyptus trees, a plant originally from Australia and introduced to California in the 19th century, are also found in the preserve.
“I love eucalyptus trees, but they are complete ecological disasters,” said Black. “Their (bark and leaves are highly flammable), and when it burns, they burn explosively.”
These trees also shed branches and leaves “like crazy,” creating a dense layer of flammable debris on the ground.
“Nothing underneath (the eucalyptus trees) grows, except for more invasive plants because they are soil engineers,” said Black. “They tend to be acidic and change the soil.”
Despite the challenges, Black and the Hyphae Club, a student-based organization, help repair the preserve and care for the native plants there. They are putting the eucalyptus logs to good use by growing mushrooms, turning an ecological problem into a resource.
“It takes a lot of money to haul out these heavy logs. Mushrooms will break down the eucalyptus logs,” said Black. “We drill holes in the logs, buy mushrooms inoculated with spores in them, and plug them into the logs.”
The mushrooms take about a year or so to develop, but they would be edible and serve the dual purpose of breaking down the logs and then be available at the pantry for students to use.
Student volunteers also work tirelessly to remove invasive plants and grasses, replacing them with mulch to rejuvenate the soil and provide a better environment.
“The mulch does many things. It keeps moisture, feeds the microbes, regenerates, and gives health to the soil,” said Black.
But beyond its environmental mission, the preserve helps students who take part in its upkeep learn hands-on lessons about ethnobotany and sustainability. It also serves as an outdoor sanctuary for those who need to take a breather.
With limited resources, most of the upkeep relies on these student volunteers.
Ernesto Teran, a welding major and social media manager for the Hyphae Club, said he joined in 2023 to help fix irrigation in the preserve but has made friends along the way.
“I used to be a landscaper, so I am pretty familiar with it,” said Teran. “We (students) come here, we just chat, and pull out the invasive grasses and try to build the sign for the preserve, which we probably will do this semester.”
Vandalism and budget constraints also pose additional obstacles, but the preserve receives a $300 donation each year from the college’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging department to buy native plants from nurseries in Berkeley and Oakland.
Rosa Armendariz, the department’s senior dean, said the campus had started a community garden nearby as part of a health and wellness strategy for students, but that dwindled with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve been talking a lot to our professional development committee about bringing back more of a health and wellness focus,” said Armendariz. “It could also embrace our focus on bringing indigeneity back into our conversations and making sure that we honor the land we’re on, the people still in our community, and the culture.”
