Growing Up with Byrne: From Horse Rider to Habitat Restorer

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As luck would have it, I lived quite close to Westwind Barn and its neighbor, Byrne Preserve. I began taking riding lessons at the barn when I was about six or seven, and soon I was look"/> <meta property="og:image" content="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/57488264f85082748c7c80db/574f6abd22482e2aa2961c60/66bee08255e11611d3ff318f/1729619318278/5_Stewards.JPG?format=1500w"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1500"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1125"/> <meta itemprop="name" content="Growing Up with Byrne: From Horse Rider to Habitat Restorer — Grassroots Ecology"/> <meta itemprop="url" content="https://www.grassrootsecology.org/from-the-field/2024/8/15/growing-up-with-byrne-from-horse-rider-to-habitat-restorer"/> <meta itemprop="description" content="Growing up, I was obsessed with two things: horses and nature (to be fair, I am still pretty interested in both). As luck would have it, I lived quite close to Westwind Barn and its neighbor, Byrne Preserve. 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</div>  <div class="header-nav"> <div class="header-nav-wrapper"> <nav class="header-nav-list"> <div class="header-nav-item header-nav-item--folder"> <a class="header-nav-folder-title" href="/programs" tabindex="-1" data-animation-role="header-element" > What We Do </a> <div class="header-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/habitat-restoration" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Habitat Restoration </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/community-science" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Community Science </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/nursery" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Native Plant Nursery </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/urban-ecology" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Urban Ecology </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/naturalist-education" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Naturalist Education </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="header-nav-item header-nav-item--folder"> <a class="header-nav-folder-title" href="/where-we-work" tabindex="-1" data-animation-role="header-element" > Where We Work </a> <div class="header-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/map" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Map </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/alviso-bufferlands" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Alviso Bufferlands </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/byrne-preserve" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Byrne Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/cooley-landing" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Cooley Landing </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/redwood-creek" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Creeks of Redwood City </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/foothills-nature-preserve" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Foothills Nature Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/mcclellan-ranch-preserve" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> McClellan Ranch Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/midpen-preserves" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> MidPen Preserves </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/pearson-arastradero-preserve" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Pearson-Arastradero Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/ravenswood" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Ravenswood Open Space Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/redwood-grove-nature-preserve" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Redwood Grove Nature Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/san-francisquito-and-matadero-creeks" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> San Francisquito and Matadero Creeks </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/mountain-view-shoreline" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Shoreline at Mountain View </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/stulsaft-park" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Stulsaft Park </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="header-nav-item header-nav-item--folder"> <a class="header-nav-folder-title" href="/get-involved" tabindex="-1" data-animation-role="header-element" > Get Involved </a> <div class="header-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/event-calendar" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Upcoming Events </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/volunteer" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Volunteer </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/youth-stewards" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Youth Stewards </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/internships" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Internships </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/corporate-volunteering" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Corporate Volunteering </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/naturalist-walks" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Naturalist Walks </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/watershed-forum" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Watershed Forum </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="header-nav-item header-nav-item--folder header-nav-item--active"> <a class="header-nav-folder-title" href="/about-1" tabindex="-1" data-animation-role="header-element" aria-current="true" > About </a> <div class="header-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/about-us" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> About Us </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/staff" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Staff </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/board" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Board </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/career-opportunities" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Career Opportunities </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/all-land-is-indigenous" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Land Acknowledgement </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/news-and-press" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> News and Press </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item header-nav-folder-item--active"> <a href="/from-the-field" aria-current="page" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Notes From the Field </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/our-impact" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Our Impact </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="header-nav-item header-nav-item--folder"> <a class="header-nav-folder-title" href="/donate-1" tabindex="-1" data-animation-role="header-element" > Support Us </a> <div class="header-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-nav-folder-item header-nav-folder-item--external"> <a href="https://give.grassrootsecology.org/campaign/614347/donate" >All the Ways to Give</a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/matching" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Workplace Matching </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item header-nav-folder-item--external"> <a href="https://www.classy.org/campaign/Perennial-Friend-Membership-Campaign/c514968" >Monthly Giving</a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/financials" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Financials </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="header-actions header-actions--right"> <div class="showOnMobile"> </div> <div class="showOnDesktop"> </div> <div class="header-actions-action header-actions-action--cta" data-animation-role="header-element"> <a class="btn btn--border theme-btn--primary-inverse sqs-button-element--primary" href="https://give.grassrootsecology.org/campaign/624521/donate" target="_blank" > Donate </a> </div> </div> <style> .top-bun, .patty, .bottom-bun { height: 1px; } </style>  <div class="header-burger menu-overlay-has-visible-non-navigation-items " data-animation-role="header-element"> <button class="header-burger-btn burger" data-test="header-burger"> <span hidden class="js-header-burger-open-title visually-hidden">Open Menu</span> <span hidden class="js-header-burger-close-title visually-hidden">Close Menu</span> <div class="burger-box"> <div class="burger-inner header-menu-icon-tripleLineHamburger"> <div class="top-bun"></div> <div class="patty"></div> <div class="bottom-bun"></div> </div> </div> </button> </div> </div> <div class="header-display-mobile" data-content-field="site-title">   <div class="header-title-nav-wrapper">  <div class=" header-title " data-animation-role="header-element" > <div class="header-title-logo"> <a href="/" data-animation-role="header-element"> <img elementtiming="nbf-header-logo-desktop" src="//images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/1465332360068-SE270LFJZYAR1NPWS5Y3/Grassroots+Ecology+logo+vF.png?format=1500w" alt="Grassroots Ecology" style="display:block" fetchpriority="high" loading="eager" decoding="async" data-loader="raw"> </a> </div> </div>  <div class="header-nav"> <div class="header-nav-wrapper"> <nav class="header-nav-list"> <div class="header-nav-item header-nav-item--folder"> <a class="header-nav-folder-title" href="/programs" tabindex="-1" data-animation-role="header-element" > What We Do </a> <div class="header-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/habitat-restoration" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Habitat Restoration </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/community-science" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Community Science </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/nursery" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Native Plant Nursery </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/urban-ecology" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Urban Ecology </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/naturalist-education" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Naturalist Education </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="header-nav-item header-nav-item--folder"> <a class="header-nav-folder-title" href="/where-we-work" tabindex="-1" data-animation-role="header-element" > Where We Work </a> <div class="header-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/map" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Map </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/alviso-bufferlands" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Alviso Bufferlands </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/byrne-preserve" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Byrne Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/cooley-landing" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Cooley Landing </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/redwood-creek" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Creeks of Redwood City </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/foothills-nature-preserve" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Foothills Nature Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/mcclellan-ranch-preserve" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> McClellan Ranch Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/midpen-preserves" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> MidPen Preserves </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/pearson-arastradero-preserve" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Pearson-Arastradero Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/ravenswood" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Ravenswood Open Space Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/redwood-grove-nature-preserve" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Redwood Grove Nature Preserve </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/san-francisquito-and-matadero-creeks" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> San Francisquito and Matadero Creeks </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/mountain-view-shoreline" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Shoreline at Mountain View </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/stulsaft-park" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Stulsaft Park </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="header-nav-item header-nav-item--folder"> <a class="header-nav-folder-title" href="/get-involved" tabindex="-1" data-animation-role="header-element" > Get Involved </a> <div class="header-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/event-calendar" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Upcoming Events </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/volunteer" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Volunteer </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/youth-stewards" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Youth Stewards </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/internships" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Internships </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/corporate-volunteering" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Corporate Volunteering </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/naturalist-walks" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Naturalist Walks </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/watershed-forum" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Watershed Forum </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="header-nav-item header-nav-item--folder header-nav-item--active"> <a class="header-nav-folder-title" href="/about-1" tabindex="-1" data-animation-role="header-element" aria-current="true" > About </a> <div class="header-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/about-us" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> About Us </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/staff" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Staff </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/board" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Board </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/career-opportunities" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Career Opportunities </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/all-land-is-indigenous" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Land Acknowledgement </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/news-and-press" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> News and Press </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item header-nav-folder-item--active"> <a href="/from-the-field" aria-current="page" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Notes From the Field </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/our-impact" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Our Impact </span> </a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="header-nav-item header-nav-item--folder"> <a class="header-nav-folder-title" href="/donate-1" tabindex="-1" data-animation-role="header-element" > Support Us </a> <div class="header-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-nav-folder-item header-nav-folder-item--external"> <a href="https://give.grassrootsecology.org/campaign/614347/donate" >All the Ways to Give</a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item"> <a href="/matching" > <span class="header-nav-folder-item-content"> Workplace Matching </span> </a> </div> <div class="header-nav-folder-item header-nav-folder-item--external"> <a href="https://www.classy.org/campaign/Perennial-Friend-Membership-Campaign/c514968" >Monthly Giving</a> </div> <div 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data-test="header-menu"> <div class="header-menu-bg theme-bg--primary"></div> <div class="header-menu-nav"> <nav class="header-menu-nav-list"> <div data-folder="root" class="header-menu-nav-folder"> <div class="header-menu-nav-folder-content">  <div class="header-menu-nav-wrapper"> <div class="container header-menu-nav-item"> <a data-folder-id="/programs" href="/programs" > <div class="header-menu-nav-item-content"> <span class="visually-hidden">Folder:</span> <span>What We Do</span> <span class="chevron chevron--right"></span> </div> </a> </div> <div data-folder="/programs" class="header-menu-nav-folder"> <div class="header-menu-nav-folder-content"> <div class="header-menu-controls container header-menu-nav-item"> <a class="header-menu-controls-control header-menu-controls-control--active" data-action="back" href="/"> <span class="chevron chevron--left"></span><span>Back</span> </a> </div> <div class="container header-menu-nav-item"> <a href="/habitat-restoration" > <div 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data-page-sections="6717df9ebc57847c26456d19"> <section data-test="page-section" data-section-theme="" class='page-section content-collection full-bleed-section collection-type-blog-basic-grid background-width--full-bleed section-height--small content-width--wide horizontal-alignment--center vertical-alignment--middle ' data-section-id="6717df9ebc57847c26456d18" data-controller="SectionWrapperController" data-current-styles="{ "imageOverlayOpacity": 0.15, "backgroundWidth": "background-width--full-bleed", "sectionHeight": "section-height--small", "customSectionHeight": 10, "horizontalAlignment": "horizontal-alignment--center", "verticalAlignment": "vertical-alignment--middle", "contentWidth": "content-width--wide", "customContentWidth": 50, "backgroundColor": "", "sectionTheme": "", "sectionAnimation": "none", "backgroundMode": "image" }" data-current-context="{ "video": null, "backgroundImageId": null, "backgroundMediaEffect": null, "divider": null, "typeName": "blog-basic-grid" }" data-animation="none" > <div class="section-border" > <div class="section-background"> </div> </div> <div class='content-wrapper' style=' ' > <div class="content" > <div class="blog-item-wrapper blog-basic-grid-item-wrapper" data-content-field="main-content" data-item-id=""> <article id="article-" class="h-entry entry hentry post-type-"> <div class="blog-item-inner-wrapper"> <div class="blog-item-top-wrapper"> <div class="blog-item-title"> <h1 class="entry-title entry-title--large p-name" itemprop="headline" data-content-field="title">Growing Up with Byrne: From Horse Rider to Habitat Restorer</h1> </div> <div class="blog-item-meta-wrapper"> <div class="blog-item-author-date-wrapper" data-animation-role="date"> <time class="dt-published blog-meta-item blog-meta-item--date" datetime="Aug 16" pubdate data-content-field="published-on"> <span>Aug 16</span> </time> <div class="blog-meta-item blog-meta-item--author p-author author" data-content-field="author">Written By <a href="/from-the-field?author=62d6e42b9a7a79740490bd8a" class="blog-author-name">Maya Nagaraj</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="blog-item-content-wrapper"> <div class="blog-item-content e-content"><div class="sqs-layout sqs-grid-12 columns-12" data-layout-label="Post Body" data-type="item" data-updated-on="1723785431115" id="item-66bee08255e11611d3ff318f"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-12 span-12"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-1 span-1"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-530f94bfe35a75197f48"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-10 span-10"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723827250104_49049"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:1024px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:46.6796875%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/13d2e459-2a30-4ad6-9514-0bcfec202e41/Byrne+Landscape.png" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/13d2e459-2a30-4ad6-9514-0bcfec202e41/Byrne+Landscape.png" data-image-dimensions="1024x478" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/13d2e459-2a30-4ad6-9514-0bcfec202e41/Byrne+Landscape.png" width="1024" height="478" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 83.33333333333334vw, 83.33333333333334vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/13d2e459-2a30-4ad6-9514-0bcfec202e41/Byrne+Landscape.png?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/13d2e459-2a30-4ad6-9514-0bcfec202e41/Byrne+Landscape.png?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/13d2e459-2a30-4ad6-9514-0bcfec202e41/Byrne+Landscape.png?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/13d2e459-2a30-4ad6-9514-0bcfec202e41/Byrne+Landscape.png?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/13d2e459-2a30-4ad6-9514-0bcfec202e41/Byrne+Landscape.png?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/13d2e459-2a30-4ad6-9514-0bcfec202e41/Byrne+Landscape.png?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/13d2e459-2a30-4ad6-9514-0bcfec202e41/Byrne+Landscape.png?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> <div class="image-caption"><p>Byrne Preserve, Los Altos Hills</p></div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-1 span-1"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723846331216_21697"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div></div><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-aspect-ratio="2.2448979591836733" data-block-type="21" id="block-d356e3d666df904e0480"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" data-border-radii="{"topLeft":{"unit":"px","value":0.0},"topRight":{"unit":"px","value":0.0},"bottomLeft":{"unit":"px","value":0.0},"bottomRight":{"unit":"px","value":0.0}}" id="block-41bbd0aa6761d4d94655"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Growing up, I was obsessed with two things: horses and nature (to be fair, I am still pretty interested in both). As luck would have it, I lived quite close to Westwind Barn and its neighbor, Byrne Preserve. I began taking riding lessons at the barn when I was about six or seven, and soon I was looking for any possible excuse to return. </p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">For over a decade of my childhood, I spent countless hours at Westwind Barn, riding and caring for horses, teaching summer campers and other young riders, and volunteering with Westwind Riding Institute, a therapeutic equestrian program. Part of this included fetching school horses from “the big pasture,” as we referred to Byrne Preserve.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">This brings me to my first experience with the concept of invasive plants. Up until this point, I wasn’t too concerned about plants growing in the “wrong” places. They were just trying to grow wherever they could survive! My plant-neutrality started to collapse when I encountered yellow starthistle.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I often had to walk to the far reaches of Byrne Preserve to catch horses, and it seemed that dense patches of spiny yellow starthistle always stood between me and my goal. The pain of walking through spiny plants was not enough to erode my beliefs; those plants were just trying to survive, after all. However, I learned their spiny unpleasantness was coupled with a few important traits. First, yellow starthistle is toxic to horses. While most equines do not enjoy eating it, some develop a taste for it and suffer mouth and stomach ulcers. In the rare case that a horse consumes huge amounts of the plant, it can suffer from a fatal neurological condition.</p> </div> </div></div><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-9 span-9"><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723785440257_43285"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Second, yellow starthistle was brought to the western United States unintentionally from the Mediterranean. While it is still often considered weedy in its native range, it evolved alongside animals that can eat it safely. Here, meanwhile, yellow starthistle grows quickly, outcompeting other plants, hogging water early in summer, and causing havoc for horses and hikers alike. I was appalled that humans had so carelessly introduced a plant that not only harmed our beloved pets, but also hurt ecosystems by forming monocultures that reduced biodiverse habitat for wild species.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Yellow starthistle was not the only prickly or poisonous invasive species I encountered back then. I have similar memories of walking through spiky purple starthistle and finding horses in the teasel-filled tributary. I also spent hours with other riders removing poison hemlock, a potent toxic species made more dangerous by its palatability to horses. At this time, I was resigned to dealing with these species by avoiding them when possible and trying to ensure horses did too. I could barely imagine what it would take to even reduce their population density: thousands of hours of work, spending year after year painstakingly removing these plants?</p> </div> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-3 span-3"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-block-type="5" id="block-d69a06480e6decf38709"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:365px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:136.98629760742188%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/5c0edeb8-83ec-4eae-b653-9b1db9d9acdc/1_yellow_starthistle.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/5c0edeb8-83ec-4eae-b653-9b1db9d9acdc/1_yellow_starthistle.jpg" data-image-dimensions="365x500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/5c0edeb8-83ec-4eae-b653-9b1db9d9acdc/1_yellow_starthistle.jpg" width="365" height="500" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 25vw, 25vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/5c0edeb8-83ec-4eae-b653-9b1db9d9acdc/1_yellow_starthistle.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/5c0edeb8-83ec-4eae-b653-9b1db9d9acdc/1_yellow_starthistle.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/5c0edeb8-83ec-4eae-b653-9b1db9d9acdc/1_yellow_starthistle.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/5c0edeb8-83ec-4eae-b653-9b1db9d9acdc/1_yellow_starthistle.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/5c0edeb8-83ec-4eae-b653-9b1db9d9acdc/1_yellow_starthistle.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/5c0edeb8-83ec-4eae-b653-9b1db9d9acdc/1_yellow_starthistle.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/5c0edeb8-83ec-4eae-b653-9b1db9d9acdc/1_yellow_starthistle.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> <div class="image-caption"><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Yellow starthistle turns out to be bad for horses and bad for local biodiversity.</p></div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div></div></div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-b476077fb7a1ef4088e9"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">After spending eight years away from the Bay Area, I returned in 2023 as a California Climate Action Corps Fellow with Grassroots Ecology. I was thrilled to be working at my old haunt, Byrne Preserve, even as I braced myself for hours spent walking through thistle and teasel. Though these plants were still present when I began my term in September 2023, they were not the first things I noticed. Instead, I saw biodiverse habitat. Where the preserve had previously been dominated by dense stands of invasive plants, especially around the seasonally dry creek, it was now a colorful patchwork of native species: buckeyes dotting the creek, currants and gooseberries full of fruits for critters to snack on, clumps of California aster and bee plant.</p> </div> </div></div><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-d5e12452a5877254146c"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-3 span-3"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-aspect-ratio="44" data-block-type="21" id="block-5c6a407e2027989c09db"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-6 span-6"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="69.23076923076923" data-block-type="5" id="block-02f5c18f27a5b05bec4b"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:4032px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element has-aspect-ratio " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:69.23076629638672%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/92f29c6e-f3a2-4eef-abdc-cc702a14ddd5/2_beeplant.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/92f29c6e-f3a2-4eef-abdc-cc702a14ddd5/2_beeplant.jpg" data-image-dimensions="4032x3024" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/92f29c6e-f3a2-4eef-abdc-cc702a14ddd5/2_beeplant.jpg" width="4032" height="3024" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 50vw, 50vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/92f29c6e-f3a2-4eef-abdc-cc702a14ddd5/2_beeplant.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/92f29c6e-f3a2-4eef-abdc-cc702a14ddd5/2_beeplant.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/92f29c6e-f3a2-4eef-abdc-cc702a14ddd5/2_beeplant.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/92f29c6e-f3a2-4eef-abdc-cc702a14ddd5/2_beeplant.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/92f29c6e-f3a2-4eef-abdc-cc702a14ddd5/2_beeplant.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/92f29c6e-f3a2-4eef-abdc-cc702a14ddd5/2_beeplant.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/92f29c6e-f3a2-4eef-abdc-cc702a14ddd5/2_beeplant.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> <div class="image-caption"><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">California bee plant and other native biodiversity in the floodplain planting area.</p></div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-3 span-3"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-7ced2ad32f017fddb3ec"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div></div><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-c2f49f65f86fd09807da"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723785440257_153325"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Some species, including our target invasives like yellow starthistle and teasel, follow consistent yearly growth cycles with predictable peak flowering times. Yellow starthistle tends to peak in observable population size around July and August, so we have spent a good deal of time this summer removing it. Even at its peak this year, I was still shocked at how little yellow starthistle there was compared to my memories of the preserve.</p> </div> </div></div><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-1 span-1"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723786555968_171059"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-4 span-4"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="90.0709219858156" data-block-type="5" id="block-18d26661d51414601597"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:2499px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element has-aspect-ratio " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:90.0709228515625%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/2b749ea0-e8c5-42af-aa1c-e503e8fa29e6/3_floodplain_summer2017.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/2b749ea0-e8c5-42af-aa1c-e503e8fa29e6/3_floodplain_summer2017.jpg" data-image-dimensions="2499x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/2b749ea0-e8c5-42af-aa1c-e503e8fa29e6/3_floodplain_summer2017.jpg" width="2499" height="1875" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 33.33333333333333vw, 33.33333333333333vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/2b749ea0-e8c5-42af-aa1c-e503e8fa29e6/3_floodplain_summer2017.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/2b749ea0-e8c5-42af-aa1c-e503e8fa29e6/3_floodplain_summer2017.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/2b749ea0-e8c5-42af-aa1c-e503e8fa29e6/3_floodplain_summer2017.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/2b749ea0-e8c5-42af-aa1c-e503e8fa29e6/3_floodplain_summer2017.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/2b749ea0-e8c5-42af-aa1c-e503e8fa29e6/3_floodplain_summer2017.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/2b749ea0-e8c5-42af-aa1c-e503e8fa29e6/3_floodplain_summer2017.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/2b749ea0-e8c5-42af-aa1c-e503e8fa29e6/3_floodplain_summer2017.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> <div class="image-caption"><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Before: Yellow starthistle in the floodplain planting area, June 2017.</p></div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-2 span-2"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723786555968_174528"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-4 span-4"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723785440257_160101"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:2078px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:90.23098754882812%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/cbdd5e30-7a6f-44f3-800d-7d99c93e4a43/4_floodplain_summer2020.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/cbdd5e30-7a6f-44f3-800d-7d99c93e4a43/4_floodplain_summer2020.jpg" data-image-dimensions="2078x1875" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/cbdd5e30-7a6f-44f3-800d-7d99c93e4a43/4_floodplain_summer2020.jpg" width="2078" height="1875" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 33.33333333333333vw, 33.33333333333333vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/cbdd5e30-7a6f-44f3-800d-7d99c93e4a43/4_floodplain_summer2020.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/cbdd5e30-7a6f-44f3-800d-7d99c93e4a43/4_floodplain_summer2020.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/cbdd5e30-7a6f-44f3-800d-7d99c93e4a43/4_floodplain_summer2020.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/cbdd5e30-7a6f-44f3-800d-7d99c93e4a43/4_floodplain_summer2020.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/cbdd5e30-7a6f-44f3-800d-7d99c93e4a43/4_floodplain_summer2020.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/cbdd5e30-7a6f-44f3-800d-7d99c93e4a43/4_floodplain_summer2020.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/cbdd5e30-7a6f-44f3-800d-7d99c93e4a43/4_floodplain_summer2020.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> <div class="image-caption"><p>After: Native rushes, coyote brush, and other native plants thrive in the floodplain, August 2020.</p></div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-1 span-1"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723786555968_179690"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div></div><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-dc4357510cae4190349e"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723786555968_184320"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">How has Grassroots Ecology created this impact on Byrne Preserve - not just in reduction of invasive species populations, but also in revegetating the tributary and floodplain with native species? As with all of our work, the scale of the transformation at Byrne could not have been possible without engaging volunteers from our communities to get their hands dirty. Since Grassroots Ecology started working at the preserve in 2014, we have worked alongside over 4,000 volunteers who have contributed 12,000 hours of their time weeding, planting, and caring for the unique ecosystems of Byrne Preserve.</p> </div> </div></div><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-3 span-3"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-448fc676582a35c89b22"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-6 span-6"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="74.55621301775149" data-block-type="5" id="block-efad5189f7dd06d0c461"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:4032px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element has-aspect-ratio " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:74.55621337890625%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/10a71c97-910d-4588-8340-2026585ee9e4/5_Stewards.JPG" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/10a71c97-910d-4588-8340-2026585ee9e4/5_Stewards.JPG" data-image-dimensions="4032x3024" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/10a71c97-910d-4588-8340-2026585ee9e4/5_Stewards.JPG" width="4032" height="3024" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 50vw, 50vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/10a71c97-910d-4588-8340-2026585ee9e4/5_Stewards.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/10a71c97-910d-4588-8340-2026585ee9e4/5_Stewards.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/10a71c97-910d-4588-8340-2026585ee9e4/5_Stewards.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/10a71c97-910d-4588-8340-2026585ee9e4/5_Stewards.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/10a71c97-910d-4588-8340-2026585ee9e4/5_Stewards.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/10a71c97-910d-4588-8340-2026585ee9e4/5_Stewards.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/10a71c97-910d-4588-8340-2026585ee9e4/5_Stewards.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> <div class="image-caption"><p>I loved working with our Summer Youth Stewards to weed yellow starthistle!</p></div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-3 span-3"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-7ce61afcefb37b1df934"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div></div><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-7276bdddb261dcd42e2e"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-6 span-6"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723786555968_259874"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:4032px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:75%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/aaee38c3-9888-471e-b7e5-9796ce8ee67a/6_interns.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/aaee38c3-9888-471e-b7e5-9796ce8ee67a/6_interns.jpg" data-image-dimensions="4032x3024" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/aaee38c3-9888-471e-b7e5-9796ce8ee67a/6_interns.jpg" width="4032" height="3024" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 50vw, 50vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/aaee38c3-9888-471e-b7e5-9796ce8ee67a/6_interns.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/aaee38c3-9888-471e-b7e5-9796ce8ee67a/6_interns.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/aaee38c3-9888-471e-b7e5-9796ce8ee67a/6_interns.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/aaee38c3-9888-471e-b7e5-9796ce8ee67a/6_interns.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/aaee38c3-9888-471e-b7e5-9796ce8ee67a/6_interns.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/aaee38c3-9888-471e-b7e5-9796ce8ee67a/6_interns.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/aaee38c3-9888-471e-b7e5-9796ce8ee67a/6_interns.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> <div class="image-caption"><p>Summer Naturalist Interns mow yellow starthistle.</p></div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-6 span-6"><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-91fd32b92767ff5f5491"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">This summer, we tackled yellow starthistle with many volunteers, including our high school Youth Stewards and Summer Naturalist Interns. Our dedicated Youth Stewards spent one morning each week for eight weeks helping care for our sites and learning about nature. They removed huge patches of spiky yellow starthistle, pulling weeds by hand to limit the amount of seeds that return to the seed bank. The Naturalist Interns honed their skills with weed whips and hand tools to clear dense patches and dispersed populations of starthistles. It is incredible to see so many dedicated high school and college students who are willing and excited to care for our ecosystems, even on hot summer days. I feel lucky to witness the next generation of land stewards in action!</p> </div> </div></div></div></div><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-e9e906e96b13aaa03327"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-8 span-8"><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-0977751341011c8de72b"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Returning to Byrne Preserve after so much time away has been an incredible experience. I have come to see the preserve in a new way, as the product of so much time and energy spent by humans who want to protect other species and improve our relationship with nature. Their efforts have real, visible impacts on wildlife and native flora. We frequently spot butterflies like the variable checkerspot and Lorquin’s admiral, as well as families of deer and coyotes that call the preserve home. I am particularly fond of the birds of Byrne; according to eBird, 84 species have been observed at the preserve! I have been lucky to get an up-close look at the western bluebirds and violet-green swallows that nested in nine nest-boxes around Byrne.</p><p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Ten years of work at Byrne Preserve has brought about serious change for the better in terms of creating diverse, resilient habitat. In another ten years, who knows? Maybe I won’t see a single hole in my socks from walking through starthistles!</p> </div> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-4 span-4"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723791026028_13520"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:3024px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:133.33334350585938%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/05600a77-7627-43ea-9171-50fc540e96c5/7_Maya%2BLaura_birdboxes.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/05600a77-7627-43ea-9171-50fc540e96c5/7_Maya%2BLaura_birdboxes.jpg" data-image-dimensions="3024x4032" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/05600a77-7627-43ea-9171-50fc540e96c5/7_Maya%2BLaura_birdboxes.jpg" width="3024" height="4032" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 33.33333333333333vw, 33.33333333333333vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/05600a77-7627-43ea-9171-50fc540e96c5/7_Maya%2BLaura_birdboxes.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/05600a77-7627-43ea-9171-50fc540e96c5/7_Maya%2BLaura_birdboxes.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/05600a77-7627-43ea-9171-50fc540e96c5/7_Maya%2BLaura_birdboxes.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/05600a77-7627-43ea-9171-50fc540e96c5/7_Maya%2BLaura_birdboxes.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/05600a77-7627-43ea-9171-50fc540e96c5/7_Maya%2BLaura_birdboxes.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/05600a77-7627-43ea-9171-50fc540e96c5/7_Maya%2BLaura_birdboxes.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/05600a77-7627-43ea-9171-50fc540e96c5/7_Maya%2BLaura_birdboxes.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> <div class="image-caption"><p>One of my fellow AmeriCorps members, Laura, joined me for a day of bird box monitoring in spring.</p></div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div></div></div></div><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-cecc6efbfa9e9016709e"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-2 span-2"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723846331216_33461"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-8 span-8"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="48.994082840236686" data-block-type="5" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723791026028_47835"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:4032px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element has-aspect-ratio " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:48.994083404541016%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/47f9096c-1373-49c7-a0d8-a58d162637b4/8_Maya+%2B+Serena.jpeg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/47f9096c-1373-49c7-a0d8-a58d162637b4/8_Maya+%2B+Serena.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="4032x3024" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/47f9096c-1373-49c7-a0d8-a58d162637b4/8_Maya+%2B+Serena.jpeg" width="4032" height="3024" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 66.66666666666666vw, 66.66666666666666vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 50% 50%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/47f9096c-1373-49c7-a0d8-a58d162637b4/8_Maya+%2B+Serena.jpeg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/47f9096c-1373-49c7-a0d8-a58d162637b4/8_Maya+%2B+Serena.jpeg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/47f9096c-1373-49c7-a0d8-a58d162637b4/8_Maya+%2B+Serena.jpeg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/47f9096c-1373-49c7-a0d8-a58d162637b4/8_Maya+%2B+Serena.jpeg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/47f9096c-1373-49c7-a0d8-a58d162637b4/8_Maya+%2B+Serena.jpeg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/47f9096c-1373-49c7-a0d8-a58d162637b4/8_Maya+%2B+Serena.jpeg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/47f9096c-1373-49c7-a0d8-a58d162637b4/8_Maya+%2B+Serena.jpeg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> <figcaption class="image-caption-wrapper"> <div class="image-caption"><p>I’m excited to continue this work next year as a Restoration Specialist at McClellan Ranch Preserve in Cupertino!</p></div> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-2 span-2"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723846331216_33824"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div></div><div class="sqs-block horizontalrule-block sqs-block-horizontalrule" data-block-type="47" id="block-9f8ac17cb83bf0d8ce24"><div class="sqs-block-content"><hr /></div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" data-border-radii="{"topLeft":{"unit":"px","value":0.0},"topRight":{"unit":"px","value":0.0},"bottomLeft":{"unit":"px","value":0.0},"bottomRight":{"unit":"px","value":0.0}}" id="block-6297671be915086f0c1d"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p class="" style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><em>By Maya Nagaraj, California Climate Action Corps Fellow</em></p> </div> </div></div><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-2 span-2"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-aspect-ratio="100.0" data-block-type="5" id="block-8d54235fc497996b3ab6"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <svg data-image-mask-id="8d54235fc497996b3ab6" width="0" height="0"> <defs> <clipPath id="8d54235fc497996b3ab6" clipPathUnits="objectBoundingBox"> <path d="M0,0.5 A0.5 0.5, 0 0 1, 1 0.5 M1,0.5 A0.5 0.5, 0 0 1, 0 0.5 Z"> </clipPath> </defs> </svg> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-hidden design-layout-inline combination-animation-none individual-animation-none individual-text-animation-none " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:500px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element has-aspect-ratio " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:100%; overflow: hidden;clip-path: url(#8d54235fc497996b3ab6);-webkit-clip-path: url(#8d54235fc497996b3ab6); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/d05874bf-d1b3-48cf-9305-aa424646858a/MayaN.jpg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/d05874bf-d1b3-48cf-9305-aa424646858a/MayaN.jpg" data-image-dimensions="500x667" data-image-focal-point="0.7283884382679011,0.0" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/d05874bf-d1b3-48cf-9305-aa424646858a/MayaN.jpg" width="500" height="667" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 16.666666666666664vw, 16.666666666666664vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 72.83884382679011% 0%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/d05874bf-d1b3-48cf-9305-aa424646858a/MayaN.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/d05874bf-d1b3-48cf-9305-aa424646858a/MayaN.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/d05874bf-d1b3-48cf-9305-aa424646858a/MayaN.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/d05874bf-d1b3-48cf-9305-aa424646858a/MayaN.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/d05874bf-d1b3-48cf-9305-aa424646858a/MayaN.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/d05874bf-d1b3-48cf-9305-aa424646858a/MayaN.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/57488264f85082748c7c80db/d05874bf-d1b3-48cf-9305-aa424646858a/MayaN.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> </figure> </div> </div></div></div><div class="col sqs-col-10 span-10"><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-205655d1c6d2c7f28c9d"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div></div><div class="sqs-block horizontalrule-block sqs-block-horizontalrule" data-block-type="47" id="block-b8ea10612c38c6d0dc2b"><div class="sqs-block-content"><hr /></div></div><div class="sqs-block spacer-block sqs-block-spacer sized vsize-1" data-block-type="21" id="block-yui_3_17_2_1_1723846331216_15443"><div class="sqs-block-content"> </div></div></div></div></div></div> <div class="blog-meta-item blog-meta-item--tags" data-content-field="tags"> <span class="blog-item-tag-wrapper"><a href="/from-the-field/tag/Byrne+Preserve" class="blog-item-tag blog-item-tag--byrne-preserve" rel="tag">Byrne Preserve</a></span> </div> <div class="blog-item-author-profile-wrapper" data-content-field="author"> <a href="/from-the-field?author=62d6e42b9a7a79740490bd8a"> <span class="author-name">Maya Nagaraj</span> </a> </div> </div> <section class="blog-item-comments"> <div class="blog-item-comments-toggle-wrapper"> <div id="blogItemCommentsContent" class="blog-item-comments-content" data-content-field="comments"> </div> </div> </section> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </section> </article> <section id="itemPagination" 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