Three Reasons to Compost

Composting is an environmentally sound way to provide nutrients to garden soil which, in turn, enhances the health and growth of garden plants. Compost is the biologically active material that results from decomposition of organic matter under controlled conditions.

Three good reasons to compost:

1. To reduce green waste and landfill use
2. To recycle valuable green waste into a useful garden asset
3. To restore soil health

Composting utilizes the following materials: greens, browns, air and water.

Greens include grass clippings, yard trimmings, green leaves, fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags and horse, cow, chicken or rabbit manure. Greens contain nitrogen that increases the breakdown of organic material

Browns include dried leaves, woody plant material, chopped/ground branches and twigs, straw, hay, shredded newspaper or cardboard and sawdust. Browns contain carbon that increases the surface area and makes decomposition easier.

Water creates a favorable environment for the microorganisms that break down organic material. The compost pile should be as moist as a wrung-out sponge.

Air provides the environment necessary for microorganisms to live and multiply. Turning the compost inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria and speeds up creation of the finished product.

Do not use meat, fish, poultry, bones, dairy products, grease, lard, weed seeds, Bermuda grass, nut sedge, dog and cat manure, charcoal or Duraflame ashes or treated wood products.

Next time – Composting Basics, Part 2 – Methods and Harvesting. Check out our website for more gardening tips.

Contact: Shannon Reed, Public Affairs Manager
reeds@irwd.com, (949) 453-5500

Camps Abound at IRWD San Joaquin Marsh

In just six or seven weeks, school will be out for the summer. So what activities will excite the kids and keep them busy? Irvine Ranch Water District can help solve that dilemma with summer camps at the San Joaquin Marsh.

The camps are provided by the Sea and Sage Audubon Society and the Discovery Science Center and begin as soon as late June.

Sea and Sage has been providing summer nature camps at the Marsh for more than 20 years. Seven and eight-year-olds will enjoy the Fledgling Camp which takes place June 24-28, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Campers will learn observational skills on daily bird nature walks, where they will learn to keep a birding journal. Games, learning songs and doing crafts will round out the days.

Nine to 12-year olds may sign up for Marsh Bird Camp. Two sessions are available – June 24-28 and July 8-12, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. All aspects of Marsh bird life will be explored. Activities include daily bird walks, a visit from the Bird of Prey Center, painting bird houses, daily journals, crafts and more.

The Coastal Bird Camp covers all aspects of coastal shorebirds and their habitats, with off-site days on Tuesday and Thursday. Campers must be 11 years and older and have Marsh Camp experience. The session is July 15-19, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Advanced Bird Camp is for those 11 years and older with Marsh Camp experience. Sessions take place July 22-July 26 and July 29-August 3, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Campers will explore oak woodlands habitat and its wildlife, and will paint a hand-carved wooden decoy. Week two will feature coastal sage scrub habitat and include a sleep-over on Friday night. Both camps include daily nature walks, sketching and craft.

Please visit Sea and Sage Audubon website for information on how to register for camp.

The Discovery Science Center and IRWD have partnered on summer camps for the past four years. Camp offerings are for children age five through 10.

If your youngster age five-six is too adventurous to stay indoors all summer, let them take a walk on the wild side of science at the Summer Smiles camp. Campers will explore science topics and investigate the world of frogs, bats, butterflies and crabs. They will use magnifiers to get an up-close look at butterfly wings, concoct ooey, gooey slime, make a bat box, and grind their own colorful sand. Young explorers will enjoy learning the purpose of the Marsh’s natural filtration ponds during nature hikes.

Youngsters age seven-10 will enjoy tinkering, creating and learn how things work at the Project Discovery camp. This camp features a series of challenge-based activities, such as testing different flying models, dropping an egg without breaking it and constructing a catapult. They will also investigate the secrets of the Solar System and take a close look at the planet we call home.

Information about Discovery Science Center summer camps is available on their website.

One-Day Road Shut-Down

Those who enjoy hiking on the Irvine Ranch Water District Tree Hill and adjacent trail into the San Joaquin Marsh will not have access on Wednesday, May 15, because of construction activity in the area.

This will be for one-day only, with access resuming on Thursday morning. The Michelson Drive entry to Riparian View, which provides access and parking for Tree Hill and the trail, will be closed to traffic on Wednesday.

Access to the San Joaquin Marsh from the Campus Drive entry to Riparian View will be unaffected. Hikers are advised to visit the Marsh using the Campus Drive entry while the Michelson entry is closed.

“This is a good opportunity for the public to visit and enjoy a portion of the Marsh that they might not have yet visited,” said Shannon Reed, Public Affairs Manager.

Contact: Shannon Reed, Public Affairs Manager
reeds@irwd.com, (949) 453-5500

Work on Wednesday

Residents and motorists traveling near the intersection of Harvard Avenue and Michelson Drive on Wednesday morning will see a hub of activity involving the Irvine Ranch Water District Collection Systems crews.

No major construction is taking place, but crews will be cleaning and inspecting the sewer lines that feed into the Michelson Water Recycling Plant. This work is a component of the plant’s expansion project, which began in the fall of 2009. The contractor will be diverting wastewater flows for 16-24 hours to the Orange County Sanitation District in Fountain Valley in order to tie the lines into the new headworks facility in the plant.

While the flows are diverted, Collection Systems crews will clean and inspect the lines. A fleet of jet and vacuum trucks will be present on at the Harvard and Michelson intersection during the day Wednesday. City approved traffic control will be in effect. Roads will remain open during this activity.