Three Family Events This Weekend

Earth Day’s official date is Monday, April 22, but many events will take place all over this weekend. As environmental stewards, IRWD will participate in three events:

Earth Day in Bommer Canyon

Saturday, April 20 – 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Earth Day in Bommer Canyon Cattle Camp.  Bommer Canyon is part of the city of Irvine’s Open Space Preserve. The Cattle Camp if a former ranching hub that has been transformed into an outdoor event center. The camp is about a mile in from the Bommer Canyon Trailhead and is accessible from Shade Canyon Road via Bommer Canyon Road.

Join IRWD and other community organizations in celebrating Earth Day and Wilderness Access Day. Enjoy activities, give-aways and games with an environmental message.  Admission is free. As a reminder, pets and smoking are not allowed in this sensitive wilderness area.

Shadetree Partnership Nursery Event

Shadetree Partnership in conjunction with IRWD operates a nursery containing trees, shrubs and groundcover and holds monthly volunteer efforts to nurture, maintain, upsize and grow stock materials for planting in the community. Saturday, April 20 from 8:30 a.m. until noon, join us to celebrate Earth Day 2013. The event is free.

The nursery is located on the UC Irvine campus, cross streets California and Anteater Recreation Center. Volunteer groups or individuals may also “Adopt a Row” and/or become a docent to assist with our continued efforts. Shadetree’s trees, shrubs, and groundcover are donated to sites which have unfettered public access to the community, such as schools, parks, greenbelts, and homeowner associations.  The public may fill out an application for trees where they will visit the nursery, tag trees, and then schedule stock for pick-up.  Shadetree will also loan out shovels and buckets for planting efforts.

Earth Day at the Bay 2013

 IRWD will have an activity at the annual Earth Day at the Bay event on Saturday, April 20 from 11 a.m. to
3 p.m.  at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center.  There is no charge to participate in the fun.

 Enjoy environmental exhibits, face painting, nature scavenger hunts, opportunity drawings, live music and more. Bring a refillable water bottle. Food will be available from a variety of food trucks.

 Stop by the IRWD booth and make a conservation keychain. The Muth Center is located at 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach.

 For more information on IRWD environmental programs, please visit our website.

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