SANTA BARBARA — Personnel from Vandenberg AFB and employees from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will volunteer Saturday planting native plants at Refugio Creek.
Both groups will be assisting Channel Islands Restoration, a local conservation organization, on a restoration project sponsored by the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County.
Restoration of Refugio Creek began in the fall of 2006. Large stands of the invasive giant reed (Arundo donax) have been removed from much of the creek, and nearly 3,000 native plants have been installed with the help of more than 50 volunteers. The $450,000 project has been funded with help from the State Coastal Conservancy and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and landowner in-kind support.
Saturday will mark the final planting work for this season, and it’s drawn the attention of two groups of federal employees. A group from the “1st Space Control Squadron Conjunction Assessment Shop” at Vandenberg AFB will volunteer with employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura office, helping with the planting work.
For more information regarding the Refugio Creek project, please visit the following web page:
www.channelislandsrestoration.com/refugiodetails.htm