by Anna Luo and Jenna Huang

On August 6th, 2023, club members from the Asian American Parent Alliance of San Diego’s Student Leadership Club helped water endangered plants, plant cacti, and remove invasive weeds from the Black Mountain Open Space Park. The event was led by Mike Kelly, chair of the Conservation and Land Use Committee of the Friends of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve (FLPCP) organization. This non-profit was founded to support the preservation and restoration of nature through a variety of community-oriented educational and recreational activities. With Mike, volunteers were educated on the significance, background, and key identifiers of nearby plant species ranging from the common milkweed plant to the more endangered white sage. This thorough tour allowed club members to immediately jump into helping other volunteers with watering plants in the area.

Following the plant watering, volunteers moved toward the patch of opuntia, or prickly pear cacti. Led by Beth Mather, who has worked with the CNPS Invasive Plant Committee and is now President of the Friends of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, club members helped restore the cacti population in the area. As recent human activity had trampled a large portion of the cacti, club members worked to evenly distribute more prickly pear cacti by repurposing fallen pads of cacti and planting them into the ground. This species of cacti is native to San Diego and is a crucial resource for many wildlife communities. They serve as a food source for birds, rabbits, deer, and even humans! Furthermore, the cacti can also provide shelter for rodents, reptiles, and other animals. Prickly pear, or specifically the insects living on the cacti, is also known to be the natural source of red dye. However, this population has declined due to habitat destruction. Specifically, commercial development, recreational activities, and plant collection are among the variety of factors that contribute to the species’ decline. These factors only further emphasize the importance of this restoration project and the need to preserve our native plants for future populations. 

Finally, club members moved on to uprooting the nearby abundant prickly lettuce weed. As an invasive plant species, it’s important for this weed to be removed to prevent future destruction of the environment. Due to the massive amount of weeds, volunteers focused on picking the tops off the weed to stunt future growth, but also removing them by the root. 

After the volunteers’ hard work, club members collected all the tools and materials before returning for a snack break to discuss the afternoon’s progress. With more restoration projects in view, the SLC members look forward to working with the Friends of Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve in future projects.