by Anna Luo

On September 3rd, 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. The volunteer began by uprooting weeds around the planting area using hoes. This was to ensure that the weeds would not interfere with the growing milkweed in the general vicinity.

Then, the volunteers split up as some started placing purple flags next to the growing plants. This would ensure that future volunteers could see the plants that required watering. Volunteers were also lead through the process of how to plant milkweed in the ground. By first digging a whole and gently placing the plant in the middle, club members slowly added water and soil. 

Finally, SLC club members were led around the area to learn about and collect various types of plant seeds. For example, the seeds of milkweed plants were covered in white silk to facilitate wind dispersal. Sitting on many of the milkweed plants were red milkweed-beetles which are considered to be beneficial overall. Other plants investigated included monkey-plant, black sage, white sage, gum plant, and buckwheat. Finally, after collecting them, club members spread each type of seed around the planting area.

Overall, the September 3rd Restoration event was a unique experience for all volunteers. Between collecting seeds to planting local plants, the SLC club members gained the opportunity to learn more about San Diego’s natural habitats.