South San Francisco, CA February 4, 2020 Submitted by Emma Lewis, Natural Resources Specialist, City of SSF
On Wednesday January the 8th and Saturday January the 11th, a total 19 volunteers joined the City of South San Francisco’s Parks & Recreation Department for the first ever Sign Hill Stewards. Volunteers of all ages joined, some with family members and others as individuals looking to give back. Many were South San Francisco community members that had hiked Sign Hill trails before, but some had only seen the letters from afar.
Volunteers planted over 200 pollinator-friendly native plants from the Mission Blue Nursery, including CA acaena, yarrow, soap root, sticky monkey flower, coast buckwheat, CA fescue, CA horkelia, CA phacelia, & silver lupine. These plants will provide new habitat for the endangered Mission Blue Butterfly on Sign Hill, a butterfly whose habitat has been restricted to only 6 sites in the world. The plants will grow strong roots and leaves with the winter rain. Over their first summer, they will be maintained and watered by Parks and Recreation staff. Volunteers also had an opportunity to participate in a nature walk on Sign Hill, learning more about the wildlife in their backyard.
Sign Hill Stewards is part of the City of South San Francisco’s Sign Hill Habitat Restoration Project, funded by a two-year San Mateo County Measure K grant. Sign Hill, geographically located in South San Francisco and geologically a part of San Bruno Mountain, is home to over 70 ecologically critical species of botanical life in need of conservation. Additionally, it provides necessary habitat for the endangered Mission Blue Butterfly. The presence of several species of invasive plants, however, threaten the existence of the Sign Hill ecosystem. Sign Hill Stewards will help Parks and Recreation staff achieve their habitat restoration goals by planting native plants and removing invasive plants.
Join Sign Hill Stewards on Wednesday February 12th and Saturday February 15th from 9 am – 12 pm! Registration CLICK HERE https://www.eventbrite.com/e/s