Apr 122016
 

Become a Docent of the Laguna Foundation at lagunafoundation.orgBee Mountain Pond is a wildlife habitat installation.  The plan is to provide a small water bath to the critters of the Native Plant Demonstration Garden at the City of Santa Rosa’s Waste Water Treatment Plant.  Address: 4300 Llano Road, Santa Rosa, California 95407.

Denise Cadman, a Natural Resources Specialist at the Plant, and the overseer/magical wonder of the Native Plant Garden, invited me, Tony McGuigan, of Spore Lore, and my Outdoor Classroom Wildlife Habitat Installation class (name of class is very new) to install a wildlife habitat at the Garden.

start with a visionPLAN — Bee Mountain Pond.  The mountain is a 1000 pound (1/2 ton) fieldstone landscaping boulder that holds water — a tiny mountain lake for tiny critters.  The “Path” is a swath of woodchips for walking through the garden.  the pile of subterranean smaller rocks under Bee Mountain will catch any overspill water from the Pond.  Critters under the Mountain will have water, shelter, food (tiny critters feeding on the moisture AND on critters feeding on the moisture), and cavities to raise young in — they will have habitat!

Come see the Native Plant Garden!The Before.  The Native Plant Garden looks north to the Laguna de Santa Rosa, which is swollen from rain the week before Bee Mountain Pond is installed.  In the photo, the birdhouse to the back left marks where the habitat will be installed.  Note the woodchip mulch used to keep weeds out and make walking paths.

a rain-happy Laguna“Driftwood” (river wood washed up on the beach) stored at the Plant’s woodchip pile await installation day, in a week.  The rain was so generous to soak the adobe soil and make digging easier.

birdhouse to be transplanted This birdhouse must go!  It marks the spot where Bee Mountain Pond will be installed.

violet-green swallowsA mating pair of violet-green swallows before the birdhouse is relocated across the Garden.

Tony McGuigan, Spore Lore, Habitat It And They Will Come, garden, soil, Soil Under My Nails, gardening, gardens, native plants, permaculture, wildlife garden, wildlife habitat installation, environmental education, ecological landscaping, Animal Habitat, garden, ecological, landscaping, wildlife garden, biodiversity, native plants, outdoor classroom, nonvirtual education, touch the soil!, wildlife habitat workshop, Orchard View School, Laguna Environmental Center, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, environmental conservation,  Stone Farm, Santa Rosa Waste Water Treatment, Denise Cadman, Bee Mountain Pond, tarweed, madia elegans, narrow-leaf milkweed, asclepias fascicularis, California aster, Aster chilensis, snowberry, smphovicarpas alba, Bee Plant, California figwort, scrophularis californica, fieldstone, landscape cloth, violet-green swallow, Preparing for Bee Mountain to be moved into position.  The half-ton rock will be placed on a mound of woodchips next to is intended resting site.  Note the layering of woodchips and tree-hole landscaping cloth; the landscaping cloth will tie together the small hill.

Tony McGuigan, Spore Lore, Habitat It And They Will Come, garden, soil, Soil Under My Nails, gardening, gardens, native plants, permaculture, wildlife garden, wildlife habitat installation, environmental education, ecological landscaping, Animal Habitat, garden, ecological, landscaping, wildlife garden, biodiversity, native plants, outdoor classroom, nonvirtual education, touch the soil!, wildlife habitat workshop, Orchard View School, Laguna Environmental Center, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, environmental conservation,  Stone Farm, Santa Rosa Waste Water Treatment, Denise Cadman, Bee Mountain Pond, tarweed, madia elegans, narrow-leaf milkweed, asclepias fascicularis, California aster, Aster chilensis, snowberry, smphovicarpas alba, Bee Plant, California figwort, scrophularis californica, fieldstone, landscape cloth, violet-green swallow, Here comes the rock!  Plant employees forklift and move Bee Mountain.  Thanks Richard, Tony, and David!

Mountain on top of a hillBee Mountain in place to be repositioned when help arrives — when the students get here.  The plan is to “slide” this half ton rock downslope into the habitat.  Good luck!

snowberry moved to wait in the shadeA snowberry, Symphovicarpas alba, is removed to shade while the habitat foundation is created.

Santa Rosa Waste Water Treatment, Denise Cadman, Bee Mountain Pond, tarweed, madia elegans, narrow-leaf milkweed, asclepias fascicularis, California aster, Aster chilensis, snowberry, symphovicarpas alba, Bee Plant, California figwort, scrophularis californica, fieldstone, landscape cloth   ************************************************************************************************************ Paste This!: Tony McGuigan, Spore Lore, Habitat It And They Will Come, garden, soil, Soil Under My Nails, gardening, gardens, native plants, permaculture, wildlife garden, wildlife habitat installation, environmental education, ecological landscaping, Animal Habitat, garden, ecological, landscaping, wildlife garden, biodiversity, native plants, outdoor classroom, nonvirtual education, touch the soil!, wildlife habitat workshop, Orchard View School, Laguna Environmental Center, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, environmental conservation,  Stone Farm, Santa Rosa Waste Water Treatment, Denise Cadman, Bee Mountain Pond, tarweed, madia elegans, narrow-leaf milkweed, asclepias fascicularis, California aster, Aster chilensis, snowberry, smphovicarpas alba, Bee Plant, California figwort, scrophularis californica, fieldstone, landscape cloth, violet-green swallow, The foundation of the habitat takes place.  Center: Topsoil has been scraped from the habitat’s base and shoved to the side (against the cardboard in the rear) for later use during planting the habitat’s newly planted native plants.  Right: Riverwood waiting to be buried in the habitat’s berm.  The soil berm will be water-loving wood filled and allow for greater diversity of soil level.  Note the California aster patches that will ultimately grow together, both in the foreground left and to the side of the habitat, behind the wheelbarrow and cardboard.

what's in a berm meets the eyeRiverwood layered to form a soil berm above it.  Moist nooks and crannies for soil lions, soil tigers, and soil bears, oh my!

All in a day's workBee Mountain Pond’s planted soil berm takes shape.  Bee Mountain will sit just on the other side of the yellow shovel.  Soil from a hole at the base of the Mountain rock will be added to the berm to increase its height.  Then, once the berm’s foundation is created with heavy adobe clay sol, the topsoil from Cardboard Dump will be called into action.  The “old” topsoil, bagged planting mix, and compost created by the Plant will be mixed as a base for the habitat’s new plantings.

Santa Rosa Waste Water Treatment, Denise Cadman, Bee Mountain Pond, tarweed, madia elegans, narrow-leaf milkweed, asclepias fascicularis, California aster, Aster chilensis, snowberry, symphovicarpas alba, Bee Plant, California figwort, scrophularis californica, fieldstone, landscape cloth   ************************************************************************************************************ Paste This!: Tony McGuigan, Spore Lore, Habitat It And They Will Come, garden, soil, Soil Under My Nails, gardening, gardens, native plants, permaculture, wildlife garden, wildlife habitat installation, environmental education, ecological landscaping, Animal Habitat, garden, ecological, landscaping, wildlife garden, biodiversity, native plants, outdoor classroom, nonvirtual education, touch the soil!, wildlife habitat workshop, Orchard View School, Laguna Environmental Center, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, environmental conservation,  Stone Farm, Santa Rosa Waste Water Treatment, Denise Cadman, Bee Mountain Pond, tarweed, madia elegans, narrow-leaf milkweed, asclepias fascicularis, California aster, Aster chilensis, snowberry, smphovicarpas alba, Bee Plant, California figwort, scrophularis californica, fieldstone, landscape cloth, violet-green swallow, In search of compost, we are told to go the “pile in the back corner” of the Waste Water Treatment Plant’s compost making facility.

A bucket of compost a day keeps . . . .Denise Cadman and I collect state-of-the-art-made compost at the Plant’s compost-making facility.

Bee Mountain askew!Bee Mountain is almost in place, BUT is pointing skyward, that is, 90 degrees off level.  The “peak” will be pulled right and the base will be pulled left, resulting in a level, water-holding position.

Strap down that rock!Bee Mountain has been leveled, with the rock’s shallow bowl pointing skyward.  Note the buckets of compost awaiting mixing into the planting soil.

tweeking Bee Mountain into placeTweaking Bee Mountain into place.  Metal digging bars are used for leverage.

PUSH!Bee Mountain hovers in place.  Stones are used as fulcrums for the digging bars’ leverage.

It holds water!  (for now)Bee Mountain is leveled to maximize its water-holder capacity.  Planting mix is piled up against the fieldstone boulder.

Planting out Bee Mountain PondSoil prep for planting out Bee Mountain Pond.

Plant native plants!Native plant seedlings surround Bee Mountain Pond wildlife installation.

Denise Cadman’s sketch of Bee Mountain Pond.

Tony McGuigan, Spore Lore, Habitat It And They Will Come, garden, soil, Soil Under My Nails, gardening, gardens, native plants, permaculture, wildlife garden, wildlife habitat installation, environmental education, ecological landscaping, Animal Habitat, garden, ecological, landscaping, wildlife garden, biodiversity, native plants, outdoor classroom, nonvirtual education, touch the soil!, wildlife habitat workshop, Orchard View School, Laguna Environmental Center, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation, environmental conservation,  Stone Farm, Santa Rosa Waste Water Treatment, Denise Cadman, Bee Mountain Pond, tarweed, madia elegans, narrow-leaf milkweed, asclepias fascicularis, California aster, Aster chilensis, snowberry, smphovicarpas alba, Bee Plant, California figwort, scrophularis californica, fieldstone, landscape cloth, violet-green swallow, Common Name                                                  Scientific Name

1) tarweed                                                            Madia elegans

2) narrow-leaf milkweed                                  Asclepias fascicularis

3) California aster                                             Symphyotrichum chilense (formerly Aster chilensis)

4) snowberry                                                      Symphovicarpas alba

5) Bee Plant, California figwort                     Scrophularia californica

Sunny Galbraith (Orchard View School) and Denise Cadman (Santa Rosa Waste Water Treatment)

Sunny Galbraith (Orchard View School) and Denise Cadman add final touches and a little water to the plantings.

Bee Mountain Pond is in!Bee Mountain Pond is in!

The berm side of Bee Mount PondThe berm side of Bee Mount Pond.  Note how some wood disappears under the berm’s woodchips.

Habitat it!Bee Mountain Pond wildlife habitat installation includes a portal into the berm — all ye small critters enter here!

And we are done.  Bee Mountain Pond has been installed.  Thank you to the City of Santa Rosa, Waste Water Treatment Plant administrators and Denise Cadman for inviting me, Tony McGuigan, of Spore Lore, and Sunny Galbraith, teacher at Orchard View School, of Sebastopol, and her students, to create this wildlife habitat installation at the Plant’s Native Plant Garden.

Enjoy your wildlife habitat installations.  Habitat it!

Tony