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Earth Day Hike / Caminata dia de la Tierra
Blog and photos by Maribel Sierra, Latino Outdoors Ambassador – SF Bay Area 

Latino Outdoors group at China Camp State Park.

This year marks the 45-year anniversary of Earth Day, which was first celebrated in 1970 during the start of the environmental movement. Since then, awareness of environmental issues has spread all over the world with over 5,000 groups in 184 countries. On April 19^th, in appreciation and celebration of Earth Day, our Latino Outdoors volunteer staff and participants in the Bay Area, including myself and Alicia Cruz, met up with the Marin County Parks and California State Parks staff for morning hike at China Camp State Park. This naturalist led expedition was a great opportunity to learn about the unique salt marsh ecosystem and natural history. To me, this was yet another chance to build a connection to the earth.

Located on the shore of the San Pablo Bay, China Camp State Park is named for a historic Chinese-American settlement and is surrounded by stunning views of the bay. One thing our group noticed right away at the trailhead was the prevalence of purple flowers on the fields. Those purple flowers turned out to be wooly vetch, a member of the pea family and a nitrogen fixer, a plant that turns an otherwise unusable form of nitrogen into a form that plants can easily use to grow. A member of group, Rosio, also noted the wild oats, or avena, in the field which reminded her of the fields and hills of Peru.

Wooly vetch (Vicia villosa) is a nitrogen fixer and very widespread in this field.

 A close up of Wooly vetch (Vicia villosa).

We continued trekking along the path to reach the salt marsh marked by channels of water and plants. Our guide from Marin County Parks, David, explained that salt marshes are where fresh and salt water mix. The changing tides bring in nutrients needed for plant growth and ultimately feed fish and other organisms. Amazingly, all of this activity makes the salt marsh one of the most productive ecosystems on earth!

Salt marshes bring in an abundance of nutrients needed for plant growth.

Some of the species that we encountered on the hike included:

• Coastal live oak, the most common tree in Marin County
• Manzanita (Spanish for little apple) tree
• Madron tree
• Western fence lizard
• Ground iris
• Oyster mushroom
• Deer
• White larkspur

More photos on Latino Outdoors Facebook page albums>> “Earth Day Hike” 

Despite the productivity of this ecosystem, rising sea levels and other impacts from climate change, are becoming a concern to park rangers, researchers, as well as the general public. As a result of California’s drought, some species have declined while drought tolerant plants and other invasive species have flourished. Researchers continue to spend time in regions like China Camp State Park to monitor species, changing sea levels, and salinity. As park visitors we have a responsibility to respect and help advocate for the conservation of these natural areas not only on Earth Day but everyday.

Marin County, California State Park staff, and Latino Outdoors volunteer staff.

Ocean Day California

The alarm buzzed at 5:00 am last Tuesday, and while I wasn’t thrilled about the early start, I was very happy about the short 70 miles commute from San Francisco to join #CAOceansDay in Sacramento.

Dozens of ocean lovers joined from around California, coming in from as far as San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County and Arcata to participate in the yearly tradition that is Ocean Day in the State’s Capitol.

After weeks of planning (Environment California ftw!) we converged in the Capitol’s downstairs dining room to caffeinate and plot our day. Teams hunkered around the tables to discuss strategy and after greetings and hugs, it was my turn to put together a plan for my day (trying to decide on a schedule from all the options on the table was mildly reminiscent of first week of college semester: trying to get into a 10 am Western Civ I wanted instead of the 7:20 organic chemistry class I really needed). While the teams are pre-planned around geography and issue collaboration, I’ve found it most effective to “float” throughout the day. I’m technically based in San Francisco, but Azul takes me all over the state, working with Latinos from Los Angeles to Humboldt, so I end up making drop-bys on unsuspecting teams all day and usually doubling up on the total number of meetings by the end of the day (unexpected benefit: totally obliterating my fitbit step goal).

Every year the focus is ocean and coastal issues (like working on protecting the big blue from plastic trash and acidification), but this time, the dire water situation in our state couldn’t be ignored, so naturally, talking to decision makers about climate change was a priority (specifically, making sure our state and federal agencies are working as efficiently as possible).

I will admit though, personally, my favorite subject to talk about at Ocean Day is still our state’s awesome underwater parks (and not just because I personally sacrificed my car’s transmission, engine and alternator to driving around thousands of miles talking to people about them). While all the media attention tends to go to massive ocean sanctuaries like the newly designated Pitcairn Islands marine reserve(which is roughly the size of California), our own network of marine protected areas was a trailblazing effort at its inception and implementation.

While it is possible to protect thousands of square miles in remote parts of the Pacific, we had to adopt a much more measured approach, fitting in smaller reserves alongside prized fishing holes, shipping lanes, and coastal developments. Together, they make up a statewide chain of refuges linked by currents. In a heavily populated state where every inch of coast is well loved, these underwater parks are critical for sea life and popular with visitors.

The design process (I was one of the stakeholders) is an example in public participation, bringing together all the different interests invested in ocean health (public agencies, conservation organizations, commercial and recreational fishermen, universities and local elected officials) to craft a plan that best benefits ocean health and by extension, Californians everywhere. As the results start to come in, it’s a delight to talk about teamwork that pays off.

For now, the work continues throughout the state. Maybe next year you can join us at the capitol?

Marce Graudiņš is the Founder and Director of Azul, a project focused on empowering Latino coastal and marine stewardship. In a previous life she used to sell fish, now she saves them.