Habitat Restoration
West Parcel
Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) will preserve and expand existing coastal sage scrub habitat located withinan open space area known as West Parcel. The restoration plan for West Parcel was reviewed and approved by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.Restoration activities will include removing non-native species, such as Short-pod Mustard (Hirschfeldiaincana), that can outcompete native species. Following non-native species removal, native coastal sage scrubspecies will be planted. Reclaimed water will be used to temporarily irrigate the new native planting in order torelieve the stress on our freshwater supplies. Some of the species that will be planted include Black Sage (Salviamellifera), California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica),Golden Yarrow (Eriophyllum confertiflorum), and Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia).
Once planting is complete, biologists will monitor the restoration site for a five-year period to track establishmentof the plants and wildlife use of the area. During this five-year period, the site will be regularly maintained tocontrol establishment of non-native species and to remove trash from the restoration site. Once the five-yearmaintenance and monitoring program is complete, Mt. SAC will continue to monitor and maintain the site inperpetuity to ensure long-term success of the restored habitat.
KEY TERMS:
COASTAL SAGE SCRUB: Also known as soft chaparral, it is a low scrublandplant community of the California coastal sage and chaparral subecoregion.
ENDEMIC SPECIES: Any species whose range is restricted to a limitedgeographical area.
ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION: The process of addressing impacts to theenvironment caused by human action.
HABITAT: The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
INVASIVE SPECIES: A species of plant or animal that outcompetes other speciescausing damage to an ecosystem.
NATIVE SPECIES: A species that originated and developed in its surroundinghabitat and has adapted to living in that particular environment.
RECLAIMED WATER: Water reclamation is the process of converting municipalor industrial wastewater into water that can be reused for a variety of purposes.
RESTORATION: The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that hasbeen degraded, damaged, or destroyed.