The Junior Land Stewards are back in the field, now including both the Hatch elementary and El Granada elementary fourth grade students. Both schools have participated in naturalist scavenger hunts to learn more about their local environment, and they have prepared their garden areas. The first field trips with El Granada Elementary were a huge success. High school students from the HMBHS agricultural department led small groups in weeding invasive species and sheet mulching. This process of sheet mulching keeps weeds and invasive species at bay until it’s time to plant their California endemic plants. The Hatch elementary students returned to the Wavecrest Open Space and prepared their plots with solarization tarps, also a process intended to make weed removal easier for the students, and prepare the land in a more remote region. The Hatch students were led by the HMBHS Environmental Science students.

The fourth graders of both schools identified many invasive plants and those endemic to CA, which they had studied in their weekly class lessons. They also looked for signs of wildlife and of the autumn season. Students have been working on the fundamentals of nature journaling, and have been putting great effort into the detail of their drawings and observations.

While working and observing in the field, the students also delighted in the discovery of many critters that will benefit greatly from having the land around them restored into a thriving habitat. These animals included a praying mantis, a Pacific tree frog, and a breadth of other insects and spiders.