San Luis Obispo, Walter Capps Memorial Forest Tree Planting

Walter Capps Memorial Forest

Project Title: Walter Capps Memorial Forest Tree Planting

Description: The Walter Capps Memorial Forest is a little-known gem of El Chorro State Park, in memory, of course, to the former congressman and accomplished Californian, Walter Capps.  The park’s dedication and planting proceeded after his untimely death in the late 1990’s, and OneCoolEarth with the help of the Grizzley Academy returned to the site approximately 10 years later to add even more trees.  In all, OneCoolEarth helped plant several hundred new trees on the site, literally creating a forest of native cypress, oaks, sycamores, box elder, toyon, and Catalina cherries.

OCE Work History:

1990’s – original planting

03.07.2008 – additional planting

Project Status: established

Updates:

none

San Luis Obispo, Hogue Action Pistol Range Tree Planting

Hogue Action Pistol Range

Project Title: Hogue Action Pistol Range Tree Planting

Description: The local pistol range,  frequented by gun enthusiasts, law enforcement personnel, and individuals interested in self-defense, is situated along a desolate section of the 101 between Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo.  Lionel noticed the site because of its denuded embankments, and because it is particularly exposed to the elements, he believed that trees could serve to protect against erosion, provide windbreaks and shade and cool the area.  In the fall of 2007, with permission of the rangemaster, he and Chrissy planted more than a dozen cypress, oak, and box elder along the embankments.  OneCoolEarth plans to return in the future and continue planting.

OCE Work History:

Fall of 2007 – initial planting

Project Status: monitoring, planning

Updates:

none

San Luis Obispo, Odd Fellows’ Hall Tree Planting

Oaks Growing Tall

Project Title: Odd Fellows’ Hall Tree Planting

Description: The Odd Fellows Hall on Dana St. represents a fixture of local events and community gatherings.  To give a little back to the place that has given so much, OneCoolEarth donated and planted several oaks–in the front of the building to beautify and shade the premises, and in the back along the parking lot to furnish shade and dispel the heat-island effect of parking lots.  Only two years after planting, the trees in the front have jumped to five feet in height with virtually no regular irrigation, exemplifying the success of native plants in landscaping and refuting the myth that oaks grow slowly.  The trees can now stand alone in the landscape or be enhanced by future plantings.

OCE Work History:

Fall 2007 – planting

Project Status: established

Updates:

none

Cal Poly, Aero Hanger Nursery

Chrissy Waving the Wand

Project Title: Cal Poly Aero Hanger Nursery

Description: Currently home to more than 300 living oaks, redwood, and cypress, the aero hanger nursery is the home base for OneCoolEarth’s local activities.  Although the nursery is named after the nearby plane hanger–a student landmark on campus–it is actually located next to the Cal Poly groundskeeping headquarters.  Working in such close proximity to Cal Poly’s groundskeepers has enabled OneCoolEarth to thoroughly integrate our activites with the campuses, finding out where plantings are needed on campus, notifying the groundskeepers first hand of our projects, and raising their interest and awareness of native plants.  Much of the nurseries stock has been planted on Cal Poly, especially around the soccer fields.  For students, having the nursery so close to school offers a chance to get their hands dirty planting, planting, repotting and preping up for our projects.  Eventually, OneCoolEarth hopes to transfer the nursery entirely to student care.

OCE Work History:

Fall 2003 – Established

Fall 2003 – present – seasonal seeding

01.10.2009 – Materials Engineering Honors Society Redwood Repotting

04.25.2009 – WOW Leader Potting and Planting

Project Status: ongoing

Update:

none

Cal Poly, Organic Farm Nursery

Cal Poly Organic Farm

**Update: Nursery temporarily closed while Organic Farm undergoes repurposing**

Project Title: Cal Poly Organic Farm Nursery

Description: Reaching out to Cal Poly students for assistance with planting efforts, and to further educate about native vegetation, OneCoolEarth partnered with the Cal Poly Organic Farm to set up a nursery highly visible and easily accessible to students.  With space for over 400 pots, the nursery adds significant capacity to our planting efforts.  The nurseries location also furthers ties between agriculture and native trees and has already built many positive relationships with Cal Poly and the community: OCE has participated in the farm sponsored Earth Day event, giving away trees to visitors, and we have entered discussions to plant many of the trees on the farm and along field fence lines in the Fall of 2009.   The compost unit across the way has generously donated much of the soil required to complete our potting.

OCE Work History:

Fall 2007 – Established site, moving in weed barrier, shipping crates, pots, soil, and initial plantings.

Earth Day 2007 – Tree Giveaway

Fall 2007 – Planting

Earth Day 2008 – Tree Giveaway

Fall 2008 – Planting

Spring 2010 Planted 50 trees with students from Poly Canyon

Project Status: nursery temporarily closed

Updates:

none

Cal Poly, Soccer Fields Tree Planting

Students Planting

Project Title: Cal Poly Soccer Fields Tree Planting

Description: The soccer fields have been the target of many of OneCoolEarth’s recent events, mostly due to the excellent potential of the sites for involving Cal Poly fraternities, sororities, athletes, clubs, and students in the activities.  To date, hundreds of students have helped plant, mulch, water, transplant, and start seeds for the project, bringing environmental issues and solutions right to their home campus.  Plantings have become a regular part of October’s Day of Service, and the Week of Welcome organization has assisted with freshmen and leadership volunteer groups for the past three years.  Alpha Gamma Rho, Sigma Phi Epsilon, the Materials Engineering Honors Society, and Society of Women Engineers, and numerous others have participated in making this project a success.

OCE Work History:

September 2006 – WOW Planting

September 2007 – WOW Planting

October 1, 2007 – Student Community Services Planting

October 26, 2007 – Day of Service Planting

October 24, 2008 – Day of Service Planting

November 2008 – Alpha Gamma Rho Mulching

October 25, 2009 – Day of Service Planting

April 24, 2009 – WOW Leader Service Day Planting

Sept. 2009 – WOW students return to site to maintain trees

Sept. 2010 – WOW students return again to maintain trees, replanting fatalities, mulching, watering, and weeding

Project Status: partially established, monitoring, planning

Updates:

7.6.2009 – Three years after the start of plantings at the soccer fields I walked the line and counted a grand total of 400 live trees!  – Greg

San Luis Obispo, Laguna Middle School Tree Planting

Laguna Middle School

Project Title: Laguna Middle School Tree Planting

Description: Lionel began planting at Laguna Middle School in 2002 in response to the death of several eucalyptus trees on campus.  Several more plantings have occured since, focusing on creating a barrier between Los Osos Valley Road and the school due to concerns over vehicle emissions.  With over 150 diseased and dying eucalyptus on the campus, OCE plans many more plantings to replace the doomed trees with hearty, long-lived oaks, redwoods, catalina cherries and sycamore trees, all of which have thrived in the region for millenia.  Stay tuned for more information on plantings at this site.

OCE Work History:

Fall of 2002 – original planting

Fall of 2006 – extended planting

Project Status: partially established, planting ongoing

Updates:

6.28.2009 – We stopped by and counted one cork oak, 18 live oaks, two canyon oaks, four redwoods and a western cedar doing well. – Greg

San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College Entrance Tree Planting

Cuesta College

Project Title: Cuesta College Entrance Tree Planting

Description: Earth Day of 1991 marks Lionel’s first major tree planting–in collaboration with Cuesta College, 58 oaks of several varieties were planted at the entrance of the college.  Students provided the labor, and grounds keepers have maintained the trees over the years.  Auspiciously, all of the trees have survived, some reaching heights of 20 ft. in less than that many years.  The planting project has set a precedent for OneCoolEarth’s activities in the area, modeling our goals of sustainability in its minimal requirements for upkeep, beauty, practicallity in offering shade and habitat, and its overall effect of drawing attention to native landscaping.  The original planting and its success have led to further collaborations between OCE and Cuesta: involvement of the Grassroots Gathering environmental club in later planting projects, a restoration of part of Pennington Creek with assistant from the Fish and Game Department, plantings at the Fairbanks Cross Country track, and the latest project, a grant proposal with the Morro Bay Estuary Program to restore, landscape, and install a nature path with interpretive signs along a stretch of Pennington Creek.

OCE Work History:

Earth Day of 1991 – original planting

Project Status: established

Updates:

none

Cal Poly, Walter’s Ranch Agro-forestry

Walter's Ranch

Project Title: Walter’s Ranch Agro-forestry

Description: Walter’s Ranch is an integral parcel in Cal Poly’s land holdings and home to commercial and purebred cattle. Several students live on site to tend to the cattle. Uniquely, the site is located on a slope, and animals are fed at the top of the hill to encourage exercise and proper fattening. Narrow strips of land run up the hills between pastures. Early in 2009, Lionel worked with the Cal Poly rodeo club to plant trees on this land seeing their value in stabilizing the slope, shading the livestock, and beautifying the area. Long in the future, the acorns of the oak may provide additional forge to the cattle, as is common practice in Spain and Portugal. More trees were planted in a windbreak around the on-site residence, and around an eroding ravine along the road to the beef unit.

OCE Work History:

January/February 2009 – original planting

Project Status: monitoring

Updates:

none

San Luis Obispo, Laguna Lake

Laguna Lake

Project Title: Laguna Lake Tree Planting

Description: Laguna lake is surrounded by a prominent park along Madonna St. and home to a Frisbee-golf course.  For Arbor Day 2005, OCE planted cypress along the paved bike path and pedestrian walkway that runs along the park’s edge.  Also, numerous trees were donated from OCE’s nursuries to the City’s Parks and Recrecreation Department and are planted throughout the park.

OCE Work History:

2005 – original planting

Project Status: established

Updates:

6.25.2009 Counted fourteen cypress and one live oak along the path, all planted four years ago. – Greg