As a propagation group member, I volunteer at the CNPS plant sale up at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, and on my way up there for the fabulous sale yesterday, I listened to a podcast of a recent episode of the excellent NPR show, To The Best Of Our Knowledge. The theme and title was "Sense of Place" - one segment in particular really gave me food for thought.
It was about this book: Jerry Apps, Old Farm: A History (Wisconsin Historical Society Press). Mr Apps has written the "deep history" of his place, which was homesteaded by a civil war veteran, and before that was occupied by native Americans whose tribe I forget.
I want to understand the deep history of this place where I live, the ecology, and the botany especially. There are many local information resources, but I don't have the time to get out and take advantage of them. Little by little, I guess.
I'm not talking about new or original research, just pulling together information specific to right here. It would give me satisfaction.
At the sale, I chatted to Fred, a knowledgeable CNPS member, and Deanna, who works in Acterra's stewardship program and does all the things I would also love to do - propagates from local natives for restoration projects and so on. Town Mouse took one of her workshops not long ago.
The topic of watersheds came up, and the importance of planting natives that originate in the same watershed that you live in.
I'm not quite clear about this link between plants and watersheds, and I can't find any info on the web so far. I'll have to talk to Fred again about why exactly this is so important.
Again I realized I don't know my watershed. I tried once and failed: I couldn't determine from this map available on the web - Am I in the San Lorenzo watershed, the biggest one in Santa Cruz County, or the Soquel Creek watershed, just south of it? Here is a bit of the map, whose source you can find by clicking the link above.
Upon close inspection and this time comparing the above map with a Google Maps view of the same locale, I have now determined that our south slope lies in the Soquel Creek watershed, and our north slope lies in the San Lorenzo river watershed! (We live somewhere on the line to the right of the words "Scotts Valley." )
What a unique position, to be sitting on a ridge on the dividing line between two watersheds! If I were a character in a novel, living on such a dividing line would mean something.
Another small but important facet in a slowly developing sense of one particular place on the globe.
It was about this book: Jerry Apps, Old Farm: A History (Wisconsin Historical Society Press). Mr Apps has written the "deep history" of his place, which was homesteaded by a civil war veteran, and before that was occupied by native Americans whose tribe I forget.
I want to understand the deep history of this place where I live, the ecology, and the botany especially. There are many local information resources, but I don't have the time to get out and take advantage of them. Little by little, I guess.
I'm not talking about new or original research, just pulling together information specific to right here. It would give me satisfaction.
At the sale, I chatted to Fred, a knowledgeable CNPS member, and Deanna, who works in Acterra's stewardship program and does all the things I would also love to do - propagates from local natives for restoration projects and so on. Town Mouse took one of her workshops not long ago.
The topic of watersheds came up, and the importance of planting natives that originate in the same watershed that you live in.
I'm not quite clear about this link between plants and watersheds, and I can't find any info on the web so far. I'll have to talk to Fred again about why exactly this is so important.
Again I realized I don't know my watershed. I tried once and failed: I couldn't determine from this map available on the web - Am I in the San Lorenzo watershed, the biggest one in Santa Cruz County, or the Soquel Creek watershed, just south of it? Here is a bit of the map, whose source you can find by clicking the link above.
Upon close inspection and this time comparing the above map with a Google Maps view of the same locale, I have now determined that our south slope lies in the Soquel Creek watershed, and our north slope lies in the San Lorenzo river watershed! (We live somewhere on the line to the right of the words "Scotts Valley." )
What a unique position, to be sitting on a ridge on the dividing line between two watersheds! If I were a character in a novel, living on such a dividing line would mean something.
Another small but important facet in a slowly developing sense of one particular place on the globe.
Comments
As for watersheds, I haven't checked yet, but the Santa Cruz County GIS system might be able to confirm the watershed you're in. You'll need the parcel # for the lot to look it up, but there's lots of info about riparian zones/habitat type for your plot.
http://gis.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/
Hope to meet you later today on the GNGT!
Frances
I hope I don't sound like too big of a geek but I'm doing the same thing on my land so I did some reading on the subject... :)
Kate - Preaching to the choir! I did also talk to Nicky of Gold Rush Nursery at the going native garden tour event at Town Mouses' garden yesterday. She said, the watershed is a convenient tool to ID the area where material can be taken and propagated for restoration projects, but that the picture is more complicated - as common sense might indicate - As well as water flow we also have bird flight, and wind blow! and of course within one watershed there are innumerable micro climates forming niches. It's perhaps a good "gross" indicator for us geeks! I think we need more general info for restoration gardeners. I'd love to write a book or keep a web site on that topic as an information resource. First maybe an article. Before that maybe some study!!
Thanks all for commenting! It's good to know someone is reading, but I admit it's a bit scary when you meet a "fan" as I did on the tour yesterday, and realize more people are reading than you know about! - Hello to the very nice lady I talked to yesterday, who lives near San Luis Obispo and enjoys our blog!!