Celebrating International Beaver Day (April 7)!

The beaver is a keystone species so where there are beavers, there are usually salmon, trout, ducks, salamanders, and a wide variety of other plant and animal life. The biodiversity they foster helps make the land more resilient to droughts, floods, and wildfires. They are famously industrious and require no monetary compensation for their work. We support the growing interest in coexisting with beavers and will share more info from this community in future posts.

As a demonstration of "Beaver Spirit" and to honor Earth Day/Month, our San Francisco office rolled up their sleeves and helped out at Heron's Head Park near India Basin. With the guidance of Janet from the Golden Gate Audubon Society and Miguel at SF Recreation and Parks, we identified and removed an invasive plant species called Algerian Sea Lavender to make way for native species like Western Marsh Rosemary and Alkali Heath. Together with other volunteers we removed 8.2 kg (18 lbs) of the sea lavender and 0.9 kg (2 lbs) of trash from the area. We learned that the wetlands area around Heron's Head is an important stopover for migratory birds along the West Coast. 

It was fun to get our hands dirty so close to our office and learn about the surrounding wildlife. 

It's a nice park to walk around. You can shop for native plants at nearby Bay Natives. There is a dog park, ecology center, walking paths, and fishing. It's good to keep dogs leashed outside of the dog park so they don't spook the wildlife in the area. The birds will avoid areas where they get chased down by dogs.