UIHS was a participant in this year’s California Biodiversity Day, a week dedicated to learning, and adding to the collective knowledge about California’s biodiversity. And what better way to discover biodiversity then a guided walk of Potawot, and the Ku’wah-dah-wilth land restoration. With an enthusiastic group of people gathered at Potawot Village on September 7 to learn about the land restoration. Led by UIHS’ Traditional Land Management Specialist Matthew Hinshaw, the group saw restored wetlands, native plants and listened to Matthew tell the story of Ku’wah-dah-wilth.
The event was advertised in the local papers and on Facebook, and according to Matthew, some people even heard from word of mouth. For this walk a total of 18 people attended. “I thought the turnout was great,” explained Matthew, “especially for the first one I have personally organized. The group was terrific as well. The people who attended had an interest in the property and the inhabiting plants and animals.”
The attendees walked the paths of Ku’wah-dah-wilth together, identifying plants and looking them up on their phones to learn about what they were seeing. At times everyone would stop and listen to Matthew as he shared his knowledge of certain plants and their traditional uses. By using a phone app called iNaturalist the nature walkers were actually contributing to the collective knowledge about the plants and California’s 30×30 initiative, which aims to conserve 30% of California lands and coastal waters by 2030 through collaborative action.
“We used iNaturalist to help identify Rose Spirea, or hardhack (Spiraea douglasii)” said Matthew. “It is a shrub that has a beautiful pink/purple inflorescence of flowers and is in the rose plant family. The amount of flowers make it a great pollinator attraction for hummingbirds, butterflies, native bees and other pollinators.”
As the group walked along the edge of the property, Matthew stopped to demonstrate the contrast between the cow pasture to his right, with an electric fence and a few cows wandering around in the grass, and the rich, bio-diverse land being brought back to it’s natural state, with a variety of trees, an abundance of native plants, wetlands and animal habitat. He explained that at one time, all Potawot was a big cow pasture, with only grass and cows. It was clear to the attendees, me being one of them, just how far the land had come back toward its natural state.
Matthew is planning to lead more nature walks in the future, and has already taken a group of college students around the land. He’s also coordinating volunteers to help and learn through the continuing work.
“The property has a great establishment of biodiversity so I could spend all day out there if given the opportunity. We could especially fill a day full of activities if we included weeding as an activity. Those are in the plans for the future, but I won’t make people spend an entire day weeding with me. If anyone is interested in weeding all day though I will happily assist in their interest.”
“I feel like there is always something new I discover while being outside, that’s the great thing about exploring nature and the great outdoors” he said.