Much More Than That

Your story about the closing of Tunnel Trail is more than just about “lost access to hiking the Tunnel Trail.”

The Mission Canyon habitat restoration project is a result of Edison illegally dumping debris into the creek and damaging the surrounding ecosystem. Their “minor roadwork” was, aside from being negligent, illegal and resulted in civil and criminal charges filed by the S.B. District Attorney and a $3.5 million fine. And, yes, repeated closures of the trail to hikers. Besides hikers being displaced, so are dozens of other non-hiker species. Until it is fixed, the already damaged area and downstream residents are at risk of landslides and further habitat destruction.

The plants for the restoration project come from the Botanic Garden, located quite literally down the street, or actually, just a bit down Mission Canyon. Garden staff and volunteer crews have been sourcing and growing hundreds, if not thousands of native plants and trees to help recover the habitat.

Providing native plants for this and other restoration projects throughout California is just one of the Garden’s missions. It’s more than a pretty (and fun) place to roam and view natives. It is all about the science of biodiversity and the conservation of native plants, including those rare and endangered. The garden manages a multitude of species, growing, storing, and cataloging hundreds of thousands of specimens for the Living Collection and two million seeds in the Conservation Seed Bank.

Check out the available education and outreach activities! There’s even an on-site nursery. Learn how to grow your own at https://sbbotanicgarden.org/.

Larry Bickford is a volunteer propagator at the S.B. Botanic Garden’s Living Collection unit.