Category: Fauna

December 2013

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It was a busy and productive year for More Mesa. As is our custom, below are the highlights for the year 2013.

More Mesa Sold
More Mesa was sold to a Saudi investor in mid-December of last year.  Obviously MMPC is disappointed that the seller offered the property to the community for $35 million, but subsequently sold to the new owner for $25 million. However, it is important to remember that, even though we do not know the buyer’s plans, the legal instruments that govern More Mesa have not changed. Whoever owns the property must comply with the policies, standards and regulations of the County’s Goleta Community Plan and the California Coastal Act.  This means that development will be restricted, public access will be maintained, and the habitat areas covering most of the property must be protected.

Citizen Scientists Busy At Work

  • iNaturalist: Early this year we introduced a new educational resource to our website, “More Mesa Natural Resources” on iNaturalist. With this new feature, supporters who report sightings become part of a well organized Citizen Scientist movement.

  • Sightings Reports: Unusual sightings were a real highlight of 2013. For example, a fox reported in July and a rare weasel in September. In addition, there were various sightings of our signature bird, the White-tailed kite. A total of three young were fledged on More Mesa. While this is a small fraction of the 8-12 chicks we observe in years with ample rainfall, our three chicks represent a third of all kites fledged in the entire Goleta Valley. Moreover, teams of kite observers noted that 2/3 of all the kite nests in the Goleta Valley were abandoned by late May. These data show, once again, how important More Mesa is to the survival of kites in our area.

Monthly e-mail Update Well Received
May of this year saw the inauguration of our Monthly e-mail Update. This report is sent to all our supporters who have supplied us with an e-mail address and contains the following information: potential development, answers to frequently asked questions, what’s happening on More Mesa, the past and ways that our supporters can help.

Plans for the 2014

  • Symposium: Update to Symposium of 2003 – March
  • Potential Forum: Views about More Mesa from Candidates for Second District Supervisor – Spring
  • Dialogue with the new owner: We look forward to working with the new owner in a manner that not only protects the biological, aesthetic and recreational resources of More Mesa, but also addresses his interests, as well as those of other More Mesa stakeholders.

As always … thank you all for your wonderful support, and for loving this very special place.
Our warmest holiday wishes,
Valerie Olson
More Mesa Preservation Coalition

September 2013

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In the Monthly News on this website, as well as in e-mail Updates to all our supporters, we have been discussing the importance of “Citizen Science.” For MMPC this “science” is done by those (professionals and avid non-professionals) who visit More Mesa and report sightings of rare birds, plants and animals. Their reports are important in helping us understand how the entire More Mesa ecosystem functions.

This month we share a most exciting sighting; one that was reported for two separate days, and on both sides of Atascadero Creek; the More Mesa side and the bike path side. This report, filed by photographer Eric Jacob is unique, as it is not only the first of its kind, but it is enhanced with some marvelous photos. Eric’s images document a California Long-tailed Weasel. Notice that the animal looks extremely healthy and, in one photo has captured a significantly large prey animal.

Eric Jacob has been added to the list of photographers on this site, and by clicking on his photo of a Snowy Egret on that page, the embedded link will direct the browser to a Flickr set of his images from “More Mesa, Atascadero Creek and Goleta Slough”. Eric Jacob also contributes photo observations to iNaturalist, and has added some interesting sightings – Steelhead Trout, Tree Frogs, and some usually overlooked plants such as Willow Weed.

Weasel

Weasel

July 2013

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Citizen Scientists Created a Record:
In MMPC’s April Monthly News report we encouraged our supporters to become “Citizen Stewards” of More Mesa by reporting any inappropriate activities observed on More Mesa. This month we would like to reprise a similar theme … that of the “Citizen Scientist”. For more than thirteen years, MMPC has played an active role in the collection of important scientific data about More Mesa. We have done this by archiving reported observations of rare birds, plants and animals. Much of this anecdotal, but extremely valuable information, was collated and documented in our More Mesa Handbook, hosted on this site.

Citizen Scientists Still At Work:
More Mesa provides excellent habitat for probably the most important White-tailed Kite population on the South Coast. Two or three pairs of this beautiful raptor, the signature bird of MMPC, and a fully protected species in the state of California, routinely make More Mesa their home.

And, this year, true to form, there has been a report of a chick located in the area of the historical kite nest on west More Mesa. This sighting, with two others recently reported, document the fact that we have at least two pairs of kites in residence on More Mesa this year; with at least one of these a nesting pair. Another recent submittal by a Citizen Scientist was a fox sighting, also on west More Mesa.

Thanks for all of your good work:
Once again … we call on all Citizen Scientists to keep an eye out for evidence of kite nesting, chicks or fledglings on east More Mesa as well other areas of More Mesa. Perhaps you can also spot the fox, and even the bobcat pair that have often raised a family on the west side of More Mesa.

baby kites
Archived photo of baby kites on More Mesa, by Morgan Ball

March 2012

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Despite the lack of rain, signs of spring are beginning to appear on More Mesa. This Sunday, two butterfly species and two flowering plants were photographed.

More Mesa Native Plants – March, 2012
Lacy Phacelia Chaparral Clematis
clematis phacelia

Lacy Phacelia is a native annual, found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The common name is inspired by the lacy leaves, that consist of many deeply lobed leaflets. It is grows in a wide variety of habitat types, and tolerates dry conditions well. The nectar-rich flowers, opening sequentially along the coiled heads, provide a long flowering time for the many pollinators the flower attracts. Included in this group are honeybees, and hoverflies; the latter valuable because they eat aphids and other pests.

Chapparal (or Pipestem) Clematis is a deciduous vine, growing to 20 feet over other plants on slopes, chaparral, and woodland. It is found along the coast from San Francisco to Baja California, and inland to the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada at elevations less than 2000 meters. It prefers its roots to be in shady areas, and flowers in sunshine. It should not be confused with the other California native clematis, Creek Clematis, which as its names suggests, grows along the sides of creeks and in other moist areas.
More Mesa Native Butterflies – March, 2012
Bramble Green Hairstreak Marine Blue
clematis phacelia

The Bramble (or Coastal) Green Hairstreak is found along coastal California, rarely inland. The range is small and thus population sites should be protected. On More Mesa, it has been seen perched on Deer Weed, which grows in great number in the sandy soils of the southwestern corner of More Mesa. Adults fly in spring from March to May/June. Caterpillar host plants include Deer Weed and Buckwheats. Cliff Buckwheat grows in the same area in abundance. Another butterfly, Acmon Blue, also uses these hosts, and is also found in this area.

Marine (or Striped) Blue butterflies are found in the southwest deserts, and on the south and central coast of California. In the north, they fly from April to September, and in the south for most of the year. Flowers and seedpods of host plants are eaten by caterpillars, after eggs have been laid singly on flower buds. Host plants include many legumes, of which Deer Weed and non-native Vetch (Vicia) species can be found on More Mesa. An imported plant, Plumbago, is a frequent host. It is a globally secure species, with few sparse populations in its range.

December 2011

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As another fairly quiet year on More Mesa draws to a close, and as has been our custom, we offer highlights of 2011.

  • Updated Biological Resources Study
    More than eighteen months after field work for the Updated Biological Resources Study was completed, a draft report was issued by Santa Barbara County. The 429 page report, prepared by Rincon Consultants, concludes More Mesa is just as environmentally sensitive as was reported in the original 1981 study by UCSB.  Details of the report can be found here. In general, Rincon found the following:

    • An equivalent assemblage of plants and plant species
    • More bird species.
    • Kite activity on More Mesa is just as important as ever, especially from a regional perspective.
    • Kite prey are abundant.
    • Wetlands persist in the same areas as previously reported, and are more extensive.

  • More Mesa For Sale
    As we have reported for several years, More Mesa remains for sale, with the asking price still at $40 Million.  As far as we know, it has not been sold.  As always, we will keep you informed of any developments in this area.

  • Vernal Pool Feature
    In May of this year we introduced a new “Vernal Pool” feature on our web site here. This feature includes general information on vernal pools (definition, life forms in pools etc.) and some specific details on vernal pools of California, Santa Barbara and More Mesa.

As always, thank you all for your wonderful support, and for loving this very special place.
Our warmest holiday wishes.

More Mesa Native Plants – December
Deerweed Dune Primrose
deerweed beach primrose

Deerweed is a small branching perennial shrub growing to a height of about three to four feet. It is drought tolerant, helps to reduce erosion, and is often one of the first pioneer species after a fire, before it is eventually replaced by other natives. It is found in coastal strand, coastal sage scrub and chaparral below 5000′, from Baja California to Humboldt County.

As a member of the pea family, Deeerweed is able to fix nitrogen. The flowers are typical of the pea family, with yellow flowers that bloom starting from the first rains through August.

The flowers are attractive to many butterflies such as Silvery Blue, Gray Hairstreak, Acmon Blue, Funereal Duskywing, Orange Sulfur, and Bramble Hairstreak (in photo).

Dune or Beach Evening Primrose grows naturally on beach dunes, and thus requires well-drained sandy soils. It is low spreading, with a maximum height of about sixteen inches. It can take both full sun and partial shade, and is drought-tolerant.

Flowering for several months from the first rains to August, it opens during the day, and thrives over a wide range of weather conditions (foggy to sunny). As the blooms die, they turn an attractive orange. The leaves are grayish-green.

This plant grows in the southwest corner of More Mesa where marine sands have been-deposited by the wind creating a “coastal dune scrub habitat” that includes other plants typical of that habitat type.