Update: June 22nd, 2009

David Andrews and Lauren Tyler, two kids from England arrived last month to help with the planting of the park which was put off one more time due to the unseasonably warm weather. We are now looking at planting in July. David and Lauren cleaned the property instead of planting it. It wasn’t what they had in mind but they were good spirited about it and worked hard. We installed a two-thousand liter watering tank on the property and had it filled. We are now just waiting for the scientists.

Park finances: We’re in the hole a couple hundred, plus the watering tank. We knew when we began the project that it would turn out something like this. Once it is planted we’ll be taking more of our hearts to see it with the option of adopting parts of the park and planting trees around the perimeter.lign="left" class="style2"> Update: Mar. 15th, 2009

We were able to get the plant material burned, but then the rains prohibited us from doing much else. The rains have ceased, but now we are in the “hot” season. As any planting we did now would need to be irrigated until the Garua season (drizzle) arrives in July, we have opted to postpone planting until the beginning of May. This will give us one less month of watering. The air temperature will be 10 degrees less. The plants in the green houses will be bigger and as it turns out we have two volunteers from England arriving in May to work on the park. They are landscapers in England, so it is a good fit, although they had their hearts set on volunteering with some kind of animal project.

The park has been completely fenced. We “mowed” it one more time this week owing to the rains and new growth. The scientists have laid out their plan which requires that a 30 x 30 meter portion never be sprayed with weed killer. In the other portions we can suppress the new growth. They have two other experimental areas outside the 30 x 30 meter area.

Finances:
Total donations for the Park- $1,377
Total costs to this point- $1,502 Not bad considering all we’ve accomplished and that from here on out costs should be incidental.
 

Update: Feb. 1st, 2009
Jeniffer Kayte Glover Endemic Species Recovery Park Update

Thursday Jan. 22, we had a half day meeting on the park site with Anna and Jorje Renteria. Anna works for the Charles Darwin Foundation and will be coordinating plant selection along with Jorje who is working on his PHD in the suppression of Black Berry vines in the Galapagos. All the plants in the park area had been cut down and were waiting to dry so that they could be burnt. This allowed scientists and CDF officials the ability to see the park area, topographical features etc.

Key Points of The Meeting:

The introduction of black berry vines to the Galapagos happened only TEN years ago! One of the primary goals of the Park is to experiment with methods that can be used on a large scale. Selection of plant species within the park will be limited to fast growing native and endemic species that have the best chances of competing with the Black Berry. Side note: The border areas of the park will be planted with Matazarno trees by our clients over the years. This a relatively slow growing tree after the first two years and offers limited shade, one of the key components in repressing black berries. Jorje requested that we burn plant material in only one small section of the park and only that plant material that had been growing there. The rest of the plant material was to be moved by bulldozer to be burnt on a site outside the perimeter of the park. A plant list and design will be submitted within the next month - During that month Come To Galapagos is in charge of moving plant material and burning it appropriately and building the fences that will surround the park. Naturally the rains started just when we were about ready to begin burning the plant material, so we are waiting for a week without rain before we will burn. We were able to get the bulldozer up there to move the plant material around. As soon as the plant material is burnt, we will begin building the fences. Below are two pictures of the site as it exists now.

Finances:
Original donation = $1,316
Expenses to date total $1,048

Sign - $510
Manual Labor to clear land - $475
Bull dozer - Free
Weed killer - $30
Diesel (for burning) - $15
Taxi/transportation costs - $18

The Jegsurp (JKGESRP or Jenifer Kayte Glover Endemic Species Recovery Park)

The Jegsurp was one of those things that came about by a series of happy coincidences, the hand of God if you will.

Jeniffer Glover had a simple wish, to celebrate her fortieth birthday here in the Galapagos with her closest friends and family. To that end she booked and paid for a trip for ten of them to be here with her. Her sister, Melissa Stoner had the idea that as a birthday present, the traveling group and other friends would together make a donation in Jenifer’s name to some worthy cause here in the Galapagos. The idea was that perhaps a plaque or something could be presented to her when she was here on her birthday. I was asked if I could come up with something.

Hmmm… A park bench with a plaque?

I asked the head of the Charles Darwin Foundation here on San Cristobal, Juan Carlos Guzman if he had any ideas. His suggestion was a small park of endemic species of plants with little plaques identifying them. The Charles Darwin Foundation is working toward reforestation of native and endemic species of plants through a grant provided by a Japanese company. They have nurseries where they are propagating the plants to be sold at minimum costs to people who want to use them for landscaping purposes, etc. So it seemed a natural fit. The problem was where to put the small park.

My wife had the idea why not put it up on our farm? We could clear out a section which is over grown with invasive introduced species, repatriate the native plants and have a park that would approximate the plants that were growing here before man arrived. Not bad…

Rachel Atkinson of the Charles Darwin Foundation on Santa Cruz came over to meet us and see what we had in mind. Turns out what they really needed was a working laboratory where they could study methods of suppressing the growth of the non-native invasive species, particularly but not limited to Mora or blackberry vines. On the four inhabited islands of the Galapagos less than three percent of the total plant mass is made up of native and endemic plant species. About two percent is agriculture and the other ninety-five percent, introduced, invasive, habitat destroying species.

It was decided the park would be divided into four sections, each twenty-three meters by twenty-three meters. The same quantity and types of native and endemic plants would be planted in each. In one section the land would simply be cleared and planted. In another it would be cleared and planted but also native grasses would be planted. In the third a pre-emergent weed killer would be used and in the fourth a bulldozer would remove the top three inches of soil. The theory being that was where the “seed bank” existed and that the native plants were hardy and had evolved here without the presence of much organic mater in the soil.

Okay, the donations made in the Name of “Jen” Glover would cover the costs of clearing the land, building fences, signs and the actual planting of the plants. The plants and technical assistance would be provided by the Charles Darwin Foundation and one half acre of land and maintenance of the park would be provided by Come To Galapagos.

The first thing needed was someone to clear the land. We contracted with a fellow to clear the entire area. He put in one days work and declined to work anymore. Below are pictures of his progress, one man, one machete, one day and a photo of what he was up against.

We contracted with another man for the same $450 to clear the area. He showed up the first morning of work saying he would only do it for $600.

As the holidays were approaching we were having similar problems with getting the sign for the park made and the plaque to be presented “Jen”. Our good friend sign maker was under forced labor for the Mayor as he was pushing to get the new soccer stadium open and finished. Two other sign makers made appointments to come and discuss the project, but neither showed up. We were having the presentation plaque made in Quito where the labor force is far less vagrant.

It turned out the Mayor’s soccer stadium push helped. They needed an ATV to help spread sand over the new soccer field. We traded them the use of our ATV for four days in exchange for use of a bulldozer for one day. The bulldozer showed up and broke after twenty minutes of work. Meanwhile “Jen” and company were due to arrive in several days.

We were able to get the sign finished the day before it was presented.

The presentation was a success. Jen was quite touched. Tears were the first irrigation of the land.

As of this date 1/14/09, progress is being made. The land should be cleared by the end of this week. We pressured the Mayor into getting the tractor back up there this week end or the next. Scientists and biologists are arriving Jan. 22 for a final meeting regarding design/placement and quantity of plants. The pre-emergent weed killer is in storage. Below are pictures of the two workers who are taking on the project of clearing the land. I will post updates here as progress continues.