Following a spell of hot, cloudless days, Montaña De Oro State Park seemed to have returned to its natural and most revered state with a thick fog hovering over the state park’s 8000 acres, cradling all that lay underneath it, as to almost freeze this Sunday morning and all its glory in time.
The air was still, the faint whoosh of cars rounding the curves sounded akin to the distant hum of the pounding ocean. The birds filled the rest of that empty air –– species I had yet a name for, but soon would study and discuss during the Coon Creek Adventure Walk hosted by the Central Coast State Parks Association (CCSPA) on April 13.
Overcast, the sun appeared a glowing, opalescent orb in the sky which made the dunes and sprawling hillsides brighter. This spotlight allowed the landscape to take center stage and flaunt its vibrancy in the modest manner that nature always takes. Here, as I sat waiting for the free community walk to begin, there was proof of spring in the rugged cliffs’ blushing state: wildflowers of every color inviting the eye, native and non-native plant species coating the hills and a history beneath each leaf’s petal, oak tree and rocky trail.
The 1.5-mile walk was to be more of a stroll. Sally Krenn –– a CCSPA volunteer who has worked as a PG&E biologist working on the Diablo Canyon lands for around 40 years, as well as with Central Coast Aquarium and SLO Land Conservancy –– led Allen Fois, a seasonal worker at Lopez Lake, and I along the trail, down to the first plant community we were to learn about.
She set the mood for the morning as the sun began its journey through the cloud cover, one that invited us to shed all worries and leave the day’s to-do lists at the car. This opened the two-hour period up to unboundless curiosity and invited our natural awe for our surroundings to guide us by each plant community.
We walked past the coastal sage scrub plants and scratchy chaparral plant species, noting cowboys’ use of chaps for this very reason, and on into the lush riparian corridor. We gently squeezed the vibrant orange sticky monkey flower (Diplacus aurantiacus) and while brushing our fingers along the tips of the invasive South African veldt grass (Ehrarta calycina), Sally explained it’s inundated and managed by the grazing animals of the local cowboy, Bob Blanchard.
We learned that Bob and Terri Blanchard, in 1992, had implemented a grazing program on the Pecho Ranch, between Diablo Canyon Power Plant and Montaña De Oro, that ensured each pasture was introduced to these grazing animals for a period of time, followed by a period of rest. This special care to the land is proven to increase species diversity and enhance organic matter in the soil.
As we continued on, we came upon a big bush of Black Sage (Salvia mellifera), which the Chumash people have traditionally eaten and used to make tea for treating pain. The yellow vibrancy of a Deerweed plant (Acmispon glaber) seemed to reach out to us as we examined the small red flowers, which Sally said indicated they had been pollinated.
A blue belly lizard, also known as a Western fence, ran across the dirt path and found shade under the Deerweed. We crouched, eyeing its small body doing lizard push-ups. Lizard blood, we learned, contains a protein that kills bacteria tied to Lyme disease, thus curing ticks that feed on them. As we continued on, our gazes fell to a Toyon shrub (Heteromeles arbutifolia), with its serrated leaves and red berries. The Chumash people have long used its hard wood for crafting arrow shafts, fish hooks, and tools.
Heaps of poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) lay entwined with the plant species, and kept us present in each of our strides. Sally mentioned that the Chumash people have traditionally used nettle in healing salves for arthritis, and that it was sometimes applied to the back to help reduce inflammation.
The path led us into an enchanting oak forest, where sunlight flooded through the coast live oaks (Quercus agrofolia) and shadows danced on the ground. A picnic bench was situated –– almost stoically, I thought to myself –– in the corner, waiting for another one of the trail’s tired wanderers to inhabit it before moving on through.
The bird sounds of a wrentit filled the air. Our eyes scanned the tree lines in hopes of spotting it, however all we were met with was its song, akin to the sound of a bouncing ball, emanating out of a deep shrub. Minutes later, as we quietly moved down the trail, its pale brown body flew across the path, making Sally’s day.
Colors bounced out to us on each side of the trail; the fuschia-flowered gooseberries (Ribes speciosum), the ruby red Indian paintbrush (Castilleja miniata), the purple Blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum), the glossy yellow petals of the California buttercup (Ranunculus californicus) and the milky hue of the White yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea).
Clumps of a white, frothy substance were stuck on various plants and flower stems. Sally explained that spittlebugs overwinter as eggs in the protective foam and hatch in the spring.
As we turned around to head back to the lot, we gazed high up the valley to the abundance of Bishop pines (Pinus muricata). The 2012 prescribed burn in the Coon Creek area helped revitalize and promote growth for the surrounding trees and plant communities, Sally told us. This practice has been an integral part of Indigenous people’s lives for millenia, as periodic controlled burns prevent wildfire, help restore habitats and maintain native ecosystems.
Retracing our steps along the Coon Creek trail, Sally spoke of her dedication to plant and marine species, and the dire need for outdoor education geared towards people of all ages.
In the ‘70s, she worked as a naturalist at Camp KEEP in MDO, and began developing ways to present outdoor spaces to young children in ways that would pique their interest and keep them dedicated to preserving the outdoors. To best highlight the local flora, she focuses on uplifting the ways the Northern Chumash tribe of our area utilize certain native plants for their medicinal or edible properties.
“My hope is that as we get more connected with the land and appreciate it, we will potentially save it from development,” Sally said of her work. “I’ve always thought that if you put a name to these plants, you have more of a connection to them. And I’ve had people say, ‘Oh my gosh, when I drive now, I see plants I know along the road, like lupines,’ and it’s opened their eyes to a whole new world.”
As I continued back to the parking lot, the air seemed to smell sweeter, the path more full of wonder, the wind speaking the names of nature. As I steered my car’s wheel along Montaña De Oro’s winding roads, I noticed how the two hours had passed me by in the same way the jagged coast was fluttering by out the window. I had walked the Coon Creek Trail before, following it towards Oats Peak. But never had I spent such thoughtful time with the plant communities making up the landscape –– analyzing a fern’s structure, lifting a flower’s petals up to see their undersides, stopping to invite birds and other wildlife to cross paths with me. ‘It’s the little things,’ I thought to myself.
To see upcoming Adventure Walks scheduled at various Central Coast parks, as well as other CCSPA events, visit the calendar here.
