Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve’s ecosystem is under constant threat of disturbance by invasive weeds and loss of native plant habitat. Project 467 is the overarching habitat management project that addresses these threats.
Project 467 has four components:
- Weed Warriors
- Bay checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis) restoration
- San Mateo thornmint (Acanthomintha duttonii) and white-rayed pentachaeta (Pentachaeta bellidiflora) preservation
- Green Grass initiative
See our 2022 Habitat Restoration Update.
Weed Warriors
The Weed Warriors program is a joint effort of the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society and Friends of Edgewood. Over the past thirty years, this program has succeeded in eliminating or controlling many invasive plant species, including yellow star thistle, bristly ox-tongue, and fuller’s teasel.
Bay Checkerspot Butterfly
Creekside Science has been coordinating the efforts to restore the Bay checkerspot butterfly to Edgewood Park for several years. Once plentiful, the butterflies had all but disappeared from the park by 2002. Learn more about what is being done to bring them back.
Thornmint and Pentachaeta Preservation
San Mateo thornmint (Acanthomintha obovate ssp. duttonii) is a federally endangered species found naturally only at Edgewood Park. In 2008, Friends of Edgewood partnered with Creekside Science to restore the fragile population. The white-rayed pentachaeta (Pentachaeta bellidiflora), like the thornmint, is also a federally endangered plant. It occurs only in the “triangle” adjacent to Edgewood and in a tiny colony within the park. We are partnering again with Creekside Science to begin work to expand the pentachaeta population. Project 467 will allow us to expand both these restoration efforts and ultimately protect these native species from extinction.
Green Grass
Our new Green Grass initiative aims to restore Edgewood’s non-native grasslands to their former floral beauty and species diversity by reducing or eliminating weeds and promoting greater cover of native plants. Approximately 40% of Edgewood Park consists of grassland, and almost all of Edgewood’s grasslands have been significantly degraded due to the invasion of weeds, especially non-native grasses. While the Weed Warriors can effectively remove thistles and other non-grasses, it’s just not feasible to remove grasses by hand.
By employing the best practices of grassland management, including mowing, de-thatching, and selective chemical treatments, the Green Grass initiative will significantly increase native cover. Because non-native grasses also threaten the Bay checkerspot butterfly, thornmint, and pentachaeta, we expect Green Grass to deliver benefits to these related projects as well.
How You Can Help
Friends of Edgewood membership dues and donations from our faithful supporters have funded much of the park’s habitat management projects for 25 years.
Adding the Green Grass initiative and pentachaeta restoration to our current habitat management efforts will more than double our current restoration costs. With Project 467, we are actively raising funds to make sure that we will be able to protect every one of Edgewood Park’s 467 acres for years to come.
You can help support the park you love by becoming a Friend of Edgewood member or making a one-time donation at any level.