Mustard in Solstice Canyon/NPS.
As the saying goes, “All that glitters is not gold.” The hillsides covered in lush green and bright yellow flowers after a season of heavy rains include a masquerader that will soon become a forest of dead brown stalks. Biologists and ecologists say the region is simultaneously experiencing two very different “superbloom” seasons: one is comprised of stunning native wildflowers, while the other is made up of a pernicious weed called black mustard (Brassica nigra).
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is the largest urban national park in the country, encompassing more than 150,000 acres of mountains and coastline in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. A unit of the National Park Service, it comprises a seamless network of local, state, and federal parks interwoven with private lands and communities. As one of only five Mediterranean ecosystems in the world, the recreation area preserves the rich biological diversity of more than 450 animal species and 26 distinct plant communities.
Mustard has taken over many of the previously burned hillsides of the Santa Monica Mountains and, indeed, to many a passerby the hills look lovely. Most of the public put these flowers in the same category as poppies, lupines, or phacelias - they contribute to the bucolic aspect of the rural countryside. But in reality, these invasive, non-native plants with the sturdy, bright green stems that lead to tiny yellow flowers at the top are known to push out native vegetation. They also make enjoying the park difficult in the areas where they grow - stalks are thick and clumped close together, which makes hiking and mountain biking on some local trails virtually impossible
Along both sides of the 101 Freeway, Pacific Coast Highway, Mulholland Highway and throughout the Santa Monica Mountains, these dense, deceptive weeds are ubiquitous. In some areas, mustard can grow up to 10 feet tall.
“In a couple of months, the mustard will dry out, turn brown, and become tinder for wildfire,” said Joseph Algiers, a restoration ecologist for Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. “Sadly, newly burned sites are more subject to invasion.”
Algiers says there are over 300 non-native species in the Santa Monica Mountains. A core group of them are considered the "evil 25," and efforts have begun to combat the spread of these non-natives. However, black mustard is not on the priority list.
“It would probably be easier to get another man on the moon than to get rid of this invasive plant on a regional scale,” Algiers continues. He and other biologists feel that although there is little that can be done to remove black mustard, it remains important for the public to be aware that this brief moment of beauty will be followed by fields of dead stalks for several years to come.
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Comments
Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike. That was settled in federal court in 1996: https://mjvande.info/mtb10.htm . It's dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don't have access to trails closed to bikes. They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else -- ON FOOT! Why isn't that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of walking....
A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view. Of course, it's not true. To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see https://mjvande.info/scb7.htm ). I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions.
Mountain bikers also love to build new trails - legally or illegally. Of course, trail-building destroys wildlife habitat - not just in the trail bed, but in a wide swath to both sides of the trail! E.g. grizzlies can hear a human from one mile away, and smell us from 5 miles away. Thus, a 10-mile trail represents 100 square miles of destroyed or degraded habitat, that animals are inhibited from using. Mountain biking, trail building, and trail maintenance all increase the number of people in the park, thereby preventing the animals' full use of their habitat. See https://mjvande.info/scb9.htm for details.
Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the area, and, worst of all, teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it's NOT!). What's good about THAT?
To see exactly what harm mountain biking does to the land, watch this 5-minute video: http://vimeo.com/48784297.
In addition to all of this, it is extremely dangerous: https://mjvande.info/mtb_dangerous.htm .
For more information: https://mjvande.info/mtbfaq.htm .
The common thread among those who want more recreation in our parks is total ignorance about and disinterest in the wildlife whose homes these parks are. Yes, if humans are the only beings that matter, it is simply a conflict among humans (but even then, allowing bikes on trails harms the MAJORITY of park users -- hikers and equestrians -- who can no longer safely and peacefully enjoy their parks).
The parks aren't gymnasiums or racetracks or even human playgrounds. They are WILDLIFE HABITAT, which is precisely why they are attractive to humans. Activities such as mountain biking, that destroy habitat, violate the charter of the parks.
Even kayaking and rafting, which give humans access to the entirety of a water body, prevent the wildlife that live there from making full use of their habitat, and should not be allowed. Of course those who think that only humans matter won't understand what I am talking about -- an indication of the sad state of our culture and educational system.