[APWG] The 99ers--found a second local example--any others out there?

[Craig Dremann - Redwood City Seed Company]

Dear All,

I have been working with Michael Shaw in the Santa Cruz area since 1992,
when he took his 74 acres from 88% weed cover, back to about 95% cover of
natives, that you can see on the list at
http://www.ecoseeds.com/shawlist.html, which includes two native species
new to science.

It is rare to find one new natives species in California, but two is a
spectacular gift to get, after many years of hard weeding efforts with a
permanent crew of weeders for two decades..

Recently I was contacted by another land owner in the area, Mark Vande
Pol, only about 20 miles from Shaw, in the Sata Cruz mountains, who has
single-handedly brought back 14 acres, from a weed covered property, to
99.99% cover, which I will visit on the 31st.

We have a lot of land managers in our area, who manage tens of thousands
of acres of native grasslands.  In California, native grasslands usually
contain Listed Endangered species, like butterflies on San Bruno Mtn. and
Edgewood Preserve in Redwood City, or on the coast where the few hundred
2" tall Potentilla hickmanii plants are trying to make their last stand,
in the face of 2-7 foot tall exotic invading weeds.

What I proposing locally, and nationally, is to form the club of the 99ers.
That is whomever has been able to bring back a native grassland
habitat--it could be an open habitat, or a forest understory--back to 99%
native plant cover, over one acre or more, in 5 years or less.

I am suggesting for our Santa Cruz Mtns.area,  with our State highweay
dept.(CALTRANS), our State parks, our local open space trust (POST), our
Crystal Springs reservoir watershed agency, our county and city parks and
our local open space district (MIDPEN), and private land owners, that we
try and get one square mile back to 99% native cover, withion 5 years.

All I am asking for is 600 acres, 99% native cover, within 5 years or less..

I have an axiom that I live by--If you don't ask, you will never get.  I
am hoping that others reading this posting from around this country, and
around the world,  will ask their local land managers, for a 99% weed free
place, where the local native plants and animals can call home.

Sincerely,  Craig Dremann (650) 325-7333