URBAN ECOLOGY
Nature surrounds us, even in cities—and when nature thrives, so do our communities. Grassroots Ecology’s Urban Ecology projects nurture nature in the city by creating and sustaining landscapes that support pollinators and birds, capture and clean stormwater, and beautify our neighborhoods.
Rain Barrels and Gardens
Rainwater catchment systems such as rain barrels, cisterns, and rain gardens reduce stormwater runoff by catching, storing, and sinking rain into the ground. The soil and plants help to clean up pollutants as rainfall works its way into groundwater stores and local creeks.
Water captured in rain barrels and cisterns can be used to irrigate landscaping, reducing the need for imported water and saving money. Roof downspouts and rain barrel overflow can be directed to rain gardens, which not only support pollinators and other wildlife, but also help to capture even more water – as much as 30% more than a conventional lawn
We are currently working with partner nonprofits Climate Resilient Communities and Fresh Approach to install 25 rain gardens and barrel systems for homeowners in East Palo Alto. These projects are helping to reduce on-site flooding by redirecting downspouts to rain barrels and gardens instead of driveways and other spots where ponding is problematic. <more info here>.
Learn More: Visit one of our publicly accessible demonstration gardens for inspiration, and check the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) website for information on rebates and free workshops.
Bioretention Basins
Stormwater flowing across city streets and parking lots picks up harmful chemicals deposited by vehicles as well as litter and other pollutants. Bioretention basins are designed to capture these pollutants off the street by directing stormwater runoff into shallow landscaped depressions along the street. Plants and soil in these basins help to filter out pollutants as they absorb water into the soil.
Grassroots Ecology has been working with the City of Palo Alto, Valley Water, and volunteers to refurbish and maintain the bioretention basins in the city’s Southgate neighborhood with native plants and high efficiency irrigation systems. By field testing native plant species to see which can handle the combination of winter flooding, summer heat, and fast-draining engineered soil in these systems, we hope to encourage more cities to utilize native plants in their stormwater infrastructure.
Learn more: in this newsletter article.
Before
After planting in 2020
2022
Pollinator Gardens
Pollinators and other insect species are in trouble. Habitat loss, pollution, invasive species, and climate change are contributing to their rapid decline all over the planet. The Western monarch butterfly population alone has declined by upwards of 90% since the 1980s. This isn’t just an existential issue for the insects themselves. Insects provide many services that are essential to our survival—from pollination to pest control—and are a critical food source for birds, fish, amphibians, and other wildlife. Our pollinator gardens provide a diversity of native plants to support native pollinators in our neighborhoods, schools, and parks.
Learn more: Visit one of our gardens to learn what kinds of plants you can incorporate in your space to support pollinators.
Urban Creek Restoration
Creeks flowing through cities are important wildlife corridors. Not only do they support aquatic species, but they also provide the safest path for wildlife to move between open spaces in the foothills and the bay. Grassroots Ecology works to restore native plant habitat to urban creeks so that fish, birds, and other wildlife may thrive in these spaces. Examples of our work include San Francisquito Creek, Redwood Creek, and Cordilleras Creek.
Learn more: San Francisquito and Matadero Creeks, Creeks of Redwood City
Native Trees
Grassroots Ecology works to increase native tree cover in our cities by planting them at our urban gardens and creek restoration sites, and encouraging homeowners and local cities to incorporate more native trees into their landscapes.
Native California trees currently account for about 5% of urban trees in the South Bay Area. The decline of native trees has significant ecological consequences, as they provide critical habitat to thousands of mammals, birds, and insect species. Compare the valley oak—which can host 150+ species of butterflies and moths, which, as caterpillars, are an important food source for birds—to sweet gum, which hosts just 2 species.
Beyond their benefits to wildlife, locally native trees are good choices for our cities because they are adapted to California’s climate and require less water than non-native tree species. They also store carbon from the atmosphere and capture air pollution on their leaves. Additionally, evergreen species like coast live oak, which keep their leaves through the rainy season, catch rain in their canopies and help to slow and filter stormwater.
Learn more: Reoaking Silicon Valley Report
Chart source: San Francisco Estuary Project, Reoaking Silicon Valley, 2017
