Scorpion Rock
historically an important nesting site for many seabirds including the burrow-nesting Cassin’s auklet. In recent years the crystalline iceplant has out competed native vegetation on the rock. With the native vegetation in decline the burrows were prone to collapse without the support of the native plant’s root systems. The Montrose Settlement Restoration Program (MSRP) is the lead agency on this project with “The goal of this project to restore seabird habitat through habitat enhancement, social attraction and reductions in human disturbance”. Working with MSRP staff and Park Service seabird biologists, Growing Solutions has been privileged to participate in the project by growing the plants and helping to plant them on the rock. 
GS Employee Report from October 2009 Trip
by: Danielle Neuhauser
Restoring Seabird Nesting Habitats on the Channel Islands
The weekend of October 23rd to 26th was spent out at Santa Cruz Island with the help of Don Hartley’s SBCC Environmental Horticulture class and other outstanding volunteers. It was a joint effort between the Channel Islands National Park, the Nature Conservancy, Santa Cruz Island Restoration, and Growing Solutions. The work was part of a restoration effort, headed by David Mazurkiewicz and Laurie Harvey, to restore nesting habitat for the Auklet seabird on Scorpion Rock.
Growing Solutions became involved with the Montrose Settlements Restoration Program in 2007 to contribute to native plant propagation, habitat restoration, and education efforts. MSRP is the product of a 2001 lawsuit against the Montrose Chemical Company, the main source of DDT contaminants on the south coast. Invasive species and lack of appropriate native cover coupled with impacts from the chemical spills (i.e. eggshell thinning, reproductive failure) have discouraged nesting opportunities and affected population numbers for several species of seabirds.
This project, many joked, fit under the rare category of “extreme restoration” due to near heroic efforts by staff and volunteers to transport seedlings across the channel by boat, carry onto a rock island by hand, and hike up a guano covered cliff to be planted in the ground under full sun exposure and blustery ocean winds. While most daylight hours were spent at work, there was still time to fit in some rest and relaxation, go for a swim, and enjoy shared meals, with frequent visits from the island fox and spotted skunk!
In the end, the crew managed to install over 3000 native plants and retrofit the artificial Auklet burrows on the rock. With close to 50 people on the team, just over half were involved through Growing Solutions. During the project, the team was joined by a film crew, post a short documentary of the project on the web. To find out more information about the project and the film, you can follow this link: http://www.darrp.noaa.gov/southwest/montrose/scorpion.html
