Ninety Trees Beautify UC Irvine Housing
For the past three years, UC Irvine has implemented the student housing initiative aimed at planting trees throughout the vast housing complexes dotted around the campus. Irvine Ranch Water District and the Shadetree Partnership have collaborated to provide a variety of trees from the Shadetree nursery to the effort.
“We have had volunteers plant 700 trees provided by the partnership,” said Matt Deines, who works with UCI’s environmental planners and is a member of the Shadetree board. “The goal is to plant trees near the paths for the ecological effects, provide bird habitat, create an urban treescape and improve air quality.”
On Earth Day, student volunteers gathered to plant 90 trees at the UCI Palo Verde Student Housing complex. Many of the students were from Prof. Peter Bowler’s classes on sustainability.
“We have gone to the UCI arboretum and to the San Joaquin wetlands with our class,” said student Elise Jackson.
Dave Asman, landscape contracts administrator for IRWD and Shadetree representative, gathered with students and instructed them how to plant the strawberry trees, California peppers, Canary Island pines, Chinese flame trees, crape myrtles, Chinese Pistache, Brisbane Box and coast live oaks. Then the students took over.
The California friendly trees were selected from Shadetree’s vast inventory. Shadetree’s nursery is located at UCI and monthly nursery events take place. Participating in the UCI planting was Steve Reed, a volunteer manager of the Shadetree Nursery. He estimated that he and volunteer John Boone have logged in 2,000 hours at Shadetree since they became involved a few years ago.
“There is always a lot of work to do,” Reed said. “We need volunteers to rake, plant, weed and prune. Every day is Earth Day at Shadetree Partnership.”
Check out Shadetree’s website for information on future plantings, or nursery events.
Irvine Ranch Water District Suggests You Check out the Natives
Are you interested in cutting down on water use in your garden by installing native plants? Would you even recognize a native plant if you saw one? Join the California Native Plant Society of Orange County on a one-day, self-guided tour of gardens featuring all or mostly native plants all over Orange County.
The date of this year’s garden tour is May 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a great opportunity to visit 19 gardens that are not open for viewing. These gardens’ unique designs not only save water, they also attract native birds and butterflies – and are living proof that California native plants can be successfully integrated into the home landscape. Designers who specialize in using native plants will be present in some gardens.
There is no cost for the tour, but registration with the Native Plant Society is required. You can also check out the IRWD website for tips on saving money on outdoor water use.
Celebrate Earth Day at the Back Bay with IRWD
Today marks the official date of Earth Day, but this coming weekend, many Earth Day events are taking place. As stewards of the environment, Irvine Ranch Water District will participate in Earth Day at the Back Bay 2014 on Saturday, April 26.
The event will be held at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center at 2301 University Drive, Newport Beach, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
There is no charge to participate in the fun. Stop by the IRWD activity and make a water conservation keychain.
This event, in its 24th year, is fun for the entire family. IRWD will have an activity at the annual Earth Day at the Bay event on Saturday, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center. There is no charge to participate in the fun.
Enjoy environmental exhibits, face painting, nature scavenger hunts, opportunity drawings, live music and more. Bring a refillable water bottle. Food will be available from a variety of food trucks.
Information about IRWD’s environmental programs is available on our website.
Eighteen Years of Water Festival Fun and Learning
More than 7,000 third through fifth grade students from all over Orange County converged on Aldrich Park at UC Irvine for the two days of the annual Children’s Water Education Festival, and around 300 of them were able to “Get the Groundwater Picture” at the Irvine Ranch Water District’s activity.
Students learned about the local groundwater basin, the aquifers, what they can do to prevent water pollution and conserve water during the drought and every day.
A total of 612 students from the IRWD service area attended the two-day event held March 26-27. This was the second year the event was held at Aldrich Park and organizers agree this venue provided a back-to-nature feeling.
The event had been held at the Nixon Library and Birthplace for four years previously and before that, at the Hidden Valley Event Center in Irvine behind the former Wild Rivers location. IRWD has participated in the event all 18 years of its existence.
For more information on IRWD educational programs, please visit our website.
Student Art Show Arrives at Irvine Ranch Water District
The 2014 Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Student Art Exhibit has arrived in the lobby of the Irvine Ranch Water District headquarters office at 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue in Irvine and features the winning art work of Grace Jung, a Stonegate Elementary fourth grader.
Grace’s art work and the other 35 winning posters will be displayed in the IRWD lobby and available for public viewing through April 22 during regular business hours: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The students, their parents and teachers were invited to a ceremony at Metropolitan’s Los Angeles office in December. The winning art work was framed and on display in the building’s rotunda. Winning posters were published in the 2014 Water is Life calendar.
The traveling art show began in January and is making its way around various water agencies all over Southern California. The show will conclude in July and the framed art work returned to the participating agencies. Grace will be honored at a future IRWD board meeting and be presented with her winning art work.
More information about IRWD education programs is available on our website.
