Sage Hill, a biodiversity hotspot home to many California native plants, has huge potential to serve as an educational and recreational spot for the UCLA community, as well as a shelter for native wildlife. However, this patch of land suffers from a lack of maintenance and awareness, making it difficult for people to find and appreciate this area. The 2017 SAR Biodiversity team developed a restoration plan for Sage Hill which involved removing invasive species and repopulating the site with native species. We weeded around Artemisia californica plants and transplanted seventy Encelia californica plants to seven three-by-three meter plots, chosen to help connectivity between native species. To promote awareness and education of the importance of Sage Hill, we created a sign that includes descriptions of native plants and information regarding local ecology and history. Finally, we cataloged the names and locations of the natives we planted through the citizen science mobile app, iNaturalist. We have worked to ensure the survival of native species, turning Sage Hill into a model of what native Californian vegetation should look like.
Stakeholder: Tom Gillespie
Leaders: Tiffany Wu and Jennifer Adachi
Members: Kayla Sarah Patel, Abir Hossain, Jamie Liu, Polly Kirsch, Valeree Catangay
