South African ice plant has invaded SLO County. Here’s how you can help

Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve (FFRP) and the Cambria Community Services District are in a pitched battle: a battle against invasive species.

This battle has been going on for nearly 20 years and, while we are making progress, the fight continues.

Although Cambria’s Fiscalini Ranch Preserve is undeniably beautiful, FFRP’s primary management goal is to enhance its ecological value and health, hand in hand with aesthetics. Restoration of native vegetation is vital to this effort.

The ranch was agricultural land not too many years ago. While it was being grazed and logged, invasive species got a foothold.

Most of the ranch is covered with introduced species and the natural vegetation is not going to return without assistance by people. The most effective thing we can do for restoration is to remove invasive species.

Acres of South African ice plants — Carpobrotus edulis, Carpobrotus chilensis and their hybrids — cover the ranch and are highly visible from the popular Bluff Trail.

Rabbits and deer spread their seeds, but humans introduced these invasive species to our state.

Now ice plants have invaded the entire California coastline. They have become so common that some people don’t know that they aren’t native.

One South African ice plant can cover 10 feet of ground and form a 15-inch-deep dense mat of leaves and stems.

These plants exclude native California flora by using up the water and light, and even changing the soil chemistry to make it less suitable for natives.

In return, South African ice plants provide little value. They crowd out plants that local butterflies need for their caterpillars.

Rather than stabilizing slopes, these water-heavy, shallow-rooted mats may even accelerate the erosion of coastal bluffs.

Supporting the natural biodiversity of the ranch is the goal of our battle against invasive species. In order to promote animal biodiversity, sometimes we need to remove non-native plants.

This removal work goes on in full view of Cambria’s residents and visitors because public access as important to FFRP and CCSD as preservation and restoration.

The groups, working with hundreds of volunteers, have removed tons of South African ice plant from the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve.

As a newcomer to this fight, I am deeply impressed with the years of work that have gone into restoring natural vegetation on the ranch — starting with the removal of invasive plants.

Acres of mustard and French broom have been removed as well as tons of South African ice plants and miles of thistle root.

So next time you see a crew of dedicated folks on the ranch pitching in to make a place for native plants and animals, why not thank them or even stop to help? Their hard work makes the ranch even richer with California’s nature so everyone can enjoy it.

FFRP’s work doesn’t stop at the ranch’s edge.

To see a dazzling display of California’s beauty, visit the 16th annual Cambria Wildflower Show on April 25 and 26.

Held at the Veterans Memorial Building on Main Street in Cambria, this show includes upwards of 400 different plants, including wildflowers, cultivated blooms, grasses and even ferns.

If you want a crash course on the floral beauty of northwestern San Luis Obispo County, this is the place to be. We’ll also have sales and displays from Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve and California Native Plant Society, so be sure to stop by.