As we roll along the gravel levee roads of the Dutch Slough restoration site, the trill of birdsong and the green smell of sandbar willow greets my senses. I notice what’s happening in the community today: the male marsh wrens sing their courtship songs a month earlier than previous years. The California rose is on the cusp of bursting with its sweet, pink blossoms, and— uh oh, there’s a young invasive pampas grass plant, almost escaping notice as it blends in amongst the native vegetation. We stop the truck, hop out, wrestle the giant plant from the ground, and continue along. Three years ago, I would never have noticed these small, intimate details. I get to care for the land, and in return, it feeds me tidbits of knowledge and feedback.
Ultimately, I’ve learned that land stewardship is about building relationships. Relationships between people and wildlife who share our land, the soil we walk on, the water that supports all life, the plants that allow us to breathe, and even the plants we remove to keep ecosystems in balance. This understanding is as old as humanity.
At the Wolwonja (“mountain” in the Chochenyo language) Ecocultural Garden, this relationship building is exemplified in the Ohlone techniques of stewardship being practiced at the foot of ṭuuštak, or “MountDiablo.” Here, I learn land stewardship as a holistic practice, where tending to native plants and orchard trees feeds and nourishes all life around it— Ohlone elders can gather traditional medicines, CSU East Bay nursing students gain access to fresh produce, insects find refuge in a biodiverse oasis, and relationships are built between the many hands that nurture the land.
The Richmond Greenway, an abandoned railway transformed into a public park, tells a story of reconciliation ecology: in a nutshell, encouraging biodiversity among human-dominated landscapes. In Richmond, a city impacted by historic and ongoing environmental racism, the Richmond Greenway was born from the community’s desire for safe, green spaces. I see the new balance created here, where wildlife and neighbors alike can return to land that serves both of their needs.
In each of these sites, the close ties between humankind and nature were once severed. Sustained stewardship not only revitalizes ecosystems, but also ignites the desire for people to continue to take care of the places they share with other living beings.
