“Look!” I exclaimed, gesturing for my crewmates to come closer. There, resprouting from a small mat of yellow leaves and thick layer of cottonwood mulch, was a shiny, green Iris-leafed rush. The Iris-leafed rushes had suffered the most during the hot Brentwood summer, and I was beginning to worry that they would not bounce back. But this species is resilient, a perfect candidate for a restoration planting. Also assisting in the rush’s rebound was the organic matter-rich soil, typical of the Delta. The soil’s water-absorbing properties interplayed perfectly with the low water table, carrying water from underground up to the plant’s roots. 

The Iris-leafed rush is just one of several species we planted in the cottonwood and willow forest we help manage for the Department of Water Resources (DWR). In February, we planted 4,000 baby sedges and rushes to establish an understory that would compete with invasive Himalayan blackberry. For the past few years, the EcoStewards, the CCRCD’s crew of restoration technicians, have been battling blackberry on this site. Through vigilant integrated pest management techniques, the EcoStewards have reduced what were once thick, 20-foot tall blackberry brambles to just a few patches. Now, many of the new understory plants have matured, some even flowering and setting seed.  

The EcoStewards work on several habitat restoration sites owned by DWR in the Bay-Delta, but we also work with other RCD staff in urban agriculture, urban creek restoration, and pollinator conservation. Established in 2020, the EcoStewards Conservation Program is a relatively new program of the RCD, but we have accomplished a hefty amount of restoration field work.

I am proud to be an EcoSteward. When I am out in the field, my work is tangible. It is a reflection of the care I have put into the land and the hope I have for the future. This work allows me to intimately connect to the ecology of my home county. Like with the story of the Iris-leafed rush, I am constantly surprised by nature’s resiliency in the face of so many environmental obstacles. If we continue to listen to the land and let it guide our stewardship, we can count on a future with nature that is rooted in reciprocity.