2022.01.26 | Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service at the Dog Park

 

On Monday, January 17, eleven volunteers from Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve (FFRP) turned out for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day at the Cambria Dog Park. When Congress designated the holiday in 1994, it was as a National Day of Service – a "Day On, Not a Day Off" – to encourage community service. FFRP volunteers responded to that call by tending the “Dog Woods” planted last January around the Cambria Dog Park.

Volunteers at the event were (from left to right in the picture) Walt Andrus, Michael Thomas, Curt Snow, Terry Young, Tom Loganbill, Mike Mollohan, Brian Morgan, Loree Parral, Mark Larsen, Diane Hood, and Mary Nixon. Martin Garcia, Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) was on hand to provide support. Brian Morgan did a wonderful job organizing the two-hour workday, supplying tools, snacks, and water from FFRP’s stocks. Brian inspired and motivated us all with his energy and enthusiasm.

An Infrastructure and Beautification Grant from San Luis Obispo County’s Board of Supervisors supported the planting of the “Dog Woods.” These twenty trees are thriving under the care of the CCSD but benefit from occasional hand grooming. Volunteers weeded, watered, pruned, and mulched the trees. They also planted three additional redbuds and pulled weeds around the area.

The trees are all California species native to the region. Coast live oak, sycamore, big leaf maple, bay laurel, and redbud will provide a mix of evergreen and deciduous interest throughout the year. As they grow, they will create shade and provide a bit of a wind break. All where sited so they would not be in the way of future community park development.

Photo: FFRP

Article first published in https://cambriaca.org/