Hello Coastside Land Trust friends,

We are all currently experiencing a time of great change. In our homes, as we shelter in place, we often feel vulnerable and uneasy. We are isolated and disconnected. But there is something healing about looking out the window, about taking a step outside to listen to the birds, to observe the spring blooms, to feel the movement of the air. It is something that crosses generations, and cultures, and political boundaries.

To observe nature, and to be curious about it is a gift we can give to ourselves. This is also something that we can help our children to understand and to appreciate. The main purpose of the Junior Land Stewards program has been to do just this - to connect our Coastside children with the natural world, and to develop a genuine sense of wonder and care for their open spaces, and the natural world around them. We dually have called upon them to become stewards of the land, so that they are not solely observers, but that they identify themselves in a way that is connected to the earth, and responsible for it.

In this difficult time, we must count our blessings. One great blessing is that our Junior Land Stewards had just the right amount of time this year to take part in their 4 field studies projects. They explored our local open space and critically discussed and observed the function and interdependence of the many species of plants and animals. Students dissected flowers and plants and seeds. They sowed their own seeds and watched them grow, and develop- and ultimately planted them into Wavecrest Open Space in the form of 3 pollinator gardens. They did this with the goal of attracting and providing food for critically important pollinators (e.g. birds, butterflies, bees, and other insects), while adding to the diversity of the native plants and the overall health of the coastal prairie habitat. Our own Half Moon Bay High School environmental education students served as leaders in this program, and were also given ample opportunities to connect with nature and be the stewards in this process.

As we were first asked to shelter in place, this program seemed like something that we would have to put on hold. After all, how could we ask kids to get their hands dirty outside when they are sheltering in their homes? Community members and students, however, have quickly proven us wrong, reminding us that this is actually the time when the original tenants of the program are critically important. Students must observe that the plants and birds and other animals continue to live and thrive, and grow- regardless of our current struggles. The pollinator plants that our students placed into the ground less than 2 months ago have grown exponentially, and many have begun to bloom. They are already attracting pollinators and Wavecrest Open Space is vibrant and alive with the changes of Spring. Students are observing how their stewardship continues to impact the world around them, via virtual weekly field trips to their garden plots (weekly photos and videos taken by CLT staff).

The Junior Land Stewards are also being challenged weekly to get outside into their own backyards, or to look out their windows to take the soundscape, to observe and analyze nearby trees, to examine clouds and traces of the animals around them. Here is one fourth grade student’s recent personal refection, written independently and shared with her teacher, Mrs. Arkell:

Why are wild, open spaces important to you and the world?

By: Kaylee Serrano

Wild and open spaces are important because they provide the habitat for mammals, birds, insects, and seeds to survive. Open space supports human health. Nature provides countless processes that give us high-quality air and clean and bountiful water. Open spaces have amazing plants that make it look one hundred times better. If the plants are native plants they are really good for the environment. If they are invasive plants they are not so good for the environment because invasive plants take over too much space. And we want to have more space for native plants.

Please stay tuned for our virtual gallery in which our students will share a great deal of their learning, through photographs, writing, and illustration. It is our hope that you too will find joy in witnessing the work, the thinking and the curiosity of our local Coastside students.