Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District Field Trip

        So last Friday, 9/8/2017, a couple of us from the environmental science class met up at RCRCD to learn about the ecosystem for the area of Riverside. We were given an awesome tour by Erin, one of the workers. She covered the basics of water run off, natural plants, urban plants and how we can balance urban development with the ecosystem.

        Erin started the tour by covering how pavement affects water runoff and collection. She pointed out several examples around the property where the concrete or pavement was combined with dirt or decomposed granite. Using these as building materials allows any water to seep into the ground rather than run over it towards a storm drain. This helps to prevent erosion and helps with flood control simply by giving the water a place to go that isn't a storm drain,

        After this we made our way to the local ecosystem area. The area started with some awesome examples of chaparral before we moved on to a riparian zone. In the chaparral area we learned about the evolution of those plants to be conservative in the summer when water is scarce, unlike other plants that conserve for the long winters. The riparian zone had an artificial creek that allowed us to get a glimpse at local fauna, it also showcased the cooling abilities of well shaded areas. The temperature around the riparian zone was a solid 20 degrees cooler than the sunny areas. The last area in the natural environment zone was the live oak habitat. It showed us a pretty rare site of a rare habitat in California. It also showcased the help that shade provides to the local environment.

        We eventually made our way to the urban habitat area. Here we got to see good examples of flora that can be placed around houses and developed areas. These different plants are water efficient and have beneficial effects on the local environment. These benefits were pollination and shade. By placing pollinators around urban areas we can provide food to a multitude of local creatures and help out agriculture. The shade providers help keep urban areas cool, a problem that has gotten worse as more and more places are paved.

         All in all it was an awesome trip. The property of RCRCD is beautiful and provides an awesome glimpse to what the Riverside area used to look like. Hopefully their examples of urban habitats can take hold in the inland empire.