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Coastal California; Habitats
and Agriculture
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Our trip began
in Big Basin State Park, amid the coastal redwood trees protected in
this park. Here we learned that the park owes its origin to the
efforts of Andrew P. Hill, a photographer and artist and a group of
concerned citizen/activists he drew together. The importance of
individuals and non-government organizations was a theme that developed
throughout the trip.
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Much of
the nation's fresh fruits and vegetables are grown in California.
The Pajaro Valley has some of the richest agricultural and in the country,
and is renown for its strawberry crop. We visited farms with
exemplary practices. A large-scale grower, working on leased
land adjacent to the Elkhorn Slough, has rehabilitated the property
through development of buffers, leading to marked improvement in the
water quality in the adjacent estuary. Live Earth Farms provided
insights into a whole new agricultural paradigm of organic,
community supported and serving agriculture.
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Strawberries ready for the picking. Though many best management
practices are used, this grower still uses methyl bromide periodically
to fumigate the soil. |
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Strawberry variety "Albion" met with approval! |
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At Live Earth Farms, the farmer avoids all chemical pesticides, rotates
crops, and employs enlightened labor practices. His farm serves a
local clientele. This model of community supported, sustainable
agriculture is appealing, but challenging at the same time. We
could see no difference in productivity, appearance or flavor between
the organic and "chemically" grown strawberries. But, coming from
Michigan, would we be willing to only eat what our farmers could grow
locally? |
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To "pay" for our time with the
farmer, we spent a few hours helping out on the farm, washing produce,
packing shares, moving seedlings out of the greenhouse and planting
flats of vegetables. |
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While in the
Watsonville/Pajero Valley area, we camped at Sunset State Beach, on a
bluff overlooking Monterey Bay. Most evenings, the Sunsets lived
up to expectations. |
Next: Central Valley California; A transformed landscape
For more information, contact Dr. Tim Lincoln, Institute for
the Study of the Environment, Albion College, Albion MI 49224.
Phone (517) 629-0486 – e-mail tlincoln@albion.edu
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