In a beautiful setting next to the Sacramento River in Redding, at the Riverview Golf & Country Club, local environmental advocate Randy Smith and volunteers from Redding Rotary Club are slowly restoring a large sand and gravel bar between the golf course and the river by planting native vegetation and removing invasive plants.
For those who have never been to the golf course, it sits on an old floodplain not much more than 10 feet above the river. The golf course, of which the first nine holes were built in 1947, is studded with huge valley oaks and more than a few large gray pine trees between the green fairways and greens. This is evidence of an appreciation for the beauty of our native trees in years gone by. It is a good contrast to the ugly development east of I-5 where the City of Redding allowed the clear-cutting of an oak woodland to construct the Save-Mart shopping center, a tire store, and self-service car wash, which now mark the southern entrance to the City of Redding; such clear-cutting seems to be becoming the standard for construction in Redding.
The restoration volunteers meet every Monday, weather permitting, and under the direction of Smith have started taking out the worst invasive plants: blackberry brambles, tree-of-heaven, locust trees, and Arundo, among others. To maintain some cover for local beavers, deer, ducks, and other animals, they will leave some non-native trees until the native trees grow to fill the open space. Since the restoration work started, beautiful giant blazingstar, which can bloom as late as September, has spread on the sand bar. ~David Ledger, Conservation Chair
September 5, 2021. Photo by David Ledger.