Herbicide application at Younger Lagoon Reserve terrace lands

Beginning Friday December 12, 2014 (weather permitting) there will be an application of herbicide (Glyphosate Pro) at the Southern end of Younger Lagoon Reserve Terrace Lands adjacent to the UCSC Long Marine Lab and Seymour Marine Discovery Center. This work is part of ongoing naive habitat restoration activities described in the Specific Resource Plan Phase 1 Enhancement and Protection of Terrace Lands at Younger Lagoon Reserve, which was approved by the California Coastal Commission in September 2010. The restoration is required as part of UCSC’s Coastal Long Range Development Plan for the Marine Science Campus, which was certified by the California Coastal Commission in January 2009.  The herbicide application is intended to reduce non-native invasive plant cover in advance of native habitat restoration plantings.  The areas selected for spraying are dominated by non-native annual grasses and forbs.  These weeds are notoriously difficult to control with mechanical methods, making herbicide application an appropriate option.