Have a green Halloween

Vic and I took my Orange County Conservation Corps science class on a field trip to the Santa Ana Mountains on Friday. Big-leaf maples along Santiago Creek had turned lovely shades of yellow and orange. The bright colors snapped out against the dark greens of coast live oaks and big-cone Doug-firs.

The main purpose of the trip was to show the students our wonderful local mountains. Vic and I each drove three students in our respective cars. We left the corps building in Anaheim at 8:30 a.m., fighting the traffic that was creeping along on six lanes in each direction on the 91 freeway.

Within 30 minutes, we were driving up Silverado Canyon on a one-lane dirt road with mere fords rather than bridges at creek crossings. Unfortunately, the road was washed out at the first creek crossing. To increase our road clearance, we had all the passengers climb out. Vic drove first his Honda Accord and then my Toyota Highlander across, driving carefully over the boulders and planks that had been laid to help bridge the gap between the road and creek bed.

I enjoyed the autumn colors of Silverado Canyon. Vic was thrilled to find a long-eared owl perched in a sycamore. And the boys, although not exactly birders, were excited to study the well-camouflaged owl through binoculars.

The boys were amazed at the mountain scenery, and highly appreciative. Only 20 miles from the inner cities of Orange County lays a land where bird calls and pine scents replace sirens and smog. We stopped to admire huge coast live oaks, see curling seedpods of mountain mahogany, and take a short hike up the creek bed. I brought drinks, fruit and 16 Danish rolls for a mid-morning break. The teenage boys made short work of the Danishes. We hope that in-between bites they learned a bit about riparian, oak woodland and pine forest habitats.

The ride back across the washed-out road was even worse, because the angle climbing back out of the creek was steeper than going in. The boys had to rebuild the road with rocks. Finally, our cars made it across, with burning rubber and scraping metal. Although this mountain drive was high adventure, the lessons for the students were worth it.

On Saturday, the Bolsa Chica Conservancy hosted a workday at the Ecological Reserve. About 150 to 200 Albertsons employees pulled up ice plant, a non-native plant that covers the dunes and degrades the habitat. The volunteers were motivated and hard-working. By 10 a.m., they had pulled ice plant from a half-acre along Pacific Coast Highway, loaded it into pickup trucks and hauled it to a dumpster in the south parking lot. Then, instead of quitting for the day, they went to the mesa to help the Bolsa Chica Stewards plant 400 native plants.

Unfortunately, the strip of dunes and wetlands south of the south parking lot has become an encampment for some homeless people. It is illegal to even walk on that part of Bolsa Chica, much less live there. A ranger from the Department of Fish and Game cited one of them a couple of weeks ago, but apparently that was not enough to deter people from living there. Five of us — Laura Bandy, Bob Adams, a volunteer from Albertsons, a teenager named Jacob and I — began cutting back the non-native Myoporum bushes that the homeless live under.

When we spotted a man hiding in the spiny rush by the water, I phoned the Sheriff’s Department. Two deputies soon arrived, and a hunt ensued. The man that Laura and I had seen earlier was hiding too well to be found, but the deputies arrested another man who was asleep by the water’s edge. Over the next few months, we’ll be taking down all of the Myoporum, and that should end the homeless encampments in that area of Bolsa Chica.

Apparently, the problem is even worse below Bolsa Chica mesa, along the Wintersburg flood control channel outside of the Ecological Reserve. Incorporating that land into the city would make law enforcement easier.

Trespass on the Ecological Reserve is illegal. The public can help by phoning the Sheriff’s Department at (714) 647-7000 whenever they spot illegal activity such as dirt bikes or remote-controlled cars within the Ecological Reserve, or evidence of homeless people or drug use. Dogs are not allowed anywhere in the Ecological Reserve, either on or off the trails, and whether they are on or off leash. It’s no dogs, period, at Bolsa Chica.

Halloween is nearly upon us. One thing most of us don’t think about is the impact that Halloween has on our landfills. Consumers spend $3.1 billion dollars on candy, costumes, pumpkins and other paraphernalia for Halloween. That results in a lot of trash the day after.

Giving your carved pumpkin a proper burial in your yard reduces the load on the landfill. The website www.pumpkincarving101.com suggests a pumpkin burial ritual, which is essentially composting the pumpkin instead of trashing it.

Remember that pumpkins are food. Buy pie pumpkins, and instead of carving them, just set them by the door. The day after Halloween, you can bake them and turn them into pies, or use them in any other winter squash recipe. For example, tonight we’re having pumpkin-apple-coconut milk curry for dinner. Visit www.stopglobalwarming.org/ sgw_read.asp?id=1141369282006 for other tips on how to have an orange and black and green all over Halloween.