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Park Authority highlights cemetery study, invasive‑species work and volunteer contributions
Summary
Park Authority staff reported completing a cemetery study and ground‑penetrating radar work, mapped thousands of acres of natural vegetation for stewardship, treated invasive species on more than 1,000 acres, and cited robust volunteer engagement across dozens of projects.
Jay Cole and Park Authority staff described stewardship and conservation activities that ran through their 2025 work plan, emphasizing preservation of cultural resources and ecological restoration.
Cole announced completion of a cemetery study with public meetings (the transcript cites a meeting at Gum Springs Community Center on Dec. 11) and noted ground‑penetrating radar at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. He said the authority is working with a senior advisory team to update how Sully Plantation’s history is interpreted and that resident curatorship programs continue to find local historic properties for adaptive use.
On ecology, staff reported mapping roughly 15,750 acres of natural vegetation, treating invasive plants on about 1,180 acres, conducting 37 acres of prescribed burns, and completing four ecosystem restoration projects. Park Authority leaders emphasized that understanding natural resources is necessary to protect and expand usable parkland.
Staff also highlighted volunteer contributions and community events: the transcript shows program‑level and system‑level volunteer figures on different slides (an earlier slide reported 11,707 volunteer hours for specific invasive‑plant removal efforts; later slides reported about 114,000 total volunteer hours across the park system and an estimated $3.9 million value). The presentation noted ongoing efforts to treat running bamboo (funded in part by a $400,000 allocation from the Board of Supervisors) and other invasive species.
What’s next: staff plan further ecological assessment, Phase 2 of the 0‑waste upgrades and continued public engagement on cemetery and Sully projects.
