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TIDA staff outline Yerba Buena Island habitat restoration plan, name contractors and weed priorities
Summary
TIDA staff reviewed a year of natural-area work on Yerba Buena Island, describing contractor roles (Habitat Potential and Rubicon), invasive-species control (yellow oxalis, French broom, Australian fireweed), non-herbicidal trials, and expanded public stewardship and partnership plans.
TIDA staff on March 2025 presented an extensive Yerba Buena Island natural-areas update, describing contractor activities, target invasive species, and plans to expand public stewardship and community partnerships.
Peter Somerville (TIDA staff) gave an overview and introduced a image-heavy slide package to be posted after the meeting. He said two contractors now split island work: Habitat Potential handles technical ecological restoration in more challenging, "tier 2" areas, while Rubicon performs habitat-restoration work under a sub-scope of the authority's annual master contract. "Both contractors do not work all areas all the time," Somerville said, and work is phased by priority.
Peter Brasdow (natural-areas staff) walked directors through site-by-site examples: oak woodlands, the Bay/Coastal Bluffs, Central Clipper Cove, the Quarters slopes and Torpedo Cliffs. He identified priority invasive plants including yellow oxalis, Australian fireweed, South African ice plant and French broom, and described non-herbicidal approaches being trialed (hand weeding, weed torches and targeted mechanical removal). "We're trying this out to see if we can get a handle on our priority spots using non-herbicidal methods," Brasdow said. He also described reuse of cut material for erosion control and recent success transplanting native wetland species into a seep revealed after eucalyptus debris was removed.
Directors asked about community partnerships and public engagement. Brasdow and Somerville listed ongoing collaborations with Life Learning Academy, Community Housing Partnership, the Job Corps, the Golden Gate Bird Alliance, the California Native Plant Society and the Academy of Sciences. Staff said they have also re-engaged the American Indian Cultural District and will pursue interpretation and signage co-developed with Native community representatives.
Board members pressed staff on near-term decisions at Panorama Park (monterey cypress and oak replacements, signage and viewshed concerns). Somerville said staff are consulting with the developer and Rec & Park, and aim to implement tree relocation and planting during the next winter planting window.
Staff framed the habitat effort as long-term stewardship rather than a one-time project: the habitat management plan will guide ongoing non-native culling and native-plant restoration, with continuing public programming and volunteer opportunities planned.
