Covid-19 Notice
Please comply with current County, State and CDC guidelines for Covid-19.
iNaturalist Project
Add your observations to the iNaturalist Project for Mira Vista Field.
If you need help with bird identification, see our Birds page
or CFidler's Bird Field Guide.
2024 Events
NEW!
Work Day Saturday December 7th
(and Sunday December 8th if needed)
In preparation for the rest of the rainy season, we will be spreading wood mulch on the walking paths the weekend of December 7-8. We'll start with Saturday and then add Sunday if we do not finish on Saturday.
We have a Bobcat rented to carry the mulch from the piles to the trails, but we need rakers - lots of them!! So, come on out with your rake (those rectangular metal pronged ones work best)! If so inclined, you may also bring a wheelbarrow and pitchfork to supplement the Bobcat's work.
Work will start 9 or 9:30 on Saturday and run until we get tuckered out. Same for Sunday if we need the extra day to finish up. Please come on out, even if just for an hour... every bit helps! Remember to bring rake(s), gloves, and water for yourself.
If you are not up to raking, there is always litter pickup and weeding. We may also have tree planting, courtesy of Renee!!
Note: We currently have one Bobcat operator (Adele), but could use a second for relief.... so if you have experience running one please do come on out.
Current weather forecast is sunny, but if that changes please check your e-mail the day before in case we have to reschedule.
If you are unable to make it to the work day, we can always use donations. Work by the community at Mira Vista Field is supported entirely by donations, which pay for things like bench and bulletin board repair materials, signs, loader rental for placing wood chips on the walking paths. Trash service is generously donated by Republic Services, and major maintenance (like annual mowing and major tree work) is provided by the School District. If you would like to contribute, we have a PayPal account set up; use miravistafield@gmail.com
Thanks, All! And hope to see you at the field soon!
Field Work Day Saturday and Sunday, April 20 & 21, 9 am to 1 pm
Celebrate Earth Day by helping at Mira Vista Field!
It's time to start weeding and mowing, so we will spend the weekend marking out areas of native plants to be protected, hand weeding in those areas, and weed whacking around their perimeters. The School District will then mow the rest of the field the following week(s) with their big mower.
Come on out even if you can only spare a half hour. All help is appreciated! Guidance will be provided!
BRING: hat, work gloves, weed whacker if you have one, bags for weeds to take home to your green bin, water to stay hydrated, and a smile.
Meet at the bulletin board at 9 am, or just look for us wandering in the field any time thereafter, up to 1 pm
2023 Events
FALL GATHERING & POTLUCK at Mira Vista Field
October 29th turned out to be great weather for our fall gathering and potluck. A great time to reconnect, and to meet new neighbors! Thanks to all who attended and provided such yummy food and drink!
NEW DATE: SUNDAY, October 29th, 11 am to 1 pm
Please join us at Mira Vista Field on Sunday, October 29th, at the large flat area in the middle of the field. This will be a chance to meet and spend a bit of time with neighbors, to get information on the field, and to share ideas!
It will be a potluck, so bring something to share... food or beverage.
Everyone, please bring your own plate, utensils and cup.
If you have a card table that you can bring, please do.
Also, if you would like to sit, it's "bring your own chair".
We hope to see you then!
(Rain will cancel)
July Field Work Days
Thanks to all who came out July 2nd and 9th to weed Bristly Oxtongue and Italian Thistle... both highly invasive non-native plants! We made a dent in reclaiming the lower field at the north, especially in the area of the native creeping wild rye grass that we're very happy to see coming back at the field.
If you were unable to make it out and would like to help somehow, please feel free to take one of the bags of weeds from the Zinn or Sierra gate home to empty in your green bin... that would be a tremendous help! Please return empty bags to the gate for re-use.
Stay tuned for more upcoming work days! Next one will be July 16th, 9am to noon.
Earth Day 2023
- Weed whacking, mowing, weeding and marking native plant areas in preparation for the School District's upcoming mowing.
PLEASE NOTE that the flags have been placed along the borders of the native plant areas; they do not mark individual plants. Please do not move them, as this is what we have arranged with the District to delineate areas that the mower should stay out of.
- We will have future work days to do a bit more hand weeding in the native areas.
2022 Events
Mira Vista Field Spring Gathering
Food & drink (potluck), field info, dog tips, fun with your neighbors!
May 1, 2022, 11 am to 2 pm
Come join us for a Spring Gathering! Learn about the field.... its history, ongoing and future projects, the unique native plants and grasses at the field, wildlife that visits the field. Get some dog tips and tricks from an experienced dog trainer. Enjoy yummy food and drink. Socialize and connect with your neighbors!
Please leave dogs at home, since there will be human food around.
And feel free to invite others from the commmunity! If you're a musician and would like to play at the event, let us know! (note that we have no power available though)
FREE. Sign Up Here
We ask that you sign up so that we know about how many folks are coming. Also please answer the question as to what you will be bringing for the potluck. Things that we'll need i nclude: tables and chairs, food and drink, plates, cups, utensils, napkins.
In addition to the EventBrite query, we have a google sheet where you can see what others are bringing and add your contribution... The link is provided when you sign up on EventBrite
Note that if you are unable to bring something to the potluck, you should still come out anyway!! We'd love to see you!
Field Work Days
Future work days will be posted here, so stay tuned!
June 12
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Hand weeding of Bristly Oxtongue, Purple Star Thistle, Cranesbill and Mallow, on the lower hillside near the Zinn Gate.
Sunday, June 5, 2022, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
- Focus will be weeding Bristly Oxtongue and foxtails lining the walking path.
- Come on out, even if for just 20 minutes... every little bit helps, and keeps us all motivated!
- Bring: Gloves, hat, weeding tools, water, bag to put weeds in (we'll provide some).
- Light refreshments provided.
Work done so far this year:
- March 25: Native plant areas were flagged in preparation for major mowing by the School District
- February - March: Mowing by volunteers
2021 Events
Mira Vista Field Spring 2021 Work Days Report
We got the mowing done!! Well, we and the School District got most of it done... It's very exciting because for once we're ahead of the foxtail seeds maturing! AND we've discovered more native grasses at the field! AND there are more California poppies than before out there!
Here's what was accomplished this spring:
- April 17-18: We flagged and weed whacked around areas of native plants and grasses to be preserved. (We weedwhack so the guy on the mower can see the flags amongst all the tall weeds)
- April 27: We met with School District maintenance to review the planned mowing
- April 28-30: School District mows!
- May 4, 7, 8 and 9: We do some more mowing to finish up areas that the District did not get to. And we do hand weeding within the native plant areas, to both showcase the natives and to help remove invasive weeds so the native plants can prosper.
(We know that the steeper hillside below the school has not been done; the District usually does that area but it requires a special mower.)
All this work is to reduce fire hazard for all of us and to reduce the foxtail hazard for the many dogs that frequent the field.
Thank you to our wonderful volunteers...
Nel, Jim, Patty, Priscilla, Trish, Kandace, Andia, Michele, Adele , and Jon!!!
Not only did they all work hard, but also were great company and fun to be out with!
2020 Events
December 12, 2020 Field Work Day Report
With a hardy crew of 12 and a Bobcat tractor, we finished mulching all the walking paths at the field today! (wearing masks and socially distanced, of course!)
Many thanks to...
- Jim & Andia, The Norelius Family, Tamiko, Jim W, Trish, Priscilla, Peter, Lindi, for your hard work today...We could not have accomplished what we did without each one of your's help!!
- Also to Dora, Jim, and Nel, who could not make the workday but have been raking chips, weeding, and doing other upkeep items.
- And to Carolyn and others who have been picking up trash during the week. - And to Michael who replaced the plexiglass on the bulletin board.
- And to Kyle & Gena, who graciously let us store our tools and wheelbarrows at their place.
- AND to everyone who donated to the field... those donations enabled us to rent the Bobcat, which was a huge help!
We would like to note that there are still some areas that are uneven. Please feel free to fill and rake those out smooth on your own during the week. There are also a few small piles left of chips that can be used in remaining low lying path areas.
Please do try to walk on the chip-covered paths... that will help them to settle into place.
p.s. - We know wood chips are not the ideal solution, but that's all that we can afford at this point in time
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