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.

2026 Events

FIELD WORK DAY: SATURDAY, February 21, 9 a.m. to noon
(Check back in case of rain)

We will be sheet mulching an area where highly invasive Oxalis has appeared and is threatening the native grasses.

Come out and lend a hand even if you can only spare just a half hour.... all help is appreciated!
Bring: work gloves, and if you have them a wheelbarrow and pitchfork. Meet at the big flat area above the bulletin board.

AND.... we need lots of BIG pieces of cardboard, preferably with staples, plastic, tape and labels removed. Please bring on the 21st or in advance (just make a pile by the Zinn or Sierra gate).

2025 Events

We are going to spread wood chips on the walking paths at Mira Vista Field the weekend of Nov 1-2. We do this each year in preparation for the rainy season.

We have way more chips than previous years and we need everyone who can to come and help!!

We will be renting a Bobcat again to help transport the chips from the piles to the paths, but many people are needed to wheelbarrow chips through sensitive areas, and to rake out the chips on the paths.

Bring: hat, gloves, water to drink, metal rake, pitchfork and wheelbarrow if you have them.

(Weather forecast is currently clear, but if rain threatens we will send out an e-mail and post an update here regarding rescheduling)

ALSO, we can use donations toward the cost of the Bobcat rental. To donate, we have a PayPal account set up; use miravistafield@gmail.com.

2024 Events

December 7 & 8, 2024
Work Days Report

Wheelbarrows, pitchforks, rakes, and a Bobcat were all used to mulch the walking paths with wood chips in preparation for the rainy season. Thank you to everyone who came out to help with mulching the walking paths this weekend... Jim, Nel, Jamie, Jac, Shelly, Casey, Lucia, Bill, Pato, Mickie and Jay, Carolyn, Trish, Guillermo, Copa!

And thank you to those of you who donated toward the cost of the Bobcat rental!!

We got the muddiest parts of the walking paths covered with wood chip mulch; hopefully that will hold us through the rainy season!

PLEASE WALK ON THE MULCHED PATHS if you can when you are at the field.... that will help to pack it in and will limit damage to native plants and grasses that abut the paths in places.

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

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

June 12

• 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