San Bruno Mountain Watch

Mission Blue Nursery Program San Bruno Mountain Watch operates the Mission Blue Nursery to grow the native flora of San Bruno Mountain. In 2023, San Bruno Mountain Watch continued hosting programs at the nursery for the public to participate in plant propagation and maintenance activities. Nursery volunteers contributed 1300 hours of service at the nursery during this year. The nursery grew native plants for various restoration projects on San Bruno Mountain and propagated rare and endangered plants for plant conservation and seed amplification projects. Native plants were also provided to other urban greening projects throughout the San Francisco Peninsula. The nursery hosted four public plant sales offered plants through individual plant pick-up appointments, and donated plants to community garden partners who are beneficiaries of the Environmental Justice Fund at Mission Blue Nursery.

Ecological Restoration Program San Bruno Mountain Watch leads ecological restoration efforts with community volunteers, students, corporate groups, park agencies, and local cities. Volunteers contributed 2,946 hours to community-based ecological restoration efforts in 2023. San Bruno Mountain Watch continued grassland restoration efforts as part of the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan, planting native host and nectar plants to improve habitat for the mountain's endangered Mission Blue and Callippe Silverspot butterflies. Invasive plant removal efforts continued in areas like the San Bruno Mountain Dunes, the Northeast Ridge, Buckeye and Owl Canyons, and the southern slopes of the mountain. The San Bruno Mountain Botanical Garden continues to expand with the planting of new sections. San Bruno Mountain Watch also continued restoration efforts within salt marsh and transitional habitats at the shoreline of Colma Creek. The creek begins on San Bruno Mountain and drains into San Francisco Bay. Through a multi-partner partnership, the organization also installed a new experimental planting area known as the San Bruno Mountain Test Plot, testing the ability of native plants to grow in the understory of historic stands of introduced non-native eucalyptus trees on the mountain.