Seasons Greetings Sign Hill Stewards!

Fall is marked by endings and beginnings. On Sign Hill, the wildflowers and grasses have dried up and released their seeds and the early rainfall has marked an end to the summer’s dryness. This delicately synchronized procession gives promise of a new generation that will begin the cycle again.  

Fall provides a brief interlude in the growing season that is valuable since we can spend less time controlling invasive annual plants and focus on other important projects. The wet winter extended this year’s growing season, and there are predictions of another wet winter to come, so SSF Parks staff and Sign Hill Stewards have used this short window of opportunity to apply erosion control materials, deter trail cutting using natural materials, and even build a swale! 

Unfortunately, this break doesn’t apply to all species. The blue gum eucalyptus and other invasive trees that have been removed from the park over past last couple of years continue to produce regrowth at a rate of several feet per year, which keeps us busy all year long. Many Sign Hill Stewards have assisted in our efforts to repress regrowth using a chemical-free approach that involves applying landscape fabric over the stump, effectively starving the plant of the sun’s energy. A year after first implementing this method, it is finally time to pull the covers back. Our fall Design-Tech High School Interns assisted in removing the landscape fabric and documenting our outcomes, and... it was a big success! Although the stumps initially produced some stunted regrowth, it had all shriveled and died. There were also clear signs of decay, including fungal growth. This is another exciting step forward in restoring Sign Hill’s native landscapes. 

I hope you will enjoy reading this compendium of Sign Hill Stewards' fall activities, and consider joining us for a day in the field soon. With invasive annuals already beginning to germinate, and native planting season around the corner, we can certainly use your help!

Candace LaCroix

Natural Resource Specialist

Leading the Sign Hill Habitat Restoration Project

In mid-October, when the rest of the landscape was still dry from the summer heat, some of Sign Hill's lower slopes were mysteriously exhibiting a sudden burst of growth. Surveying the green areas lead SSF Parks staff to an exciting discovery, an active seep! It looked as though a coyote dug a hole to access the ground water just below the surface.

While this finding was unexpected, it is not too surprising when you consider the significant changes that have taken place on Sign Hill over the last couple of years. If you have been following along with the Sign Hill Restoration Project, you will know that after the 2020 Diamond Fire we brought the park within Cal Fire Safe Regulations by removing hundreds of blue gum eucalyptus trees. This active seep was found in the footprint of where the majority of tree removals took place. Since these invasive trees are able to tap into deep groundwater and have a drying effect on the landscape, it appears their removal may be helping to replenish Sign Hill’s natural ecosystem function!

By digging a hole to reach the water table, the coyote became an ecosystem engineer. It was evident from the many prints left in the mud by coyotes, raccoons, and birds, as well as the many winged insects buzzing by for a drink, that wildlife were benefiting from the seep's bounty. We decided to take the coyotes lead and build a swale.

A swale is a low lying depression that often supports marshy vegetation and is designed to capture storm-water runoff. These drainage features reduce erosion, recharge groundwater, and enhance wildlife habitat by increasing soil moisture, and seasonally, providing surface water.

Building a swale in the footprint of recent invasive tree removals, where it is dominated by invasive species, avoids disturbance to sensitive habitat. And the presence of the seep indicates that the water table is close to the ground level, so the area should stay wet longer without needing to dig very deep. The impact left by last winter's storms in this area also makes it an ideal location to implement erosion control strategies.

Sign Hill Stewards built the swale from start to finish, including planting seeds for native grasses found on Sign Hill that can grow in wetlands. It will be exciting to observe the impact the swale will have on storm water management and biodiversity on Sign Hill!

Not to be outdone, local coyotes were quick to make their mark on the swale.

With this week's rainy weather, the swale has already begun performing its function. Rainfall is collecting in the low-laying areas and the native seeds we sowed should be off to great start!

Photo credit: Karl Mondon, Bay Area News Group, September 2023

In late September, the whole SSF Parks team came together to give the Hillside Sign a new paint job. Over time the paint begins to chip and look dull, so every 3-5 years it's time to bring out the rollers and restore the letters to their bright white glory. The job that really gives you a sense of perspective on how massive the letters really are, each one generally requires over 10 gallons of paint!

Walking on the Hillside Sign can be treacherous, it is very steep. Thankfully the team worked carefully and no one took a tumble, except one mostly empty bucket that made an impressive aerial cartwheel after being dropped from the top row. That falling bucket was a good reminder that it is best to view the letters from the safety of designated trails. Staying on trail helps to preserve this historical place from erosion and protects native wildlife.

Photo credit: Karl Mondon, Bay Area News Group, September 2023

Loxo Oncology volunteered with us on September 28 to help take down some regrowing eucalyptus stumps.

On October 20, Sign Hill Stewards used dry branches from the surrounding areas to block a prominent social trail that was causing to a lot of erosion on and around the Hillside Sign.

Sylvia, a regular volunteer was dedicated enough to show up on October 6, a very hot day!

We cut down and applied landscape fabric over invasive cotoneasters. 

Before: A previous attempt to block the social trail was circumvented and a path formed around the branches.

After: Sign Hill Stewards placed branches all the way up the social trail to the letters.

We hope this will be more successful in preventing damage to the Hillside Sign and facilitating revegetation!

On December 9, Sign Hill Stewards were hard at work clearing the regrowth of blackwood acacia trees cut down last year.

Take a look at the size of that brush pile!

Before

After

October 28 was the Ribbon Cutting for the new Library, Parks & Recreation building and the SSF Parks Natural Resources team was in attendance to spread the word about the centennial of the Hillside Sign.

Our table featured historical images and newspaper clippings from the Hillside Sign's early days. We even had the original blueprint from when the sign was converted from wood to concrete in 1929, courtesy of the South San Francisco Historical Society.

We invited kids to learn about the wildlife of Sign Hill with a fun game, and gave away beautiful mission blue butterfly iron-on patches as prizes.

This extremely well-attended event was a great opportunity to invite more of the community to join Sign Hill Stewards!

The SSF Parks Natural Resources team also joined Santa's workshop at this year's Santa Comes to Town event. Our table featured nature-inspired leather crafting and butterfly origami.

What a fun opportunity to talk with children and parents about our work on Sign Hill, and inspire curiosity about the natural environment!

Sylvilagus bachmani, commonly referred to as a brush rabbit, is one of our own Sign Hill natives! While out hiking on the trail keep a look out for this small to medium sized rabbit. Their coats feature a dark brownish-gray with a pale gray underside, allowing them to help blend into their homes they make in extremely dense brush, hence the name. Living in a dense brush allows for brush rabbits to hide from their natural predators better. On Sign Hill these include coyotes, various raptors, snakes, and possibly foxes.

Brush rabbits are foragers who work alone or in a small group to find their food. Sign Hill features many grasses and forbs that are a large part of a brush rabbits diet, these include but are not limited to, coast iris, buckwheat, yarrow, and native grasses. Their breeding season differs depending on how north or south the rabbit is living. Litter size is also affected by region with a trend of litter size getting larger as you move further south.

Julian Lampe

YSIP Intern

This lovely painting of the Hillside Sign was painted by Sign Hill Steward, Melanie Huntley. A big thank you to Melanie for sharing your beautiful art!

Does being immersed in nature on Sign Hill inspire you? Does the Hillside Sign give you a sense of pride as a South San Franciscan? We would love to see your art too!

Please email submissions to candace.lacroix@ssf.net.

September 13, 2023

An alligator lizard takes in the views from the Hillside Sign.

September 18, 2023

Mission blue butterfly host plants are marked to alert SSF Parks crew of senitive habitat as they repaint the letters.

September 28, 2023

The letter 'I' is unearthed following the previous winter storms revealing the impressive depth of soil deposited.

October 2, 2023

SSF Parks trees team snapped this photo after noticing they were being watched. Please help keep wild spaces safe for people and wildlife by keeping dogs on leash!

The common buckeye butterfly's (Junonia coenia) spotted wings resemble a set of large eyes peering through the dry grasses.

October 4, 2023

A praying mantis flaunts perfect camouflage to blend in with her surroundings.

October 20, 2023

A banded garden spider basks in the sun.

November 13, 2023

A shiny copperpot beetle was seen glinting in the sun.

November 22, 2023

A group of genista broom moths were observed while pulling french broom at the edges of the park.

December 8, 2023

Mellow mushrooms pop up out of the damp grass to greet the morning.

December 15, 2023

Traces of an avian visitor appear in the puddle in the bottom of the swale.

When: Every other Friday from 9am-12pm and the second Saturday of each month from 9am-12pm. Only cancelled for heavy rains.

Where: Volunteers will park at the Sign Hill Parking Lot nearby 964 Ridgeview Ct, South San Francisco, CA and hike with staff to the restoration site.

Registration: Registration is required. Volunteers under the age of 18 must have a youth waiver signed by a parent/guardian. Youth under the age of 15 are welcome and must be accompanied by an adult. Click the link below to RSVP.

What to bring: To prepare for working outdoors, please bring work gloves, plenty of water, sturdy shoes, long pants and long sleeves, a hat/sunscreen, and a completed waiver for each volunteer. Volunteers should expect some hiking on steep terrain.