After the first rains this Fall, we spread a seed mix across our 44 acre restoration site at Bel Marin Keys, in Novato, CA.

This seed mix consisted of locally collected, native, annual seeds that had been collected and cleaned over the last 3 years by our staff and partners in this project.

The plants in the seed mix have qualities that specifically compete with the non-native weeds that will come up on the site, making it easier for our perennial wetland plants to successfully establish at the restoration site.

Preparing the seed mixture! Some of the seeds in this mixture are Hayfield tarweed, Common fiddleneck, Bracted popcorn flower, and more!

In order to spread the 700lbs of seed, we used a hydroseeding machine. This machine mixes the seed with water, mulch, and dye, and then sprays the seed through a hose evenly across the site.

Hopefully soon we will begin to see seedlings come up at our Bel Marin Keys site!