Ironworker's love of trees restores county
By Gayle Cuddy
|
nightengayles@aol.com
Comments (2) | Recommend (0)
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/780/story/1022511.html
Permaculture is
one of those words that we keep hearing and reading about, but many of
us are not sure exactly what it means.
In fact, my
computer puts a red line under it because it doesn't recognize it as
a word. But Lionel Johnston of Shell Beach knows what it means:
permanent landscaping that is self-sustaining and benefits humans and
wildlife.
Johnston is a retired ironworker who is in love with trees, especially
trees that are native to the Central Coast and will grow here easily
with little water.
Click image to see
caption
He has given away
30,000 trees in San Luis Obispo County during the last 20 years,
including various oaks, cypress, redwoods, sycamore and Catalina
cherry.
These trees all
have value for wildlife - food (especially acorns), leaf litter
(good for the red-legged frog and slider turtles) and in the taller
trees, a spot for nesting raptors to roost. On the other side are
"hybridized" trees, those that have been bred to bear no fruit and
are not useful to animals or humans. I planted one such tree in my
yard recently, not knowing any better.
One Cool Earth is
the nonprofit group that Johnston founded 15 years ago with Chris and
Sue Elliot of Morro Bay. It's purpose is to gather acorns and other
tree seeds, grow them in containers and then plant them at such places
as Lopez Lake, Cuesta College, Cal Poly and Whale Rock Reservoir.
He has teamed with Cal Poly students, rangers at Lopez Lake, Friends
of Lopez Lake, Connie Sparks, teacher of environmental horticulture at
Arroyo Grande High School, and others.
Twenty years ago,
he planted 58 live-oak trees on the Cuesta campus. They take in carbon
dioxide and release oxygen into the air, diminishing pollutants.
One Cool Earth came into existence for two purposes: first was the
gathering of seeds, the planting, growing and then giving away of
trees; second was the educating of people about the first by reaching
out to the public about the importance of planting native
trees.
Students from
Arroyo Grande High School and Cal Poly gathered acorns from Lopez Lake
in the fall of 2008. They will soon be going back to plant the
saplings.
The students get community service credit for this. Sparks said the
students can take one home to plant in their own yard, if desired.
Students from the Grizzly Youth Academy for at-risk students also
often help with the plantings.
The tree planting
at Lopez Lake is set for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 20.
Meet in the park entrance parking lot. There will be no park fee, and
the public is invited.
As an ironworker,
Johnston helped build bridges, dams, the Space Launch Complex 6 at
Vandenberg Air Force Base, and the Kennedy Library and architecture
building at Cal Poly.
As a retired
volunteer, he is building live forests for the benefit of generations
to come.
"The wealth is
in the satisfaction of seeing these young people doing something
positive and life creating that they carry forward with them,"
Johnston said.
For more information about tree plantings, call Johnston at 801-0668,
or go to www.onecoolearth.org.
The
South?County Beat appears every other week. Anyone with
story ideas involving interesting people in the South County can reach
Gayle Cuddy at 489-1026 or nightengayles@aol.com.