Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration

During the 2019-20 hydrologic year several projects were initiated which were designed toevaluate questions resulting from the long-term Black Lake Ecological Area (BLEA) Nipomolupine seeding experiment. These include an assessment of soil conditions at various sites, anassessment of soil moisture at multiple sites and two additional experimental outplanting trials toevaluate the extent to which fog collection by cages could be more of a factor than herbivory-protection and to evaluate whether there are any benefits to lupine survival from growing ‘with’versus ‘without’ other plants nearby. Results from those studies were compiled in the 2019-20,2020-21, and 2021-22 reports.This report covers results from the monitoring of the two experimental trials over the 2022-23winter, which was relatively wet compared to the previous few years. This report also covers theYear 2 monitoring of the 2021-22 augmentation effort which included 23 plots each seeded with500 seeds established in the swales at BLEA (2014/15 trial swale and 2019 trial swale) andKathleen Goddard Jones Overlook swale (KGJO). An additional 6 augmentation plots were addedto BLEA in 2022, as well as 10 plots at the Dune Protected Area (DPA) just west of Phillips 66refinery. These plots included modest variation to further track the pros and cons of seedscarification and fencing/caging as well as parallel camera trap studies designed to document seedpredation and plant herbivory.Finally, this report includes a brief update on a small occurrence of lupine growing in the CalTrans right of way along Willow Road near the entrance to the Phillips 66 refinery. This naturallyoccurring subpopulation was monitored twice near the middle and end of the growing 2022-23growing season for the number of individuals and seedpods.The three study areas, as well as the Cal Trans subpopulation, occur within one square mile ofeach other within the Guadalupe-Nipomo sand dune complex (Figure 1).