VOLUNTEER PROFILE: MARK SILBERNAGEL — OVLC STEWARDSHIP CREW LEAD

Mark Silbernagel started volunteering with OVLC in 2019. Over the past five years, he has logged more than 450 hours of volunteer work across an array of projects including Allan Jacobs Trail, engineering nursery upgrades, and most recently leading restoration projects! We are proud to highlight Mark’s contributions to the OVLC, in an interview he had with Preserve Manager, Linda Wilkin.

Hello, Mark. Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself? 

I was a government engineer for the Navy and Army for 32 years, and I worked on water treatment systems throughout my entire career, primarily focusing on desalination systems and operating a seawater desalination test facility. I moved to Ojai because my wife, Margaret, grew up here. When her parents decided to sell their house and move to Oregon, we ended up buying their home in 1998. My hobbies include gardening, backpacking, cooking, hiking, and volunteering for different organizations. Volunteering has become a kind of hobby for me now, and I genuinely enjoy doing it. Lately, many of my backpacking trips have been centered around volunteer work trips. Most of these trips take place in the Los Padres National Forest. I spend a lot of time volunteering with OVLC. 

This past year, we collaborated to establish the Volunteer Crew Lead Program. Could you share your experience with leading projects? 

Since around mid-March, we have completed approximately twelve projects on the Ojai Meadows Preserve. However, even before that time, I had hinted to you and Brendan Taylor that I was interested in leading projects beyond trail work. When you proposed the idea of volunteers taking charge of restoration work, I was immediately intrigued. For me, there is more intrinsic value in such initiatives, and I find it immensely rewarding. 

The Ojai Meadows Preserve holds tremendous potential, particularly in offering accessibility to the public from all sides. Its relatively flat terrain makes it suitable for families with young children, as well as elderly individuals. Ensuring it becomes the most accessible preserve for people of all abilities is of great importance to me. It’s an invaluable asset within our community. I anticipate witnessing its growth and ongoing restoration efforts. I am well aware that restoration at the meadows is a long-term endeavor, and it will take time for things to flourish. If you observe the plantings within the fenced off restoration zones, you can see the success of years of hard work. Yet, it still needs us to get in there and control invasive plants. It’s a never-ending thing when you have several water runoff inputs feeding into the meadows. I would like to target zones inside the fenced off restoration area to focus on controlling the invasive weeds. Even if it involves weed whacking, solarizing, and replanting. 

You made a great point about inactive restoration sites needing ongoing care. Even if a parcel seems fully restored, human impact and external factors like stormwater can introduce invasive species. Climate change can also affect plants and their success rates, so we may need to replant. The volunteer program you helped to create this past year will help to ensure proactive monitoring and care for all sites. 

You’ve worked extensively on nursery upgrades with Sophie McLean, our Native Plant Specialist. Can you tell me a little about that project? 

About two years ago, OVLC decided to pursue expanding the nursery. I volunteered to handle the irrigation system. We devised a simple plan on a limited budget that involved volunteer help. Thankfully, funding from donors became available, allowing us to design a more professional system with solar and electrical work done by licensed contractors. I love doing work in the nursery; helping with propagations or hanging shade cloth. The first time I got involved was with the pump house. There was some problem 15 with it (haha). Troubleshooting was right up my alley. It’s super cool working in the nursery. There’s so much practical experience and knowledge to be gained working with a professional botanist like Sophie. She really knows her stuff and talks ten levels above my head when it comes to plants. 

Speaking of plants, as a Volunteer Crew Lead, can you tell me about your upcoming project involving red maids (Calandrinia menziesii) and solarization?

Yes, of course! After doing about ten sessions or more of weed whacking with volunteers, it was starting to feel like, “the progress doesn’t feel as immediate” and it can be repetitive. Recently, I took a Climate Stewards Course that got me thinking about the evolution of projects. One idea was that to have volunteers involved in the entire restoration process by taking a degraded site all the way through to plantings. Sophie recommended that I plot out a test zone and use red maids (Calandrinia menziesii) for seed banking as my first project.

Can you explain what solarization does and what is the goal of the project? 

You are basically trying to clear the land, get it down to bare soil, cover it with a special plastic, and get it as close to the surface as possible, sometimes by weighing it down. You want wet soil, which conducts heat much better than dry soil, to reach a high enough temperature to kill off roots and seeds of invasive species. They are degraded by fungal action because you’ve got high temperatures and moisture. You need to get the soil temp to around 110 degrees for a period of four to six weeks. Once this happens, the plot area will be ready for seeding and planting before the winter rain. The goal here is to plant a single species of red maids to develop a seed bulk that we can use in other restoration zones. I’m excited to see the results. 

What gives you hope about projects at the meadows?

Taking things one step at a time, from land preparation through planting and maintenance, gives me hope. The idea of small bites and proper observation allows us to address the needs effectively. Additionally, having funding for larger projects ensures we can complete them to the fullest extent.

I think evolving and adapting to what works for each given site is important. I feel that too often in preserve management it can be easy to have a fixed mindset, where you use one method and want to stick to it. That’s not always the most productive or successful way to manage a site. The other thing with stewardship and restoration is there are so many variables: slope, shade, water flux, soil, current state of degradation. In Ojai, there are many different microclimates and every season is different. It’s an evolving science and I am excited for the future as it continues to evolve. 

Have you learned anything new or surprising while leading volunteer events?

Starting it early in life would have been ideal, ha! Nevertheless, I began before retiring. For me, it doesn’t feel like work; it’s more like recreation. Being outdoors with friendly people, observing nature, and being surrounded by beauty…it is akin to taking a hike. I don’t see it as volunteer work but rather as enjoyable time spent with others. And regardless of the activity, I always leave feeling good. In the past, I might have thought I lacked time for volunteering, but now I understand that it’s worth making the time for. I do it for me, the environment, and our community.

Mark, thank you again for taking the time to speak with me today. It has been such a pleasure getting to work with you. I am so excited to continue projects with you. I encourage everyone to come out and volunteer with you if they are at all interested in stewardship and California native plants! We appreciate you.