Sunset Boulevard Habitat Highway
Sunset Boulevard between Santiago and Taraval

In the past, this roadway was just a place to speed past or to drop off your kids at one of the many local schools. But thanks to forward-looking community members, Yerba Buena chapter advocacy and Department of Public Works staff, today the boulevard is being reimagined as a corridor for both people and native wildlife with long-term hopes of tying together two of the most biodiverse areas in San Francisco: the Western end of Golden Gate Park and Lake Merced.

The Yerba Buena chapter, led by Volunteer Chair Beth Cataldo, stepped up and raised funds to purchase local native plants and other resources. Thanks to those funds combined with generous YB Board member donations (Thanks Beth, Paul Bouscal and Jake Sigg!) and grants secured by Markos Major of the non-profit Climate Action Now! California along with a whole lot of CNPS volunteer muscle, the project is now a reality.

Best wildlife sightings
West Coast lady butterflies, coyotes, Great Blue Heron, Bald Eagle and Western Bluebirds

Favorite plant
Montara manzanita (Arctostaphylos montaraensis), a rarity from Montara Mountain

Biggest challenge
Back in the day, the road crews put down a four-inch layer of crushed chert which made it extremely difficult to dig through. Each hole for each plant took about 15- 20 minutes to pile-drive through.

Featured plants
Gumplant (Grindelia stricta var. platyphylla), pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), California wild rose (Rosa californica), seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus), bee plant (Scrophularia californica), tidy tips (Layia platyglossa), baby blue eyes (Nemophila menziesii), liveforever (Dudleya sp.), coast silktassel (Garrya elliptica), pink-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum), California buttercup (Ranunculus californicus), blue blossom (Ceanothus sp.), sea thrift (Armeria maritima).