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100 acres of turfgrass is a chore to mow, and an army of gophers and burrowing squirrels doesn?EUR??,,????'?????< An hour south of Los Angeles, Huntington Beach is better-known for its waves and beaches than its inland parks. Bird enthusiasts flock to the coast there, but no one would suggest that this city of about 200,000 people is a spot for prime wildlife viewing. But?EUR??,,????'?????< Gophers and squirrels thrive and reproduce in the turf. The city occasionally hires exterminators but tries to live with the pests?EUR??,,????'?????<
An hour south of Los Angeles, Huntington Beach is better-known for its waves and beaches than its inland parks. Bird enthusiasts flock to the coast there, but no one would suggest that this city of about 200,000 people is a spot for prime wildlife viewing.
But?EUR??,,????'?????<
?EUR??,,????'?????<
Several of Huntington Beach?EUR??,,????'?????< The park is laid out in two blocks that are divided by Golden West Street, one of the city?EUR??,,????'?????< Supervisor Ron Foreman (left) and crewleader Ron Kilbourne oversee a team of about 30 workers who handle lawn and plant maintenance at close to 70 parks at Huntington Beach, Calif. Crew member Robert Johnson sports the newest in backpack blowers?EUR??,,????'?????< Not surprisingly, the crew spends more time mowing than on any other single task at the park. An 80-inch Vrisimo flail deck attached to a John Deere tractor takes care of the open areas but lacks agility around trees and shrubs. In tighter spaces, workers rely on John Deere front-end mowers with 54-inch blades. Crews usually mow for five or six hours a day to finish mowing the park. It takes about a week for the crew to mow the 100-acre park. It?EUR??,,????'?????< The mow crew works during the week to avoid high-use periods, and coordinates work to avoid interfering with groups using picnic areas and other facilities.
The park is laid out in two blocks that are divided by Golden West Street, one of the city?EUR??,,????'?????<
Not surprisingly, the crew spends more time mowing than on any other single task at the park. An 80-inch Vrisimo flail deck attached to a John Deere tractor takes care of the open areas but lacks agility around trees and shrubs. In tighter spaces, workers rely on John Deere front-end mowers with 54-inch blades. Crews usually mow for five or six hours a day to finish mowing the park. It takes about a week for the crew to mow the 100-acre park.
It?EUR??,,????'?????<
The mow crew works during the week to avoid high-use periods, and coordinates work to avoid interfering with groups using picnic areas and other facilities.
Central Park?EUR??,,????'?????< Bermudagrass is cut at a height of 1.5 inches. Several areas are seeded with Kentucky bluegrass, which is cut at close to two inches. The city planted its nearby sports park recently with seashore paspalum and reports good results; paspalum is also used in turf areas near the city?EUR??,,????'?????< Granular fertilizer is applied twice a year. The most important application is in April, to prime the turf for warm-season growth. The crew also puts down fertilizer in the fall?EUR??,,????'?????< Workers do not apply pre-emergents or other herbicides in an attempt to keep Bermudagrass from areas, say, originally planted with kikuya. The crew takes a pragmatic approach. ?EUR??,,????'?????< Huntington Beach has a separate crew that handles tree trimming and other maintenance. The tree crew generates tons of mulch annually that the park grounds crew applies to beds for weed-suppression and water-retention. The grounds crew does deal with moderate leaf fall from the park?EUR??,,????'?????< A close-up of the 80-inch Vrisimo tractor-mower attachment. Flexible ?EUR??,,????'?????< Lead worker Kelly Artinger show off a Stihl string trimmer. Note the lock box on the truck; putting equipment under lock and key keeps theft to a minimum. Pest Patrol Like Bill Murray?EUR??,,????'?????< Years ago, the city used chemical bait to keep populations down?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< Now the city calls in a licensed pest-control contractor when the rodent population runs out of control. Other pesticides?EUR??,,????'?????< The maintenance team has access to tons of free mulch generated by city tree-trimming crews. Mulch helps keep moisture in while keeping weeds out of border areas and planting beds. Quality Pays Off Like other communities across the country, Huntington Beach lives with budget cuts that restrict hiring and limit equipment budgets. Supervisor Ron Foreman cautions against the impulse to save on hardware?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< More on Huntington Beach: www.surfcity-hb.org
Bermudagrass is cut at a height of 1.5 inches. Several areas are seeded with Kentucky bluegrass, which is cut at close to two inches. The city planted its nearby sports park recently with seashore paspalum and reports good results; paspalum is also used in turf areas near the city?EUR??,,????'?????<
Granular fertilizer is applied twice a year. The most important application is in April, to prime the turf for warm-season growth. The crew also puts down fertilizer in the fall?EUR??,,????'?????<
Workers do not apply pre-emergents or other herbicides in an attempt to keep Bermudagrass from areas, say, originally planted with kikuya. The crew takes a pragmatic approach.
Huntington Beach has a separate crew that handles tree trimming and other maintenance. The tree crew generates tons of mulch annually that the park grounds crew applies to beds for weed-suppression and water-retention. The grounds crew does deal with moderate leaf fall from the park?EUR??,,????'?????<
Like Bill Murray?EUR??,,????'?????< Years ago, the city used chemical bait to keep populations down?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< Now the city calls in a licensed pest-control contractor when the rodent population runs out of control. Other pesticides?EUR??,,????'?????< The maintenance team has access to tons of free mulch generated by city tree-trimming crews. Mulch helps keep moisture in while keeping weeds out of border areas and planting beds. Quality Pays Off Like other communities across the country, Huntington Beach lives with budget cuts that restrict hiring and limit equipment budgets. Supervisor Ron Foreman cautions against the impulse to save on hardware?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< More on Huntington Beach: www.surfcity-hb.org
Years ago, the city used chemical bait to keep populations down?EUR??,,????'?????<
Now the city calls in a licensed pest-control contractor when the rodent population runs out of control. Other pesticides?EUR??,,????'?????<
Like other communities across the country, Huntington Beach lives with budget cuts that restrict hiring and limit equipment budgets. Supervisor Ron Foreman cautions against the impulse to save on hardware?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< More on Huntington Beach: www.surfcity-hb.org
More on Huntington Beach: www.surfcity-hb.org
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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