Hummingbird Mountain: Mt Umunhum

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YOU CAN ONLY REGISTER ON THE SIERRA CLUB CALENDAR.
Please see the description and registration on the Chapter Calendar.
https://act.sierraclub.org/events/details?formcampaignid=701Po00000yNCR4IAO&mapLinkHref=https://maps.google.com/maps&daddr=Hummingbird%20Mountain;%20Mt%20Umunhum%20Open%20Space%20Preserve@37.175387,-121.862006

Mount Umunhum consists of 18,000-acres and has an elevation of 3,486 feet making it one of the highest peaks in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Open Space Preserve contains over 63 unique species and over 324 native and animal species.

Mount Umunhum was closed to the public in 1980 and reopened on September 16, 2017 as an open space preserve, 5 miles of new trails fit for hikers, bikers, and equestrian. Through federal funding and Measure AA, Mount Umunhum was able to undergo construction in order to expand and improve roads and trails as well as create more parking facilities and weather shelters.

History
Mount Umunhum is teeming with rich history dating back millions of years to when the San Andreas fault began forming and shaping the mountain itself. The San Andreas Fault created a diverse geologic environment which has attracted people for hundreds of years. Mount Umunhum served as one of the largest Native American population centers in all of North America with approximately 70 different tribes calling it home. The Native Americans respected the lands and their practices helped to conserve the environment which allowed it to flourish. The name “Mount Umunhum” comes from the Ohlone Indian phrase for the resting place of the hummingbird.

Along with native history, Mount Umunhum is also well known for its military history. The Almaden Air Force Station was built atop Mount Um in the late 1950s and was used until the 1980s. The station was used as a radar station during the Cold War but was ultimately shut down when satellites rendered the radars ineffective.

Value as Wildlife Habitat
Some of the many unique species that reside on Mount Umunhum include hummingbirds, purple martin, side-blotched lizard, mountain lions, rattlesnakes, western screech owls, and California thrashers. It is suspected that California Condors may settle on Mount Um as they have been spotted at the nearby Mount Hamilton.

In addition to the species mentioned above, Mount Um is home to venus thistle, white flowered yampa, tarweed plants, big berry manzanitas, madrones, and many more. Some of the wildlife include black-tailed deer, gray foxes, chipmunk, band-tailed pigeons, yellow warblers, black-throated gray warblers, bobcats, spotted towhee, and blue-gray gnatcatchers.

Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Restoration
Midpen spent a decade working with the state in order to receive federal funding to be able to restore Mount Umunhum. In 2009 they were able to remove 3,000 cubic yards of hazardous materials from Mount Um, most likely from the old military base, whose radar tower cube base is still recognizable from afar.