One year after signing a contract with the City of Fremont to take on restoration of the remnants of the California Nursery orchard, the nonprofit CORE (California Orchard Restoration Experiment) marked their first anniversary on July 21, 2026. CORE volunteers and city officials (including Irene Jordahl, Michael Sa and Kim Beranek) gathered for lunch on the sunny day to survey the progress.
Grafted apples in Maiden Lane are growing well, with about a 90% success rate from last winter. Many will be transplanted over the coming winter to permanent homes. Twelve barefoot trees planted in spring 2026 are also growing well and are about chest high. Meanwhile, the decades-old apricot trees are being pruned now that their harvest time is over. They are looking better now they are being tended after years of neglect.
Earlier in July, the city council voted to give CORE a five year contract renewal, with recurring five year renewals, essentially granting CORE a 15-year lease of the orchard.
Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad. Thieves broke into the group’s storage shed, stealing about $2,000 worth of equipment, and an afternoon of work as the volunteers spent hours in the sun repairing the shed doors. CORE is working with the city to make a new, more secure shed, on the south side of the maintenance building.
CORE works on the orchard on Tuesdays between 9am and 2pm. Learn more at tricityecology.org/core.
Note: CORE member Phil Stob contributed the information for this article.
