Montclair couple Herb and Adrienne Bryant have coined a new term for their fire-prevention work in the Oakland hills: "eco-pulling."

Eco-pulling, they say, is the act of removing invasive plants to make way for native plants to grow. It is a task they have been performing every other Saturday in Shepherd Canyon Park for about a year.

"This is our small way of trying to make the world a better place," Herb Bryant said from his home overlooking the canyon.

The Bryants are two of more than a dozen District 4 residents who have been named local heroes by City Councilmember Jean Quan's office. Quan (Montclair-Laurel) will be'Eco-pullers' recognized for hills efforts honoring her heroes with a ceremony at her district office Saturday.

Five of the nominees will be given $1,000 each to be used on public projects.

The Bryants' work is a labor-intensive hobby. Shepherd Canyon Park is 34 acres and home to several varieties of non-native plants such as Scotch broom and Cape ivy.

"If you look at the great big picture of all the   broom and all the weeds, you can get overwhelmed," Adrienne Bryant said of the massive undertaking of removing all the weeds. "You have to pick a small space and move out from that."

Each work day, four to 15 other Shepherd Canyon residents join the couple in their efforts. As they remove the worst of the fire-prone vegetation, they also plant seedlings they get from the Friends of Sausal Creek native plant nursery in Joaquin Miller Park.

"We've earned 1,000 plants with our sweat equity," Adrienne Bryant said.

Oakland hills fire experts say Shepherd Canyon could be the center of the next firestorm, partly because there has not been a fire there in decades. The Bryants want to create a large-enough fire break to save the homes in the area.

"Our motive is really to try to make a safe environment, and if what we're doing encourages other people to help get rid of the invasive plants, then we'll feel like we've done something," Herb Bryant said.

Quan said she highlights community activists such as the Bryants to show them recognition for their work and  possibly inspire others to help improve the District 4 community.

Last year, her heroes used the reward money to plant trees around the site of the old Hillcrest Motel, to build a shade structure for the Children's Fairyland puppet theater and to plant flowers on a blighted median strip.

Other nominees include Nommi Alouf, a member of the Maxwell Park Neighborhood Council who has organized more than 200 neighbors to participate in the city's tree program; Tim Chapman, a member of the Dimond Improvement Association who runs the neighborhood's   message board; gardeners Tricia Christopher and Gracie Munoz, who have created public pocket gardens in the Dimond district; and Barbara Goldenberg, team leader for the Montclair Safety and Improvement Council.