[ad_1]
LAKE COUNTY, Calif .– When the Lake County Land Trust, or LCLT, developed a set of long-term priorities for future acquisitions and conservation easements nearly 15 years ago, preserving wetlands along the West shore of Clear Lake, from Clear Lake State Park to South Lakeport in what has been called the Big Valley Wetlands project topped the list.
Over the years, Clear Lake has lost approximately 80% of its natural shoreline to development.
Tules, willows, cattails, native shrubs and other riparian vegetation along the lakeshore provided prime habitat for birds and mammals, and the tule swamps were home to native and non-native fish, including nursery grounds critical to endangered Clear Hitch Lake.
The loss of this key habitat has had significant adverse consequences for many species, and the loss of natural filtration provided by wetlands has played a major role in degrading water quality.
The largest wetlands remaining on the lake are Anderson Marsh State Historic Park to the south, Rodman Slough to the north, and the Big Valley shoreline.
Unlike Anderson Marsh and Rodman, much of the Big Valley region is privately owned, putting its outstanding natural values at risk.
The Land Trust has therefore decided to target the land in this area as its top priority.
In the words of LCLT Founder and Board Member Roberta Lyons, “Our goal is to preserve and restore these lands either through the purchase of title deeds or through conservation easements for the purpose of ” improve this vital habitat for animals and provide recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. “
The purchase of the 200-acre Wright Ranch near South Lakeport in 2020 was a big step forward in implementing that goal.
In addition to preserving the land for future development in perpetuity, goals include restoring a significant portion of the property to wetland habitat that existed prior to the construction of berms and dikes in the 1940s for the “Recover” for grazing.
The plan is to cross the berm to create an additional 32 acres of seasonal wetlands and restore the population of Valley Oaks beyond the residual grove that currently exists: these towering trees provide habitat for many species of invertebrates, d birds and mammals while sequestering immense amounts of carbon.
These large restoration projects will require review under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, and permits from federal, state, and county agencies, beginning with wetland delineation and a botanical study by biologist Steve Zalusky. .
To complement this professional analysis, Land Trust Board Member Merry Jo Velasquez also recruited volunteers from Land Trust members, Lake County Master Gardeners, California Native Plant Society and others to study the property and catalog its populations of native and non-native plants.
Although at first glance the latter appear to be largely predominant, not surprisingly on land heavily grazed for many years, a number of native species also persist on the property.
The first group of volunteers made their way to the property on a sunny Saturday in April. After a crash course on the National Geographic Society’s iNaturalist app provided by UC McLaughlin Reserve Co-Managers Paul Aigner and Cathy Koehler, several dozen participants broke up into small groups and deployed to the field, taking photos and uploading them to a database.
According to Velasquez, “Using iNaturalist as your primary identification resource has been an interesting and rewarding experience. I was intrigued by the common name of the Erodium circutarium flower, which is called the stork’s beak even though this round pink flower bears no resemblance to a stork’s beak. A month later, after the pods had formed, I found out that Stork’s Bill describes them perfectly.
Ultimately, the Land Trust hopes to be able to open up the property for public use and enjoyment, but before that happens, a basic management plan needs to be developed, trails demarcated and signage installed.
In the meantime, occasional field trips are scheduled: to see this property before the start of its transformation, contact Roberta Lyons at 707 994 2024 or This e-mail address is protected from spam. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Victoria Brandon is a member of the board of directors of the nonprofit Tuleyome, based in Woodland, California.
[ad_2]
Source link