Caretaking
Taking care of the land (land stewardship) is about re-connecting with our dependence on earth, air, water and sunshine - and the abundance of life it supports. As Aldo Leopold wrote in A Sand County Almanac, land stewardship is also about preserving "the capacity of the land for self-renewal.”
Featured Stewardship Project:
Gold Hill Ranch Restoration
The American River Conservancy recently completed a Phase One Restoration Plan for the Gold Hill – Wakamatsu Property that will address the restoration of a 6-acre seasonal wetland, installation of hedgerows and the introduction of prescribed fire on the landscape. Hedgerows consist of rows of trees, shrubs, perennial grasses, forbs, rushes and sedges that surround farm fields or provide a buffer surrounding sensitive areas. Their benefits to agricultural landscapes include enhanced weed control, air and water quality protection, soil erosion control, biodiversity and increased beneficial insect activity. Future phases of restoration activities will likely focus on oak woodland restoration, stream-bank stabilization and invasive species removal in the ponds. This project will benefit the South Fork American River watershed by improving the water storage capacity, nutrient cycling functions, productivity and biological diversity of the natural areas at Gold Hill Ranch.
Habitat enhancement and restoration activities will be carried out over the next several years by American River Conservancy Staff and volunteers, Cal Fire crews, California Conservation Corps (CCC) crews, AmeriCorps Crews and local school groups. Monitoring and maintenance will be completed by American River Conservancy staff and volunteers and local school groups seeking to complete service-learning projects.
Support for this project has been provided by grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Patagonia, REI and the El Dorado Women’s Fund. Integration of restoration activities with existing program infrastructure (P.E.E.R), the involvement of several partner groups and ARC’s outstanding Volunteers makes it cost-effective and will ensure its success. Please join us for this exciting opportunity to actively restore an important part of California’s natural heritage. For more information about this project, please contact Elena DeLacy at (530) 295-2190 or email elena@arconservancy.org.
Other Stewardship Projects:
South Fork American River Trail
Join the American River Conservancy and BLM for trail work on the South Fork American River Trail System. We are always looking for volunteers to armor culverts, do tread work to prevent erosion, clear vegetation from trails, install fencing and post signs.
Cronan Ranch Oak Woodland Restoration
Over a century of land-clearing and grazing dramatically changed the landscape of the Cronan Ranch Regional Trails Park from oak woodland to grassland. Volunteers are needed to help ARC and BLM staff plant acorns and oak seedlings during the fall and winter and maintain plantings during the spring and summer.
Great Sierra River Cleanup
This annual statewide event held in September (Sept. 17, 2011) focuses on cleaning up inland waterways in conjunction with Coastal Cleanup Day. If you are interested in volunteering or sponsoring this event, please contact us and look under volunteering.
Spivey Pond Habitat Enhancement
In 2004 the American River Conservancy completed a restoration and enhancement project that provides additional reproductive habitat for the threatened California red-legged frog. Ongoing monitoring and vegetation management are part of the long-term plan for Spivey Pond, and we strive to involve volunteers in this project as much as possible.
Stream Monitoring and Assessment Project
2005 marked the completion of a 3-year stream assessment project that focused on 10 tributary streams in the South Fork American River Watershed, with one stream site in the Upper Cosumnes River watershed. The results of this study show that water quality in this part of our region is very good, and gives us another reason to protect these watersheds, for wildlife, residents and the millions of water users downstream.
Help Take Care of the Land
Donations of time, materials and funding are always needed to achieve our stewardship goals. Consider volunteering your time, professional services or sponsoring a stewardship event.
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