Wetland protection and restoration is essential to all life on earth. More than 64 percent of the world’s wetlands have been lost since 1900 and 76 percent of wetland species populations have declined between 1970 and 2010. We recognized the important of wetlands too late, but restoration projects are bringing many back as productive and protective habitats, such as Richardson Bay in Marin County California, and as mitigation for urban sprawl, such as Natomas Basin Conservancy just north of Sacramento.
The Natomas Basin historically was tule and floodplain wetlands when the Sacramento River was free-flowing braided channels that seasonally flooded the basin. Now it is home to the Sacramento Airport and an appalling number of residential developments. But conservation and restoration required as part of development mitigations has improved 4,200 acres of Natomas habitat enough to support animals known to be uncommon, like the mink seen recently and reported by John Roberts, executive director of the Natomas Basin Conservancy.
… one of the organization’s employees was walking in a preserve last week when the mink popped its head up from some rocks. “My guess is where there’s one, there’s more,” he said. He was so excited by the discovery of the photogenic ferret-like animal that he posted its picture on Facebook, saying “this little guy is just too cute not to share.”
Roberts would not share the exact location where the mink was found, citing concerns that someone would try to hunt it.
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Since the Sacramento River was dammed, restrained by levees and diverted for agriculture, the Natomas wetlands depend on pumping groundwater from 11 wells drilled on the property since 1999.
Roberts said the mink is one of many species that have taken up residence on the 4,200 acres owned by the conservancy, which manages land set aside to compensate for habitat lost to development in the Natomas basin. Much of the land is flooded to create wetlands that approximate what once existed in Natomas, where seasonal flooding was the historical norm.
“It’s a matter of maturity,” Roberts said. “Some of these marsh complexes are a decade and a half old now, and they’re starting to get established.”
Sixteen threatened, endangered or candidate (TEC) wildlife species use the Natomas Basin: birds (cackling goose — formerly Aleutian Canada goose, white-faced ibis, bank swallow, loggerhead shrike, burrowing owl, tricolored blackbird, Swanson’s hawk), herps (California tiger salamander, giant garter snake, western spadefoot toad, northwestern pond turtle), invertebrates (valley elderberry longhorn beetle, two species of fairy shrimp, and tadpole shrimp). Seven wetland TEC plant species call Natomas home.
The Daily Bucket has reported on other wetland restoration projects recently, including RonK’s Salmon Stream Sees Daylight — Padden Creek Update, Lenny Flank’s The Marco Island Mangrove Restoration Project, and OceanDiver’s the Elwha River runs free!
Any wetlands near you? Do people think of them as filthy mosquito swamps that need to be channelized and filled for condo development? Or are the channels being set free as with Padden Creek and the Elwha River?
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