Executive Director's Blog

(April 18, 2019) Discovery of the year: Swainson’s hawk nest found in a Conservancy-planted tree complex! In 2003, the Conservancy planted 30 cottonwood trees on one of its interior Natomas Basin preserves, hoping that at least 15 would survive and end… Continue Reading The plan comes together!

(May 21, 2018) Cal-IPC’s Spring 2018 magazine (“Dispatch”) revealed a list from the Western Governor’s Association that caught our eye. Listed as the number one worst invasive species by the Western Governor’s Association in the category of aquatics is… Continue Reading The Governah says so

(May 18, 2018) Sometimes we get questions about the strange appearance of the eyes of some of the Giant garter snakes we feature in Conservancy media. Some say it looks like something out of a horror film (AKA “scary movie”). It normally looks like a f… Continue Reading Creepy eyes

(May 7, 2018)  When we’re asked what the Giant garter snakes eat, we always respond by saying mosquito fish and tadpoles and similar small aquatic organisms. And, after nearly two decades of observing the Giant garter snake on Conservancy preserves, we… Continue Reading Big gulp

(April 23, 2018) The results for the 2017 Biological Effectiveness Monitoring Program on Conservancy preserves are in. Here, a focus on the Swainson’s hawk. In 2016, there were 43 successful nests and 63 fledged. In 2017, there were 49 successful nests… Continue Reading More rain, please

(March 28, 2018)  Giant garters snake experts talk about the snake being “cryptic.” I looked up the word cryptic in the dictionary and the definition I found was: “mysterious and obscure.” I have also heard the experts talk about the snake being “shy.”… Continue Reading Cryptic?

(March 23, 2018)  The attached photo was taken on March 23, 2018. It is the first Giant garter snake sighting Conservancy field crews have seen this year. Of course, it helps that sunshine was prevalent and in the previous number of weeks, it has been… Continue Reading Not a groundhog!

(March 7, 2018)  The HCPs require that the Conservancy plant potential nesting trees for Swainson’s hawk. The hope is that in the subsequent decade or two after planting, the trees will have enough stature to support a Swainson’s hawk nest. We’ve gotte… Continue Reading Swainson’s hawk versus eager beaver

    (November 9, 2017)  This very large bird (see photo at right) was spotted on Conservancy mitigation land recently. Since being photographed, we’ve shopped the photo out to a number of experts for identification. We on the staff gave it a… Continue Reading Big Bird

An interview with John Roberts, Executive Director, The Natomas Basin Conservancy. “What are the most frequently asked questions you get?” Click on the photo icon to view the top 5 FAQ’s.