Executive Director's Blog

(May 9, 2019) Species covered by the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan (NBHCP) such as the Giant garter snake were abundant in 2018. In this instance, four Giant garter snakes (Thamnophis gigas) were spotted in rocked spillway on a Conservancy ma… Continue Reading A remarkable find

(April 30, 2019) The photo that accompanies this story was taken the day the movie “Avengers: End Game” was released. The movie set a record for ticket sales: $1 billion, just for the opening weekend. One of the stars of the movie, Rocket Raccoon, was… Continue Reading Hollywood star on Conservancy preserve

(April 26, 2019) Giant garter snakes are known to be elusive. They never “pose” for a photo. They are “escape artists,” especially when approached. The photos we most often see of them are taken as they are swimming away in a marsh or wetland, quickly… Continue Reading In suspension

(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!