Executive Director's Blog
May 18, 2021
Trust but verify
There is so much going on with respect to water use these days. There are the increasingly-frequent droughts, and the relatively-new legislation pertaining to groundwater usage, and then there is the State-overseen groundwater exchange program that hel… Continue Reading Trust but verify
May 6, 2021
Spiked proteins
Several years ago, we posted about buttonwillow (Cephalanthus occidentalis varcalifornicus), and our love for them. Buttonwillow is still present on the Conservancy’s flagship preserve, and doing well. Since it is common in wetland habitats, it makes s… Continue Reading Spiked proteins
October 1, 2020
Crane-iotomy
We’ve been wracking our brains wondering why the famous large-bird of the region rarely frequented Conservancy preserves. We chalked it up to relative youth.
June 2, 2020
Jedi Mind Meld
If you were to gaze into the eyes of the Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) very long, you might be a victim of the old Jedi Mind Meld. This Great horned owl chick, born Spring 2020 on the Conservancy’s flagship BKS Preserve, could place a gaze on you… Continue Reading Jedi Mind Meld
February 14, 2020
Lunch Time
The great paradox of restoration ecology, and the work that the Conservancy does, is that the refuges and sanctuaries we design, build and manage are created for the benefit of wildlife. The theory is that as wildlife is displaced by urbanization, they… Continue Reading Lunch Time
January 9, 2020
It happens.
Here we have a Red-tail hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) taking an American coot (Fulica americana) off the Conservancy’s flagship reserve, the BKS Tract. There are times when one hates to see this, and then there is the realization that if it’s not happening,… Continue Reading It happens.
July 25, 2019
High wire act
On the Conservancy’s flagship preserve, a couple of daredevil raccoons have scaled and occupied a lookout post that looks a little dangerous to us. Are they sentries for others? Afraid of an “alpha” in their tribe? Banished from their tribe? Or just pl… Continue Reading High wire act
July 18, 2019
Chewy
In this photo, we show the perfect situation for water’s edge vegetation management. The photo, taken today on the Conservancy’s flagship preserve, shows goats grazing on bankside vegetation. Why I said “perfect” in the lead for this post has to do wit… Continue Reading Chewy
May 9, 2019
A remarkable find
(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
Hollywood star on Conservancy preserve
(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