The Farmer As Conservationist Is Key to Audubon California Program

Posted: 24-Feb-2005; Updated: 07-May-2006

Audubon California's Landowner Stewardship Program is taking on increasingly complex restoration projects, as on the 7,000-acre expanse of two adjoining properties, Bobcat Ranch and Blue Oak Ranch. (Audubon Landowner Stewardship Program)

Wildlife-friendly hedgerows between crop fields and progressive views of conservation-based agriculture are both taking root in Yolo and Solano Counties, where Audubon California's Landowner Stewardship Program has partnered with farmers and ranchers on 26 projects in its first five years. In this Central Valley area where agriculture is often intensive and industrial, the program designs and implements a variety of conservation projects, including hedgerows of native plants that provide bird and mammal habitat as well as nectar and pollen for beneficial insects and pollinators.

The program's projects have won the respect of the local agricultural community, national attention and a reputation for "getting things done." "Audubon California has seen the light," says farmer John Stephens. "They ask lots of questions up front to find out what works best for the farmer, and because of this their projects accomplish many things at the same time."

Working with landowners to restore wildlife habitat and conserve natural resources in a manner compatible with existing agricultural operations, the program's guiding principle is straightforward: the farmer as conservationist. That view is essential for conservation in Yolo County, which is 90% privately owned and where, as in most of the country, the majority of rare plants and animals occupy private land. Responsibility for protecting these resources typically falls on individual landowners, many of whom struggle to earn all or part of their living from agriculture and lack the time, money or technical expertise to restore and maintain wildlife habitat and natural resources. The Landowner Stewardship Program, together with its extensive network of partners, helps provide funding, labor and technical assistance. At the same time, landowners can shape projects to meet their own goals and keep their land in production. "The strong stewardship values of farmers and ranchers make them valuable project partners," says Chris Rose, restoration ecologist for the program.

Pursuing increasingly complex multi-year conservation projects, the Landowner Stewardship Program's six-member staff and Yolo County farmers have built their scientific knowledge and technical skills. They use that expertise to connect wildlife corridors, restore riparian habitat, improve water quality, prevent flooding, control agricultural pests and boost agricultural production.

Students who plant trees and do other work at Bobcat Ranch and other Audubon California project sites are learning about both restoration and local agriculture. (Center for Land-Based Learning)

John Stephens, owner of the 550-acre Oakdale Ranch, originally approached Audubon California with the idea of restoring wildlife habitat on his land. Early on, all parties agreed that improving flood control and water conveyance along the one-mile stretch of Willow Slough where it crosses the ranch was also a priority. Each winter the incised slough flooded fields and a nearby highway and required reshaping with heavy machinery. The maintenance was costly for Stephens, the local water district and the neighboring town of Madison. Thus the project was designed to achieve multiple benefits: improving wildlife habitat and also minimizing harmful flooding. Now, in the project's second year, Willow Slough's banks have been sloped back and rise gently above the channel, mimicking a natural floodplain. They have been revegetated with native plants such as purple needlegrass, deer grass, creeping wild rye, meadow barley, rushes, cottonwoods, willows, elderberry bushes, coyote bushes, live oak, valley oak and gray pine. "The grasses are growing well in the slough and on the lower benches, and Audubon California keeps tweaking the planting mix based on our observation and experience," says Stephens. "This makes for a better project all around."

Another Audubon California project encompasses about 7,000 acres on two adjacent properties, Blue Oak Ranch and Bobcat Ranch. Last spring Audubon California and its partners began restoring almost a mile of riparian habitat, building wildlife ponds, vegetating and maintaining existing stock ponds, implementing rotational grazing and conducting controlled burns to restore native perennial grassland and historic wetlands. The wildlife ponds include habitat for the tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor), which is a California Species of Special Concern. As word of the project's success spreads to neighboring landowners, there's potential for more projects to restore and connect habitat.

Partners making important contributions to the Landowner Stewardship Program include the Center for Land-Based Learning, Yolo County Resource Conservation District, the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service and the University of California Cooperative Extension. The program also draws upon organizations outside the area, such as San Francisco-based Sustainable Conservation. The two groups are pursuing a Safe Harbor Agreement for the federally threatened Valley elderberry longhorn beetle (Desmocerus californicus dimorphus). When the agreement is final, Audubon California will hold an umbrella Safe Harbor permit, under which any Yolo County landowner who volunteers to create and maintain beetle habitat will in return receive legal assurances that those efforts will not result in increased Endangered Species Act responsibilities.

The Center for Land-Based Learning is an essential collaborator that provides high school students with hands-on learning opportunities in restoration and agriculture through its Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship program. On project sites, students participate in the entire restoration cycle and learn about local agriculture.

Audubon California Restoration Technician Miles DaPrato reseeds the land with native plants at Willow Slough on John Stephens's Oakdale Ranch. Restoring wildlife habitat and minimizing harmful flooding are the focus of this project. (Audubon Landowner Stewardship Program)

The Landowner Stewardship Program has raised more than $4.3 million for projects from government and private sources. Audubon California taps both federal and state government sources, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, California's Wildlife Conservation Board and the California Bay Delta Authority. The latter two have been especially supportive, funding many projects and helping develop a habitat restoration model for agricultural lands.

"Partnerships with farmers, ranchers, local organizations and community are essential to the long-term success of agriculture, conservation and community in the region," says Chris Rose. A thorough knowledge of agricultural operations and the awareness that agriculture can be compatible with wildlife restoration and enhancement is an approach that earns the support essential for any community-based conservation project. Integrating youth education into on-farm restoration, carefully selecting and planning projects and building strong working relationships with partners and funders all contribute to the success of Audubon California's Landowner Stewardship Program.

Conservation Incentives thanks Susan Kester, Project Manager, Sustainable Conservation in San Francisco, and Vance Russell, Program Manager, Audubon California's Landowner Stewardship Program, for this article.

Editor's note: The valley elderberry longhorn beetle is one of Environmental Defense's Back from the Brink species. Learn more about this rare and colorful beetle at www.backfromthebrink.org.