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Journal 2015 V12n1.Pdf JOURNAL Restoration at Panorama Vista Preserve Takes Off By Trevor Meadows, Restoration Biologist & Julie Rentner, Director of Special Projects ike native plants themselves, ecological restoration is a growing Lindustry with many challenges. No other industry must envision unknown project outcomes, convince funders to invest (often large sums of cash up front), and then adapt to whatever Mother Nature Top photo: Thousands of native plants were delivered to has to offer with little hope of turning a profit – or none, in the case of nonprofit the project site from the RECON Native Plants nursery. organizations like River Partners. Did we mention that restoration success is often judged Above: River Partners received a generous award from Pacific Gas & Electric in October 2014 to help fund by the actions of wildlife - notoriously unpredictable and often not well understood? restoration efforts at the Preserve. One reason for the dearth of large-scale restoration practitioners is this incredible diversity of obstacles that any one project may face. Whether it is the weather, the wildlife, or the floods and fires that will not cooperate, ecological restoration is a game Winter 2015 • Volume 12, Issue 1 of rolling with it and sticking to the project, even when the odds seem overwhelming. But the rewards are very satisfying – recovering beautiful vistas, wildlife populations, environmental quality, and outdoor experiences. River Partners learned a long time ago Inside: that it is through partnerships that such positive outcomes are attained, and often the most successful partnerships are unlikely, and forged from adversity. Letter from the Board Chair: This year, River Partners and the Kern River Corridor Endowment are delighted Abbott Lake Restoration to see the reward after several grueling years of fundraising, planning, negotiations, ............................................Page 2 and contracting for the Panorama Vista Preserve in Bakersfield, CA. In late 2014, the team kicked off the preparation and planting of the largest block of restoration yet – CA Passed a New Water Bond... 129 acres located on both the north and south sides of the Kern River. With funding So What?............................ Page 4 provided by the California River Parkways Program, California Wildlife Conservation Native Plant Nurseries and Board, Central Valley Project Improvement Act Habitat Restoration Program, National River Partners - A Winning Team Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Partners for Fish and Wildlife, Pacific Gas and Electric, ............................................Page 5 and Chevron, this project has leveraged an economy of scale. With acreage of this size, Feather River Riparian Habitat restoration crews are able to effectively prepare the site, plant tens of thousands of Restoration.........................Page 6 native trees and shrubs, manage a complex drip irrigation system, and perform weed Oroville Wildlife Area Flood Continued on page 3 Stage Reduction.................Page 7 River Partner JOURNAL • Page 1 Message from the Board Chair [email protected] By Irv Schiffman www.riverpartners.org The Journal is published by River Partners, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public benefit corporation. Our mission is to create wildlife habitat for the Abbott Lake Restoration benefit of people and the environment. Moving Ahead Unless otherwise specified, all photographs were taken by River Partners staff. n July of 2014, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board issued an Board of Directors encroachment permit to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife I(CDFW) enabling River Partners to begin work on the Abbott Lake Unit of Kara Varian, Baker, KVB, Inc. the Feather River Wildlife Area. The effort to obtain the permit took four and Kathy Barrett, SynMedia one-half years of negotiations that, to a great extent, revolved around the question John Carlon, Sierra Cascade Blueberry Farm Ron Ginochio, Ginochio Farms of the effect that restored vegetation in floodways has on floodwater conveyance Ken Grossman, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and flood safety. Allen Hackett, Hackett Farming Located approximately seven miles south of Yuba City in the Sacramento Mark Kimmelshue, Associated Rice Marketing Valley, the 439-acre Abbott Lake site has been fallow for 25 years. Through a Cooperative Tom Lando, Lando & Associates grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board, River Partners will actively Suellen Rowlison, RN, retired restore 150 acres and help enhance the remnant habitat by controlling invasive Irv Schiffman, CSUC, Political Science, emeritus plants. Since this unit belongs to the CDFW, the project will also benefit public Monroe Sprague, MD recreation and access to the Feather River once restoration is completed. The notion that floodway vegetation is detrimental to flood safety is familiar Staff to the planners and scientists at River Partners and is taken very seriously by them. The long-standing perception has been that floodway vegetation slows Sacramento Valley Staff: John Carlon, President down floodwater, raising water levels and potentially jeopardizing levees, bridges, David Neubert, VP Business Development and other infrastructure. However, River Partners believes that native riparian Gerald Dion, Chief Financial Officer vegetation can be designed to have minimal impact on floodwater conveyance Mona Dagy, Executive Assistant and flood safety. River Partners planting designs include hydraulic modeling Deborah McLaughlin, Sr. Accounting Manager Dr. Andrew Rayburn, Director of Science that enables River Partners to target where native vegetation can be placed on Helen Swagerty, Sr. Restoration Biologist floodplains to achieve desired outcomes. Michael Rogner, Associate Restoration Biologist For the Abbott Lake restoration project, River Partners hired the engineering Ruben Reynoso, Jr., Restoration Field Manager Andy Alexander, Grant & Contract Intern firm MBK to conduct the hydraulic analysis of the proposed planting design. Eligio Hernandez, Field Technician Senior Restoration Biologist Helen Swagerty, who is supervising the project, Francisco Jauregui, Field Technician explained that “thanks to MBK’s multiple evaluations and feedback, we’ve Jared Hicks, Field Technician carefully adjusted the restoration design—including types of plants, their locations, Ricardo Navarro, Field Technician Tara Porter, Field Technician and densities—so that there specifically won’t be a ‘clogging’ effect if there is a Ben Baker, Admin Field Technician flood. MBK’s modeling of the project’s impact in a flood event has shown that San Joaquin Valley Staff: restoration will not burden the flood protection system, and could potentially Julie Rentner, Director of Special Projects reduce water velocity adjacent to the levee.” Heyo Tjarks, Restoration Ecologist More than 90% of the historic riparian habitat in California’s Great Central Stephen Sheppard, Director of Operations Valley has been lost, and most of the remaining 5 - 10% is in highly degraded Trevor Meadows, Restoration Biologist Jeff Holt, Restoration Biologist condition. The riparian habitat that remains along the Feather River provides Michelle Andreetta, Biological Technician critical habitat for numerous wildlife species, including many waterfowl, Stuart Mattos, Restoration Field Manager neotropical migratory songbirds, and special-status species such as Swainson’s Frank Reynoso, Restoration Field Manager hawk and the valley elderberry longhorn beetle. The Abbott Lake project will Miranda Lamb, Staff Accountant Feliciano Degante, Field Technician create additional high-quality riparian habitat, linking fragmented patches of remnant habitat and improving conditions for many wildlife species along the Southern California Staff: Bill Jensen, Restoration Field Manager Feather River corridor. Journal Editor: Dr. Andrew Rayburn Journal Design & Layout: Tempra Board JOURNAL printed on recycled paper. Page 2 • River Partners JOURNAL Page 2 • River Partner JOURNAL Restoration at Panorama Vista Preserve Continued from page 1 control using tractors instead of back- (as was previously thought), breaking hand labor. but were private lines installed Arriving on site from their comfy and managed by Chevron. nursery home over two months ahead Understandably, Chevron of schedule, the native plants for the shared our concern about project had acclimated to the Bakersfield vandalism and requested that climate nicely while restoration crews and we install a beefed up security volunteers watered and cared for them gate around the control panel. daily. The planting was initiated at a public While the re-establishment of event in mid-October 2014 celebrating the power was negotiated, we had second contribution to the project from to run the irrigation system PG&E. Advertised through social media with a generator. The evening and the usual Kern County conservation of the very first day with the Volunteers donated time and energy to help plant native trees and shrubs circles, this event garnered participation generator, the wire thieves paid from 24 volunteers, 9 Conservation us a visit. As a result, we fast-tracked the Corpsmembers, as well as the attention of construction of a security cage that would Grande.” Having sat on a waitlist for the Bakersfield Californian newspaper and enclose both the control panel and the some time, the neighbors had a well- the office of Kern generator. A week driller scheduled to arrive within the County Supervisor Panorama Vista Preserve later, the thieves had
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