The Wild Side of the Santa Ana River OCWD Department of Natural Resources Outline

• Introduction: OCWD Natural Resources Department • The Connection Between Water Management and the Environment • Santa Ana Watershed • Prado Basin and Wetlands – Wildlife Management – Habitat Restoration • Anaheim Recharge Facilities – Lower Santa Ana River – Burris Seabird Island • Bird Nesting Box Program • Additional Wildlife and other Activities Why OCWD has a Natural Resources Department Wildlife Management Habitat Restoration

Regulatory Permits

All NR Staff Activities Are Driven by Regulatory Permits for Water Projects and Operations We deal with environmental permits, permit compliance, wildlife management, habitat restoration, and reporting Prado Basin and Orange County Recharge Facilities

Prado Wetlands Recharge Facilities

Most Natural Resources work is in the Prado Basin and Recharge facilities but we have Partnerships and some involvement throughout the watershed Santa Ana River Watershed

• 2,650 mi2 / 6,900 km2

• Originates in San Bernardino Mountains

• Principal Source of Water for OCWD

• Effluent-based stream

• Urbanized watershed

Largest coastal river system in southern California The Connection Between Water Management & the Environment

Prado Drone Video Prado Basin & Wetlands

Largest riparian forest left in southern California Prado Basin

• Dam is 30.5 miles from ocean

• Largest Native Woodland Stand

• OCWD Property: 2,150 acres

• Monitor and Manage Endangered Species Throughout the Basin

• Restore 2 ac Annually

• Monitor Maintenance Activities

• Monitor Habitat Response to Inundation

Aerial photograph of the 12,000 acres in the Prado Basin and adjacent lands Wildlife Management ENDANGERED LEAST BELL’S VIREO

• State and Federal endangered species

• Migratory bird, tied to riparian habitat

• Reasons they are endangered: habitat loss and brood parasitism

• OCWD Monitoring Program for species recovery

Photo of 4 Least Bell’s Vireo nestlings about 10-11 days old Brown-headed Cowbird Trapping

Restoring riparian habitat in Prado Basin is part of OCWD’s successful Endangered Nesting Bird Management Program; stopping nest parasitism is also critical. Least Bell’s Vireo Status in Prado Basin

From 18 territories in 1986 to 665 in 2018 due to OCWD’s successful Wildlife Management Program Including SAWA territory numbers, we have nearly 2,000 territories, which is the largest number of territories in the Santa Ana Watershed since listed as endangered Least Bell’s Vireo Nest Monitoring

Vireo Nest Video Habitat Restoration

• Removal of Non-Natives

• Natural Recruitment

• Planting Natives

We restore habitat by first removing non-native plant species and allowing either natural recruitment to take place or actively planting native riparian species Removal of Non-natives

The focus for removal is Arundo because of the many problems it causes but there are many other problematic invasive plants, Tamarisk, Palms, and Castor Bean, e.g. Native Plants Planted by:

•Natural Succession •Volunteers •Contractors •Staff

Our Natural Resources Program is responsible for planting 2 acres of native habitat in Prado Basin And 2 acres in OC facilities per year OC Recharge Facilities: Lower Santa Ana River Recharge facilities, river & off-river channel = 1,000 wetted acres

OCWD biologists work closely with the Operations Department to protect wildlife Burris Island

Burris Drone Video Burris Basin & Island

• Burris Basin ~ 120 acre

• Water storage and percolation basin

• Downstream and adjacent to Santa Ana River

• City of Anaheim near Anaheim Stadium

• 14 miles from ocean

• In 2008, OCWD confirmed nesting of CA Least Terns, a federally and state listed endangered species

Aerial photograph of Burris and surrounding recharge basins near the Santa Ana River Burris Wildlife

Burris Wildlife Video Bird Nesting Box Program

Accommodating wildlife, strong environmental stewardship helps in the regulatory arena; without nest cavities, many of these charismatic and useful species would be rare. Wood Duck

Including our most colorful species of waterfowl Western Screech Owl

Wood Duck nest boxes also accommodate a few WESO, our smallest owl in the basin Barn Owl

Extra Barn Owls in the Prado Basin keep mouse populations lower with fewer rodent issues on vireo nest productivity Tree Swallow

• Boxes in Anaheim and Prado facilities

• Alternative use of pesticides for insect control

• Consume ~300,000 insects per box

Biologists monitor over 500 boxes weekly along the Santa Ana River, surrounding recharge basins and in the Prado Basin Tree Swallow Video

Tree Swallow Video Other T & E Species

CA Gnatcatcher CA Least Tern

OCWD and partners monitor many sensitive nesting species Other Bird Species

Herons Egrets Cormorants Mallards

Red-winged Blackbirds Killdeer

Over 250 bird species are found in the Prado Basin Rookeries in Anaheim Facilities

Drone Video of Egret Rookery Reptiles of Prado Basin

Coachwhip

California Common Kingsnake

Red-sided Garter Snake Gopher Snake

A variety of reptile species are found in the Prado Basin, including the Red-sided Garter Snake, a species intimately tied to wetland habitats Native Aquatic Species Santa Ana Sucker Arroyo Chub

• Surveying • Habitat Enhancement • Non-native aquatic removal

http://calfish.ucdavis.edu/species/?uid=5&ds=241

OCWD, SAWA biologists, and partners monitor native fish in Sunnyslope Creek, a Santa Ana River tributary. Biological Monitoring and other NR Activities

• Wetland Operations and Maintenance Monitoring

• Mitigation Implementation and Monitoring

• Arundo and Invasive Control

• Endangered Bird Monitoring

• Cowbird Control

• Bird/Sensitive Species Surveys

• Reptile and Amphibian Monitoring

• Bird Nesting Boxes and Bat Boxes

• Native Fish Restoration

• NEPA/CEQA/Permits

• Public Tours/Education Santa Ana Watershed Association (SAWA)

Melody Aimar Biological Monitoring Programs Manager Santa Ana Watershed Association (SAWA)

➢501c3 non-profit organization established to eradicate arundo and manage sensitive wildlife throughout the SAR watershed

➢For 23 years, the Santa Ana Watershed Association (SAWA) and its partners (OCWD and RCD’s) have been promoting a healthy Santa Ana River watershed

➢Our Goal: restore the natural functions of the watershed through the enhancement and restoration of the native riparian community

➢Our first step: invasive plant species removal for riparian forest recovery – manage sensitive species Arundo donax Introduced to the Santa Ana River for erosion control and expanded to cover over 10,000 acres Arundo donax Threats

➢Outcompetes native vegetation ➢Grows over 2 feet/week ➢Consumes 2-3 times more water than natives ➢Highly flammable/carries firestorm

➢First to sprout after ground disturbance (fire, flood, etc.) ➢Has little value to wildlife ➢Impedes wildlife movement ➢Ideal structure for homeless camps ➢Clogs waterways River Road Bridge

San Timoteo Reach 3B • Funded by USACE (SAWA Trust- $1.62m - 20 years)

• 1997 – arundo infested

• 1998 – arundo removed

• 2002 – natural riparian vegetation recovery Before… After… SAWA/OCWD Joint Projects

➢Invasive Species Control ➢Sunnyslope - Santa Ana Sucker ➢Fish surveys, habitat restoration ➢Least Tern Colony Monitoring ➢Huntington Beach ➢California Gnatcatcher Surveys ➢Prado ➢Hwy 71 – inventory ➢Dam – sedimentation pre-project ➢Shot Hole Borer Trapping ➢Collaboration with CDFW/UCR ➢Bat/swallow Diet Study ➢Anaheim – near recharge basins SAWA Biological Monitoring

➢Endangered/Threatened Species Monitoring ➢Least Bell’s Vireo ➢Southwestern Willow Flycatcher ➢California Gnatcatcher ➢California Least Tern ➢Santa Ana Sucker ➢Brown-headed Cowbird management ➢Breeding Bird Surveys ➢Habitat Assessments ➢Nesting Bird Avoidance ➢Bat Surveys ➢Herpetofauna surveys ➢Camera Trap Surveys ➢Small Mammal Trapping ➢Fish Surveys Least Bell’s Vireo Territories in the Santa Ana Watershed Biological Monitors (2000-2020)

Melody Aimar Loren Hays Maricela Archer Nicole Housel Giovanni Arechavaleta Sue Hoffman Talula Barbee Robb Hamilton Allyson Beckman Bonnie Johnson Jessica Burton Therese Kastner Jenna Carpenter Linette Lina Florence Chan Anthony Locatelli Cynthia Chavez Cameron Macbeth Jill Coumoutso David McMichael Samantha Dempster Jim Pike Patience Falatek Michael Rahe Collin Farmer Terry Reeser Aaron Gallager Richard Zembal Funding Partners

• Orange County Water District • US Fish and Wildlife Service • US Army Corps of Engineers • California Department of Fish and Wildlife • Inland Empire Resource Conservation District • Rivers and Lands Conservancy • Temecula-Elsinore Anza-Murrieta RCD • Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority Thank you!