California Rangeland Monitoring and Mapping: Focusing upon Great Valley and Carrizo Plain Grassland Habitats Final Report Submitted to Natural Resources Conservation Service California Conservation Innovation Grant Prepared By Jennifer Buck-Diaz, Jaime Ratchford and Julie Evens 2707 K Street, Suite 1 Sacramento CA, 95816 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page Figures .......................................................................................................................... iii Tables ............................................................................................................................ iv Executive Summary ...................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... vi Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Methods ......................................................................................................................... 2 Study area .............................................................................................................................. 2 Field Sampling and Classification ........................................................................................... 2 Stand Tables .......................................................................................................................... 5 Environmental Data and Analysis ........................................................................................... 7 Grazing Management Interviews ............................................................................................ 8 Results ........................................................................................................................... 9 Basic Species Data ................................................................................................................. 9 Revisit Analyses ....................................................................................................................11 Vegetation Classification Analysis .........................................................................................14 Environmental Data and Analysis ..........................................................................................21 Field Assessment and Vegetation Map Quality Control ..........................................................27 Site Summaries from 2011–2012 ...........................................................................................31 AGUA FRIA RANCH ........................................................................................................................ 31 BITTER CREEK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE .......................................................................... 32 CARRIZO PLAIN .............................................................................................................................. 33 DEER CREEK HILLS ....................................................................................................................... 34 DUTCHMAN CREEK ....................................................................................................................... 36 FLYING M RANCH ........................................................................................................................... 37 LOKERN PRESERVE ...................................................................................................................... 38 MADERA RANCH ............................................................................................................................ 39 ROMINGER BROTHER FARMS ..................................................................................................... 40 SEMITROPIC RIDGE PRESERVE .................................................................................................. 41 TEJON RANCH ................................................................................................................................ 41 VIERA RANCH ................................................................................................................................. 42 WIND WOLVES PRESERVE ........................................................................................................... 43 Rangeland Management ........................................................................................................45 Rangeland Monitoring Workshop ...........................................................................................49 Discussion ................................................................................................................... 50 References ................................................................................................................... 54 Appendix A. CNPS Field Sampling Protocol and Field Forms ................................ 57 Appendix B. Species list of scientific and common names for all taxa identified in the 2011–2012 vegetation surveys............................................................................. 66 i Appendix C. Table of ranked invasive species identified in the study area with references for additional information. Moderate and high ranked species are highlighted in grey ...................................................................................................... 79 Appendix D. Oral history interviews .......................................................................... 82 Appendix E. Field Key to grassland vegetation types in the San Joaquin Valley and Carrizo Plain ......................................................................................................... 86 Appendix F. Alliance descriptions ........................................................................... 100 Amsinckia (menziesii, tessellata) Alliance ............................................................................100 Avena (barbata, fatua) Semi-Natural Stands ........................................................................106 Bromus (diandrus, hordeaceus)–Brachypodium distachyon Semi-Natural Stands ............... 108 Bromus carinatus Provisional Alliance .................................................................................115 Bromus rubens–Schismus (arabicus, barbatus) Semi-natural Stands ..................................117 Centaurea (melitensis, solstitialis) Semi-natural Stands .......................................................121 Centromadia (pungens) Alliance ..........................................................................................123 Distichlis spicata Alliance .....................................................................................................125 Elymus elymoides Provisional Alliance ................................................................................129 Eriogonum (elongatum, nudum) Alliance .............................................................................131 Eschscholzia (californica) Alliance .......................................................................................133 Frankenia salina Alliance .....................................................................................................137 Isocoma acradenia Alliance ................................................................................................. 141 Juncus arcticus (var. balticus, mexicanus) Alliance ..............................................................144 Lasthenia californica–Plantago erecta–Vulpia microstachys Alliance ...................................146 Lasthenia fremontii–Distichlis spicata Alliance .....................................................................159 Lasthenia fremontii–Downingia (bicornuta) Alliance .............................................................164 Layia fremontii–Achyrachaena mollis Alliance .....................................................................166 Leymus cinereus Alliance ....................................................................................................169 Leymus triticoides Alliance ...................................................................................................17 1 Lupinus benthamii–Chorizanthe membranacea Provisional Alliance ....................................174 Madia elegans Alliance ........................................................................................................177 Monolopia (lanceolata)–Leptosyne (calliopsidea) Alliance ...................................................179 Nassella cernua Alliance ......................................................................................................183 Nassella pulchra Alliance .....................................................................................................185 Plagiobothrys nothofulvus Alliance.......................................................................................187 Poa secunda Alliance ..........................................................................................................191 Salvia carduacea Provisional Alliance ..................................................................................196 Sporobolus airoides Alliance ................................................................................................198 Trifolium variegatum Alliance ...............................................................................................202