Habitat Awareness

Riparian

"Riparian" (from the Latin "ripa", meaning "riverbank") refers to an ecosystem that is along a body of water, such as a river, stream, or lake. Riparian habitat can also be a "wetland". Riparian zones have more animal and plant diversity within their small band of habitat than most of the surrounding area. They contribute to the overall health of downstream ecosystems by filtering out pollutants. They provide our magnificent salmon waterways in which to spawn and areas for young fry to grow into "smolts" before their first journey to the ocean. Mature riparian trees provide food and nesting opportunities for many bird species, including wood ducks, whose young feed on aquatic plants and invertebrates. Mammals, such as raccoons and mountain lions, often travel along these riparian banks in search of prey items.

Wetlands

An area of land consisting of soil that is saturated with moisture, such as a swamp, marsh, or bog. Examples are lakes, swamps, or marshes. Ephemeral or seasonal wetlands are temporarily saturated with water. Generally, wetlands are located within topographic features, such as depressions, valleys, and flat areas, that are lower in elevation than the surrounding landscape.

Grasslands

Grasslands are areas where trees and shrubs make up less than 10% of all plant species and where grasses and other herbaceous (non-woody) plants dominate the habitat. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica and, in many areas of human development, non-native grasses have replaced natural vegetation. Grasslands are of vital importance for raising livestock for human consumption and are home to many native species such as California tiger salamanders, burrowing owls, and the San Joaquin kit fox.

Vernal Pools

Vernal pools are seasonally flooded depressions found in open grasslands that usually fill with water in late winter and are often dry by late spring. In fact, for most of the year, vernal pools are virtually indistinguishable from the brown, dried grassland that surrounds them; consequently, they are often threatened by development. Today, California has lost about 90% of its original vernal pools, and those that remain occur on protected or private land such as national parks and ranches. It is imperative to protect them as they are host to a huge variety of animal and plant species that are dependent on them. Some of these rare organisms are on state and federally threatened and endangered lists.

With the onset of winter rains, dried eggs, or "cysts", of crustaceans and invertebrates, such as daphnia and vernal pool fairy shrimp, transform these pools into species-rich habitats. Resting seeds from unique plants, many found nowhere else on earth, germinate with the first rains, forming concentric rings of showy blossoms in yellow, white, pink, and blue. These flowers will then set their seed before the water disappears. Free of predatory fish, vernal pools are feeding stations for migrating waterfowl and breeding locations for amphibian larvae. With no apparent inflow except through rain or melting snow and an underlying layer of hardpan or other impermeable substance, water cannot percolate to groundwater aquifers and must drain by evaporation.

Woodlands

Woodlands are areas covered in trees. Oak woodlands are a common sight in California. The most common woodland has coast live oak as the dominant tree. We also conserve woodlands with blue oak as the dominant oak species. Woodlands are differentiated from forests by having open canopies that allow sunlight to penetrate between the trees. Forests (like our coastal redwood forests) have a closed canopy of interlocking branches that provide extensive shade. California woodlands usually support an understory of shrubs, herbs, or grasses and may form a transition to shrublands under drier conditions.

Agriculture

"Agriculture" is a term used for an area that is used primarily for breeding, raising, pasturing, and grazing livestock for the production of food and fiber; breeding and raising bees, fish, poultry, and other fowl; or planting, raising, harvesting, and producing agricultural, horticultural, and forestry crops. WHF holds only one conservation easement of this type located in Riverside County, California, and used to produce citrus crops.

Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle

The valley elderberry longhorn beetle (VELB) is found in the Central Valley of California, usually from March to June when adults are feeding and mating. VELB is nearly always found around red or blue elderberry bushes along rivers and streams. Females lay their eggs on the bark and larvae hatch and burrow into the stems. VELB is a threatened and endangered species that depends on the elderberry plant for existence. Habitat destruction is the most significant threat to this species.