Executive Director’s Blog

News and updates on the Conservancy

The Latest at the conservancy

Photo of a Snowy egret eating a mouse.

Rodent exterminator, no charge

Photo taken by Conservancy staff on a Conservancy preserve, 2024. It’s often difficult to view, but part of the Conservancy’s job is to see that wildlife has access to sustenance on the preserves. Here, a Snowy egret (Egretta thula) manages to nab a quick lunch on a Conservancy owned and…

A brown and cream colored Swainson's hawk looking to the left, standing in a tomato field.

Tomato King

(Photo taken on Conservancy mitigation lands by Conservancy staff.) This is extraordinary. A beautiful specimen of a Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni) in a freshly-harvested tomato field on Conservancy mitigation lands. And there were at least 10 others at…

A photo of a Burrowing owl standing on dirt, while facing left.

A very good sign

The photo that is shown with this post is of a Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), photographed in the Conservancy’s Central Basin Reserve Area. It has become a “friend” of Conservancy field crews since it is so gregarious. Conservancy…

Photo of a Giant garter snake expert from USGS holding a Giant garter snake freshly caught from a snake trap in a Conservancy marsh. People are watching, taking photos, and notes on the educational presentation.

Habitat values…to humans

As the photo with this post shows, the Conservancy was again host to a team of budding Giant garter snake (GGS) scientists learning from the professionals. Here, GGS experts from the U.S. Geological Survey instruct young scientists on…

“In essence, the Conservancy provides refuge and sanctuary for wildlife displaced by urban activity in the Natomas Basin.”

– John Roberts, Executive Director