This photo captures the essence of Conservancy restoration and enhancement work. But the point here is the beauty of the scene, which is on the Conservancy’s flagship managed marsh complex, most often referred to as the “BKS tract.”
Notice at the top the trees. These are 20-year old trees planted as future nesting trees for the Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni). As they grow, they will be increasingly good candidates for that. Next, below the trees is a colonnade of tule. Giant garter snakes (Thamnophis gigas) love these, especially when, like in this case, there is deep water along the tule edge.
Below the tule stand is a very healthy row of common rush. It is the demarcation line between the deep water edge of the tule on one side and the emergent marsh seen in the foreground. The rush makes a second appearance by way of a brilliant reflection on the emergent marsh’s watered surface. And that water is being used by one of the Natomas Basin HCP’s “Covered Species”, in this case the White-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi).
If you’ve ever wondered what we strive to create, this is it. We just need to do more!
(Photo taken by Conservancy staff on Conservancy property, 2021.)
