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The
Watch
Newsletter of the Watsonville Wetlands Watch
Summer 2004 |
Slough
Niche: Wrapped in Wings
___Sherry
Mohr, out in her lettuce field studying a whitefly infestation, raised
her eyes at the sound of an approaching automobile. A white Ford sedan
marked with government seals slid into her barnyard. Anne Crowly, farm
advisor with the University Extension, popped out and grinned irreverently
at Sherry’s cloudy visage, then dove into the back seat and pulled
out a largish, very flat wooden box.
___Sherry
eased her work-stiffened body into a standing position. A bat shelter,
she marveled, now smiling herself. That woman is truly like an angel,
she thought.
___From
her first days on the old Harkins ranch by Watsonville Slough, Sherry
had wondered what had happened to the area’s bats. She never saw
bats in the rich wetland habitat that glittered along the base of the
terrace slope. The Web sites she visited said that bats were declining
over most of the U.S; the leading cause of their failure was believed
to be the destruction of big, warm nursery roosts, sacrificed for farms
and timber. Pesticides were thought to play a role, along with replacement
of native wetlands and grasslands with agriculture, a change that causes
'boom and bust' insect population cycles.
___It
eventually occurred to her that she should try to encourage native grasslands
on the slopes along the slough — as if her row crops weren’t
burden enough. The previous owners had run cattle; grazing removes thatch
and, carefully timed, discourages weeds without damaging natives. Now,
banks of noxious weeds ruled the slopes; the once–thriving ground
squirrel colony had disappeared along with any associated burrowing
owls. The oak litter bristled with thistle.
___Sherry
and Anne installed the bat boxes - three state–of–the–art
structures stamped with seals from Bat Conservation International -
right in the middle of the lettuce field. Each box had three interior
panels separated by one-inch to three–quarter–inch gaps. The
dark recesses of the panels beckoned seductively over vertical landing
strips that had been scored for tiny claws.
___She
like that her nocturnal surfing was vampiric. She discovered that bat
houses work best near orchards and less than a quarter mile from water.
The layers of upright panels in the shelters provide temperature gradients
both vertically and front–to–back. Bats, with their flyweight
bodies and membranous wings, require warmth but not ovens, so the roofs
are vented. It pleased her that BCI, a nationwide organization based
in Texas, had selected Santa Cruz for a study of Western bat boxes.
___On
the Paicines Ranch where she grew up, bats were a fixture of summer,
just like bare feet and the eagles in the sycamore grove and dove hunting
along the spike–grass narrows by the river. Her brothers indulged
in a few vain pot shots at the wildly erratic Myotis bats that emerged
after sunset. She loved those bats. She loved everything she learned
about bats - that they can locate a mosquito by sonar; that a species
of nectar–eating bat migrates up Baja California, pollinating a
synchronized wave of blooms; that female bats can mate in the fall and
save the seed until spring for a perfect start on gestation. She missed
having bats around.
___On
the Fourth of July, sleeping in her solitary room, she saw herself in
a dream. Her torso was clothed in horizontal stripes of dark and light;
a white cape descended like wings from her shoulders to the floor, but
her bodice was lined with fur. Across a steepled space stood her ex–husband,
gazing at her. She awakened; it was an hour before dawn. She looked
out her window, where a past–full moon rode low in the western
sky. Clouds crocheted a veil across the moon’s chin and mouth.
Across the top half, like a storybook ending, a bat flitted, just once.
– Jerry Busch
Field Notes...
RESTORATION
: UP TO THE KIDS?
___Since
school kids from the Watsonville Community have been such an important
part of the Watsonville Wetlands Watch’s habitat restoration program,
we have decided to involve another variety of kids in our project. Watsonville
Wetlands Watch Restoration Committee and the Department of Fish and
Game are enlisting goat kids to lend their clomping hooves and appetite
for weeds to our restoration efforts.
___For
many of us our perception of the effect that grazing has on the land
is a negative one. But our visions of denuded and overstocked pastures
don’t take into account the fact that historically grasslands evolved
with the grazing and browsing of a diverse array of herbivores such
as bison, elk and deer. In fact, carefully timed rotational grazing
is a successful tool for many land managers in reducing invasive weeds,
augmenting native plant diversity and bringing grasslands back to health.
The mowing regime that we have implemented in the past three years has
mimicked grazing on some levels. Its success in creating light and space
for native annual wildflowers to expand their territories gives us hope
that grazing may be an effective way to bring the populations of Hayfield
tarweed (Hemizonia congesta ssp. luzulifolia), annual lupines (Lupinus
micranthus) and other species back to health while at the same time
limiting the seed supply of invasive plants.
___Guided
by the extensive knowledge and research done by Grey Hayes at Elkhorn
Slough Reserve, the intimate knowledge of goats from Brian Dodds of
Sycamore Farms and a handful of other grazing/grassland experts, we
hope to have a plan together and be ready to invite the goats from the
neighboring farm out to the Ecological Reserve early in Spring of 2005
for some targeted native plant restoration work. Stay tuned...
As the spring restoration
season comes to a close, WWW would like to extend
WARM "THANK YOU"S TO....
___Steve
Pedersen of High Ground Organics Farm. He is the most supportive neighbor
that an Ecological Reserve could possibly have. He has powered us with
delicious vegetables, provided us with water, tractor parts, repairs,
propane & whatever we come up short on...
___C&N
Tractors for providing tractors and mechanical assistance that help
us keep out the weeds and create space for the native wild flowers.
___West
Marine for grant support to create a Coastal Prairie Seed Meadow.
___Wild
Wood Natural Foods for supplying us with the ever-famous 'garden burgers'
that are the highlight of our volunteer restoration days.
___The
Department of Fish and Game for providing us with two 1,200 gallon water
tanks.
___The
City of Watsonville for bringing us monthly supplies of water to keep
our new plantings going strong through the dry season.
___And
finally a huge thank you to all of the folks who have dedicated their
time and shared their positive energy on Saturdays to do what needs
to be done to bring the Watsonville wetlands back to health. The work
that gets done and the community that gets built on Saturdays is the
heart and soul of the restoration that takes place in the Watsonville
Sloughs.
–Laura Kummerer
Whale Tail Grant
___WWW
has again received a grant from the "Whale Tail" license plate
funds for Fiscal Year 20043- 2005. We have $9,380 to help pay for field
trips to the Watsonville wetlands for Fifth Graders from Amesti Elementary
School in Watsonville.
___The
funds also will pay for developing power point presentations on the
Sloughs for other schools and the public, materials to continue the
native plant greenhouse at Amesti School and development of a wetlands
resource binder for educators in the Pajaro Valley.
___Bob
Culbertson and Marian Martinez will be working with teachers, volunteers
and independent contractors to accomplish the various tasks outlined
in the grant. We are currently looking for help with the Resource binder
development and development of power point presentations. The other
immediate job is to keep the native plants healthy for the summer. These
plants are growing from seeds collected and planted by last year's fifth
graders in the greenhouse at Amesti.
___We
look forward to some of our new Docents and any other interested WWW
member helping with the field trips next school year that give these
young people hands on experience with their wetlands. Contact Marian
or Bob if you would like to get involved.
– Bob Culbertson
Success to
the Volunteers!
___Folks
are still talking about our inaugural Docent Training Class held in
February, 2004. Seventeen students joined the 5 week progam to learn
about the various aspects of the beautiful and complex Watsonville wetlands.
Now, trained volunteers, sporting vests with the WWW logo and the logo
of the City of Watsonville, are assisting in restoration projects, leading
guided wetlands walks, helping Pajaro Valley youth learn the importance
of wetlands, while sharing a new camaraderie found in our very sociable
and entertaining activities.
___The
opening of the new City Nature Center and the continued construction
of the wetlands paths has sparked terrific interest among the residents
and visitors of Watsonville in walking, biking, birding and wildlife
viewing throughout the area. People have discovered an accessible and
beautiful park–like asset right here in the downtown area of Watsonville.
In promoting responsible use of the trails from the very beginning,
WWW Docents will be a part of wetland education outreach.
___Another
great beginning is the Wetlands Education Resource Center (WERC) to
be built on the campus of the new Pajaro Valley High School. The WERC
will be a center of operation for WWW activities while providing a permanent
classroom laboratory. We expect students to use the facility in a variety
of research studies such as monitoring water quality or studying changes
in vegetation or bird populations in the wetlands. Pajaro Valley High
School will offer a college prep course in environmental studies. Our
presence and participatioq0at the WERC will help reinforce that plan.
___With
the enthusiastic respoonse and many opportunities on offer, we hope
to offer another training this fall. People interested in joining the
next class or one of the activities should call me at (831) 722-0441.
– Marian Martinez
Louise
Newberry
March 9, 1939-May 29, 2004
___Sadness:
On May 29th Louise Newberry died unexpectantly at her home of complications
of pneumonia. Her death is a great loss for us in the Watsonville Wetlands.
She was an advocate of wetlands and, with her husband Todd, had a special
appreciation for the habitat and birds of the Watsonville sloughs.
Louise used her curatorial expertise to mount an exhibition of the Watsonville
Wetlands at the Pajaro Arts Council Gallery in 2002. The Wetlands Exhibition
was an enormous success, with hundreds of adults and school children becoming
acquainted with the sloughs' beauty and wonder.
___In
working with her on this exhibition, I had the fortunate experience of
seeing her gifts of aesthetic judgment and intelligence in choosing and
displaying artwork. I also became aware of her diligence, for we visited
all the 41 the studios of the artists in the show, and met for two years
to work on grants and other details to produce the show.
___The
greater Santa Cruz community also has been enriched by her life. As an
active member of the Pajaro Valley Arts Council she curated several exhibitions
and helped with others. She worked for five years as director of the Eloise
Smith Gallery at UCSC. She helped to launch the fledgling art museum of
Santa Cruz. Art for Louise was a lifelong study and pursuit, and it existed
along with her great love of her family: Todd and their two daughters,
Liz and Ellen. To them we send our deepest sympathy.
___Her
family has requested donations in lieu of flowers to the Pajaro Valley
Arts Council, 37 Sudden Street, Watsonville, 95076.
- Mary Warshaw
Pajaro
River Flood Control Project Alternatives
___
___The
Pajaro River Flood Control Project may be in jeopardy. The Army Corps
of Engineers (ACOE) and the Project Sponsors, the Counties of Santa Cruz
and Monterey, seem to be locked in to a single design alternative that
appears to be fundamentally flawed. Present design efforts (which are
seriously limited by ACOE budget problems), are looking at ways to fix
the prematurely approved design alternative, called “2A”. The
commitment to this flawed design is delaying study of other more feasible
options and the longer this delay continues, the more danger there is
of further flood damage in near future storms.
___We
are advised that the Pajaro River is currently capable of handling an
8 year storm event without flood damage, while the ACOE and the Counties
seek to provide 100 year protection. The Counties and CalTrans were found
to be responsible for recent flooding and forced to pay significant damages.
No significant flood control improvements have been made and the potential
for near future damage is still present.
___The
problems with the preferred alternate “2A” are numerous. The
design is constrained by a commitment not to set back the levees more
than 100 feet, not to raise the levee height more the 4 feet, to comply
with environmental regulations for water quality and wildlife protection,
to reduce future maintenance costs, and to achieve a benefit cost ratio
of 1.0 or better. (We are told that this benefit /cost ratio significantly
limits the amount of channel excavation that can be done to increase flood
flow.) As more information becomes available regarding the amount of sediment
that is coming down the river from upstream, the previously identified
design problems become even more difficult. It may, in fact prove impossible
to achieve a 100 year level of protection given the constraints described
above.
___The
ACOE advises that their regulations for the presently authorized NED project
impose many of these constraints but suggest that another authorization
called the Watershed Study (WS) could address many of these problems.
The WS needs a local sponsor to pay 50% of the cost and none has yet been
found. Until the WS can proceed and be implemented, the NED project must
stand alone. Unless it can meet ACOE requirements, and other federal,
state, and local requirements, it can not be built and the Pajaro Valley
will continue to be without flood protection.
___Since
the Pajaro River has not had a flood exceeding a 25 year flow in 60 years
of record, it may be appropriate to consider a lower level of protection
initially and plan for a future project, if and when such a project can
be accomplished. It may, in fact, be that if the design flow was reduced
(to say a 50 year flow) there could be latitude to give all of the special
interests in the river more of what they seek i.e., less land acquisition,
greater environmental protection, less cost, etc.
___The
longer the project managers continue to pursue a design that can not succeed,
the longer the Pajaro Valley will be without flood protection.
- Jim Van Houten
Join Watsonville
Wetlands Watch . . .
and help protect our wetlands! Membership of $25 a year/$15 student or
senior, supports efforts to preserve and protect slough systems in the
Pajaro Valley. You'll also receive our newsletter, The Watch. Visit our
Membership page for more information.
. . . and thanks to a challenge donor . . .
your donation of $100 will be matched by a generous supporter! This is
your opportunity to make your contribution count double!
Check
our Calendar for Habitat Restoration Dates
and Times
Contributers
to this edition of The Watch: Jerry Busch, Bob Culbertson, Laura Kummerer,
Marian Martinez, Jim Van Houten, Mary Warshaw
Production: Ellie Van Houten & Caroline Rodgers
The
Watch
Watsonville Wetlands Watch Newsletter
Post Office Box 1239
Freedom, CA 95019-1239
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