Resources
Links
Organizations Working in the Central Valley
American Farmland
Trust
American Farmland Trust (AFT) is a national, non-profit organization
dedicated to protecting agricultural resources. Founded by a group
of concerned farmers in 1980, AFT's mission is to stop the loss
of productive farmland and to promote farming practices that lead
to a healthy environment.
Audubon
Chapters in California
Audubon has a number of chapters in the Central Valley delivering
conservation, education, and outreach on behalf of birds, wildlife and habitat.
Central Valley
Bird Club
The Central Valley Bird Club is dedicated to the study of the distribution, status,
ecology and conservation of birds in the Central Valley.
Grasslands
Water District
The Grassland Water District is over 51,000 acres in size with the majority of
this land in wetland habitat. Private landowners and sportsmen within the Grasslands,
working with the District and other public agencies, have been responsible for
the preservation and maintenance of the largest remaining freshwater marsh habitat
on the Pacific Flyway.
Great Valley
Center
The Great Valley Center supports activities and organizations that promote the
economic, social and environmental well-being of California's Central Valley.
Tulare
Basin Wetland Association
The Tulare Basin Wetlands Association works to further the cause of wetlands
conservation and habitat enhancement in those parts of Kern, Kings and Tulare
Counties that were formerly defined as the Tulare Lake Basin.
Yolo Basin
Foundation
Founded in 1990 as a community based organization to assist in the establishment
of the Yolo Wildlife Area, the Foundation continues as the communication link
between many people and organizations involved in creating wetlands and managing
land in the Yolo Bypass.
Places to Visit
Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary
Bobelaine is a wildlife sanctuary owned by the National Audubon
Society and managed by volunteers of the Sacramento Audubon Society. Located
18 miles north of Sacramento on the Feather River, Bobelaine is a rare
remnant of the riparian forests that once projected two to five miles
on either side of the rivers in the Great Central Valley of California.
California State Parks
California Department of Parks and Recreation manages more than 270 park units,
which contain the finest and most diverse collection of natural, cultural,
and recreational resources to be found within California.
Cosumnes River Preserve
Located just south of Sacramento, the Cosumnes River Preserve is
dedicated to safeguarding and restoring the finest remaining example of
a California valley oak riparian ecosystem and its surrounding habitats.
A variety of avian species can be seen at the Preserve throughout the
year.
DFG Wildlife
Areas
The California Department of Fish and Game manages a variety of the State's most
important sites for wildlife. These public lands sustain more than 1,275 species
of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
Effie Yeaw Nature Center
The Effie Yeaw Nature Center is an award-winning environmental
and cultural education center located within the American River Parkway
in Carmichael. Two acres of native plant landscaping and a 77-acre nature
preserve with oak woodland and riverbank trails provide a reliable “Watchable
Wildlife” site. Deer, coyotes, migratory songbirds, wild turkeys,
birds of prey and many other animals can be seen throughout the seasons.
FWS Refuges
National Fish & Wildlife Service Refuges are home to more than 700
species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 250 reptile and amphibian species
and more than 200 species of fish. Each year refuges host millions of
birds on their annual migration. Several refuges of critical importance
to waterfowl are located in the Central Valley.
Isenberg Crane Preserve (a.k.a. Woodbridge Ecological Reserve)
About 35,000 Lesser Sandhill Cranes and 7,000 Greater Sandhill
Cranes winter in the Central Valley of California, spending their time
in open grasslands and flooded agricultural fields. The California Department
of Fish and Game conducts crane viewing tours at the Preserve, an excellent
site to enjoy cranes during their winter sojourn to the Central Valley.
Jepson Prairie Preserve
Jepson Prairie Preserve is one of California’s best remaining examples
of claypan vernal pools and native bunchgrass prairie; habitats that were
once widespread in the Central Valley. The preserve is bordered on both
the north and the south by tidal sloughs, which connect it with the vast
San Francisco Bay Delta. These dead end sloughs are some of the few remaining
in the Delta. Jepson Prairie supports some of the most endangered species
in California and the world.
Kern River Preserve
The Kern River Preserve is managed by Audubon California for the
preservation of one of California's finest remaining riparian forests
and the wildlife it supports.
Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area
Located west of Sacramento, off of Interstate 80, between Davis
and Sacramento, the Wildlife Area covers 25 square miles and is home to
nearly 200 species of birds. The 16,000-acre Yolo Wildlife Area is one
of the largest public/private restoration projects with 3,700-acres of
land in the Yolo Bypass floodway restored to wetlands. The California
Department of Fish and Game manages the Yolo Wildlife Area to promote
an increase in waterfowl and other bird populations.
Partners
Central Valley Joint Venture partners are involved in a variety of conservation, restoration and education programs throughout the Central Valley. For more information, visit their individual websites.
Audubon California
CA Association of Resource
Conservation Districts
CA Department of
Fish and Game
CA Department
of Water Resources
CA Resources Agency
CA State Parks
CA Wildlife
Conservation Board
California
Waterfowl Association
Defenders
of Wildlife
Ducks Unlimited
PRBO Conservation
Science
River
Partners
The
Nature Conservancy
Trust for Public
Land
US
Army Corps of Engineers
US Bureau Of Land
Management
US Bureau
Of Reclamation
US
Environmental Protection Agency
US Fish and
Wildlife Service
USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service