Hoop net traps are being placed on an intermittent basis to harmlessly sample turtles throughout the Arboretum Waterway and Putah Creek over the next few months. It's all part of active turtle research study to understand how our native turtle populations are affected by non-native turtle species in addition, scientists hope to learn how we to best support native species recovery and conservation.
As a result of the One Creek Internship program and the financial contributions of the Solano County Water Agency, 12 UC Davis students and over 90 interns have not only gained valuable career experience in team management and mentorship, but have also received an incomparable introduction to the field of natural resource conservation.
With many parks, picnic areas, and campgrounds currently closed, the campus has seen an increase in overall visitors, some of which are causing a variety of environmental damage.
Wrangling invasive species, searching for seeds, and maneuvering chainsaws, it’s just another day on the job for the Arboretum and Public Garden’s Learning by Leading™ S.E.E. Putah Creek team. This quarter has been a busy one for the team dedicated to restoring and managing the UC Davis Putah Riparian Reserve.
Did you know that the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden also maintains and operates the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve (Reserve), several hundred acres along 5.5 miles of Putah Creek on the UC Davis campus? Our campus utilizes this riparian and grassland ecosystem for teaching and research purposes, wildlife and habitat protection, and community engagement. We are extremely fortunate to have the Reserve as a campus resource because, according to the State of California Wildlife Conservation Board, humans have removed, degraded, and disturbed 95% of California’s streamside habitat since the Gold Rush.
In the past few weeks the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, has hosted two different service organizations interested in conservation and habitat restoration. Wild Campus, a student group whose mission is to engage students and the community in the conservation of native wildlife, planted 100 oak trees amongst Eucalyptus trees slated for removal on the reserve. The area, now renamed Wild Campus Grove, will be cared for by the student group which received saplings from the Sacramento Tree Foundation.
