Over the last three years, the River Parkway Trust has worked to implement the third phase of habitat enhancement at Jensen River Ranch. In partnership with the San Joaquin River Conservancy, Trust staff, volunteers, and conservation corps members installed an irrigation system and replanted 20-acres with native trees, grasses, and shrubs.
The project was designed to provide habitat for listed species including Swainson's hawk and valley elderberry longhorn beetle. In 2019, a pair of Swainson's hawks nested approximately 1/2 a mile away from the project site. The River Parkway Trust set out to achieve a 75% plant survival rate. The Trust's project manager Jake Salimbene reports that a recent plant survey of the project shows a 90% survival rate. This remarkable survival rate was achieved through appropriate plant caging, mulching to suppress weeds, irrigation maintenance, and seasonal mowing.
The River Parkway Trust works to implement habitat enhancement projects that will become self-sustaining within a 3 to 4-year timeframe. Phase 3 of habitat enhancement at Jensen River Ranch will be complete in March 2021.
Next time you take a walk on the Eaton Trail or down on the Jensen River Ranch property, be sure to take a look at the healthy plants that are providing habitat for wildlife.