Conservation
Latest News from the Conservation Committee
Sacramento Audubon Society’s Conservation Committee meets regularly to discuss local projects that may impact birds and identify projects that Sacramento Audubon can support or develop to benefit birds in our region. If there is a conservation issue you'd like Sacramento Audubon to be aware of please email the Conservation Committee.
Throughout its history, the Sacramento Audubon Society has advocated for smart growth, the protection and expansion of wildlife habitat, and the reduction of hazards to birds. As the population of the Sacramento area expands, this can have a negative impact on bird habitat.
The Sacramento Audubon Society sits on the Board of the Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) whose mission is to achieve regional sustainability, livable communities, environmental justice, and a healthy environment and economy for existing and future residents. In addition to Sacramento Audubon Society’s work on local issues with ECOS, we support these conservation efforts.
Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary
A 430 acre wildlife preserve in Sutter County, Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary is a rare remnant of the riparian forests that once extended two to five miles on either side of the confluence of the Bear and Feather rivers in the Great Central Valley. The Sanctuary was donated to National Audubon in 1975 by Bob and Elaine Crandall (for whom Bobelaine is named). Though owned by National Audubon Society, it is managed and maintained by Sacramento Audubon Society volunteers. The sanctuary is registered as a “State Ecological Reserve” and is protected by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife and the National Audubon Society.
In 2008, National Audubon Society received a substantial bequest from the estate of Bob and Elaine Crandall. National Audubon Society placed the Crandall bequest into an endowment fund which covers the Sacramento Audubon Chapter’s ongoing maintenance and upkeep costs for the sanctuary. Prior to the establishment of the Crandall Endowment, Sacramento Audubon was solely responsible for the sanctuary’s funding for management and upkeep.
Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary is free to visit. Become a steward of Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary by donating to the SAS Bobelaine Fund and/or joining Sacramento Audubon!
Bushy Lake Restoration Project
The Bushy Lake Restoration Project originated in 2015, when Dr. Michelle Stevens, a Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at CSU Sacramento, spearheaded a pilot phase. This eco-cultural restoration project has incorporated experimental design and adaptive restoration methods to inform restoration practice, wildlife monitoring and adaptive management. It is a collaborative effort involving Sacramento County Parks, local community engagement, environmental groups, as well as CSU Sacramento faculty, students, and the University’s offices of Public Affairs and Advocacy and Sustainability. Sacramento Audubon contributed volunteers and funds to help support and maintain this effort.
Professor Steven’s department received funds from the Wildlife Control Board Lower American River Conservancy Program to develop a Conceptual Restoration Plan for Bushy Lake (CRPBL). The area has been serving as a living lab for Sacramento State, with Professor Stevens and her students conducting annual planting, monitoring, and adaptive management. The overarching objectives of CRPBL are to 1) protect, enhance and restore a sustainable habitat refuge for pond turtles; 2) enhance habitat for fire resiliency; and 3) enhance the education and interpretation of resources in the Parkway, specifically showcasing tribal cultural use of the Parkway.
Sacramento Audubon continues to support this environmental educational opportunity that helps to promote the restoration of Bushy Lake and the populations of wild birds for the community and future educational outreach and conservation activity. Long-time Sacramento Audubon member and biologist Dan Williams currently leads CSU Sacramento student interns in avian surveys at Bushy Lake. The avian surveys will be integral to planning and design for Bushy Lake’s restoration.
To learn more visit the Bushy Lake website.
Advocacy and Legislative Actions
Sacramento Audubon Society participates in Audubon California’s Annual Advocacy Day. Representatives from all the California Audubon Chapters meet with legislators urging them to support legislation protecting birds and the habitats on which they depend.
Conservation Resources
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ABSTRACT
We reviewed historical records, old and recent publications, eBird, and Christmas Bird Count data to assess the abundance and distribution of Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors) in California from the late 1870s to 2020. In general, Blue-winged Teal populations have changed from being considered a rare transient and winter visitor that was believed to not breed in California, to occurring at predictable locations in the winter and spring and with breeding records in every non-mountainous region of the state. Some of that difference is likely due to more people looking and improved ability to tell female Cinnamon Teal (Spatula cyanoptera) from female Blue-winged Teal, but data from the Christmas Bird Count over the last 40 years and eBird over the last 10 years demonstrate that Blue-winged Teal populations have increased. Between 2016 and 2018, 11 Blue-winged Teal with transmitters attached during winter in West Sacramento migrated in the spring to a variety of locations including the San Joaquin Valley, Northeastern California, Oregon, Idaho, and Alberta. -
Abstract
Over much of its range, the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) has substantially recovered from declines in the mid–late 1900s, which resulted from habitat loss, human persecution and disturbance, and contamination by the pesticide DDT. The species remains listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The species’ distribution, abundance, reproductive success, and habitat requirements have received little attention in recent years, perhaps because of a widespread belief that the bald eagle population is healthy in California. We evaluated the status of the bald eagle in the central part of interior California by conducting surveys, largely from publicly accessible roads near water bodies, and by accumulating records collected by others from 2011 through 2024. We estimate that the known bald eagle population in this region increased by annual average of 19% from four known nesting pairs in 2011 to 31 pairs in 2024. We documented 189 nesting attempts, of which 133 were adequately monitored over the whole nesting season. Seventy-seven percent of nesting attempts successfully fledged young, and productivity averaged 1.29 young/occupied nesting territory, both of which are consistent with a sustainable and increasing population. Eagles in this region constructed their nests in a variety of tree species, with the largest proportions in gray pine (Pinus sabiniana; 73%) and Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii; 15%), both of which were used infrequently as nest trees in California during the 1970s and 1980s. Nests were constructed at an average of 0.36 km from water bodies suitable for foraging, and most were away from roads and individual residences (x̄ > 1 km), denser development (x̄ > 4.0 km), and other potential sources of human disturbance (other than water-based recreational use). The population increase we documented, despite continued potential threats from climate-induced wildfire, human disturbance, electrocution, and lead and rodenticide poisoning, suggests a need for bald eagle surveys and status evaluations elsewhere in California to determine if delisting under CESA may be warranted. -
ABSTRACT
The Least Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) is federally and state listed as Endangered in the U.S. and California and has been recommended for downlisting to Threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This taxon, once abundant in the Central Valley of California, was extirpated from this region by the middle of the 20th century. Since its listing in the 1980s, the subspecies has been increasing at many southern California locations. Beginning in the early part of the 21st century Least Bell’s Vireos began appearing at sites in the Central Valley and surrounding foothills in the breeding season and these observations have continued. To update the status and distribution of the Least Bell’s Vireo in its historical Central Valley center of abundance, I reviewed all available reports of breeding season observations of this taxon from 2004 through 2024. These reports indicate that establishment of a breeding population has not occurred but suggest that re-establishment of a breeding population within this region may be feasible. Suggested specific actions could facilitate this re-establishment.