A Rare, Special Place – and It Is Ours!!

My first involvement with the Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary was in the early 1980’s, a few years after this amazing 430-acre property was willed to National Audubon Society by Bob and Elaine Crandall.  An agreement between National and SAS in 1976 resulted in SAS management of this Sanctuary on the banks of the Feather River ever since.

From the beginning, many SAS members have been involved in a variety of support functions to keep the Sanctuary available to walkers and birders. Bird surveys, fund-raising Bird-A-Thons, Christmas Bird Counts and trips led by local SAS birders help to keep this property on everyone’s radar screen. In addition, the annual Swan Festival of the Yuba City Chamber of Commerce has sponsored field trips to Bobelaine the first weekend in November in a successful effort to introduce that area to the general public.

For many years, Bill and Jan Clark, SAS members, managed and supported Bobelaine, and Robert Thomas, a Roseville resident, worked for years to maintain the Sanctuary trails for walkers and birders, finally retiring in 2015.

ln about 2008, Ken Poerner was introduced to Bobelaine.  His background of more than 25 years as the Land Steward for the Solano Land Trust had taught him about various habitats and properties, and he recognized immediately that Bobelaine was a unique gem that needed to be treasured. In late 2016, after retiring from the Land Trust, he volunteered to take over the care of the property, in spite of having an hour and a half commute each way from his home in Fairfield.

Ken has worked hard to keep trails open, clear downed trees and limbs, keep the parking and picnic areas clear, the signs up to date and a supply of maps at the kiosk. In addition, Ken made signs for the interior of Bobelaine to help people follow the maps and not get lost! He also made half a dozen benches; two in particular sit on the bank and are well suited to contemplation of the beautiful Feather River.

Bill Bianco, President of SAS, works alongside Ken to keep Bobelaine accessible. In addition to general upkeep, Bill creates work days using other volunteers who are willing to help and carries out the fairly high level of administration needed to deal with levee repair, flood damage, relations with nearby land owners, and myriad other tasks.

Over the years Bobelaine has burned and flooded on many occasions which has in the main kept the Sanctuary habitable for birds and other wildlife and has surely contributed to the almost 200 species which have been found in the Sanctuary (as entered into eBird).

But in spite of this, the future of Bobelaine is by no means secure. It depends at least in part on continued support by SAS members and National Audubon. There seems to be agreement that the Sanctuary is protected in perpetuity from any use other than for “wildlife conservation and public use associated with such conservation values” as defined by the will of Bob and Elaine Crandall. Its position between the newly elevated levee and the Feather River which is prone to flooding helps to ensure its riparian status going forward.

The Sanctuary has been closed for several months due to levee improvements but is open to the public again. Winter is a great time to visit as it brings in several wonderful, dense understory species such as Hermit Thrush and Fox Sparrow.

Hope to see you there!

- Maureen Geiger