Cosumnes River Preserve to be expanded

SACRAMENTO
March 15, 2010 11:41am

The Cosumnes River in the Central Valley will be reconnected with its historic floodplain, improving wildlife habitat in a biologically rich region, using $2.2 million in federal stimulus money, according to the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Nature Conservancy of California.

"This project is one of many in California designed to benefit the environment and boost local economic investment as part of ARRA," says Ed Burton, state conservationist for NRCS in California. "This project will have a positive impact on the local community for years to come."

The project is expected to improve protection for agricultural and urban lands continually threatened by flooding. In addition, the project will offer local job opportunities in order to complete the restoration work.

It places 617 acres and 1.5 miles of river frontage into permanent floodplain easement. Floodplain easements allow an increase in the area available to accept floodwaters at high flows, encouraging rivers to occupy their historic floodplain, helping to reduce floodwater velocities, improve water quality and increase wildlife habitat, the NRCS says.

NRCS will complete the project in partnership with the Nature Conservancy, California Department of Fish & Game and California Wildlife Conservation Board, it says.

Once restoration is complete, the project will connect to and result in additional habitat for the Cosumnes River Preserve, now encompassing more than 46,000 acres in Sacramento County. The project will offer the public more opportunities for recreation, such as fishing, hiking, bird-watching and wildlife viewing.

"The property is one of the most exciting restoration projects at the Cosumnes Preserve because it will nearly quadruple the extent of riparian forest in this stretch of the Cosumnes," says Mike Conner, Cosumnes River Preserve project director for the Nature Conservancy. "It will also serve as a test-case for advancing restoration science throughout the region."

The project includes studying whether “cluster planting” techniques -- planting vegetation in denser groups instead of the traditional row planting -- promotes greater plant diversity. The partners also will study carbon uptake and groundwater recharge results.

As part of its conservation work with private landowners, NRCS purchases permanent easements from willing landowners to enhance floodplain values, such as fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, flood water retention, ground water recharge and open space. The funding for this project will include both technical and financial assistance, offering the local community job opportunities in survey work, real estate, engineering, construction, and sale and installation of native trees and plants.

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