PARENT SESSION
Oral Session #61: Arid Lands Restoration.
Presiding: S. Loftin
Wednesday, August 7. 1:00 PM to 4:45 PM. Mohave Meeting Room, TCC.
Habitat restoration on retired agricultural lands in the San Joaquin Valley, II: Responses of wildlife.
Uptain, Curt*,1, Ritter, Nur1, Kelley, Patrick1, Willaims, Daniel1, 1 California State University Stanislaus, Endangered Species Recovery Program, Turlock, CA
ABSTRACT- Species richness and abundance of invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals were monitored for 1 year prior to restoration and for 2 consecutive years post-restoration on a large-scale study in California's San Joaquin Valley. In 1998, we established plots on approximately 800 acres of land in western Fresno County in order to study various restoration techniques and to monitor temporal changes in restored upland habitat. The study consists of a randomized block design with four treatments in five blocks. Treatments are: contouring with phased native plant introduction; contouring with no native plant introduction; native plant introduction with no contouring; and, no treatment. Richness of invertebrates increased each successive year on most treatments. Abundance of invertebrates increased the first year after restoration on all treatments, but not the second year. We attribute the decline in invertebrate abundance in 2001 to the timing of the sampling effort. Amphibians and reptiles were virtually absent from all study plots during all years. Bird species richness and abundance did not vary significantly between treatments, but did vary by block. Bird species richness and abundance increased each year during the spring sampling period across all treatments. Similarly, bird species richness and abundance increased during the winter season from 2000 to 2001 across all treatments. The abundance of small mammals increased each year on all treatments, but the greatest increases were observed on the plots that were re-vegetated and those that were re-vegetated and contoured. Monitoring will continue for another 2 years, which will provide additional data on the responses of wildlife to habitat restoration in the San Joaquin Valley.
KEY WORDS: arid land restoration, San Joaquin Valley, temporal changes in restoration