Projects and Research
Throughout the years, Bufferlands staff has spearheaded a number of projects and research efforts to help species and habitat thrive.
This innovative work continues to guide our habitat management and restoration strategies, whether we are addressing beaver problems within our riparian forests or establishing perennial grassland in the floodplain.
Habitat Management and Improvement Projects
Habitat restoration and enhancement efforts on the Bufferlands are an ongoing process, more than doubling the size of our riparian forests and making native perennial grasses an integral part of the landscape.
Upper Beach Lake Wildlife Area
Starting in 1989 through the mid-1990s, in partnership with the National Audubon Society and the Sacramento Job Corps Training Center, we undertook an ambitious effort to restore wildlife habitat on 650 acres of the Bufferlands.
The Sacramento Job Corps Training Center played a key role in Upper Beach Lake restoration efforts during this work. Through the Corps’ vocational training program, more than 100 young people participated in restoration work, learning skills such as heavy equipment operation, mechanical maintenance, surveying, carpentry, and cement masonry.
Today, we continue to manage the entire Upper Beach Lake area as an integral part of the Bufferlands today, preserving precious open space and wildlife habitat
Fishhead Lake Wetlands Complex
Originally created as the first wetland mitigation project during the construction of the wastewater treatment plant. This 125-acre site has been expanded over the years to accommodate various wetlands, riparian forest and native grassland mitigation needs. The site attracts a huge diversity of waterfowl and shorebirds, including an increasing number of sandhill cranes.
Trail of Trees
Extending along the eastern edge of the Bufferlands adjacent to Franklin Boulevard, this native tree planting consists of 6,500 native trees including valley, blue, and live oak trees, as well as sycamore trees, buckeye, and elderberry shrubs.
Partially funded by a Small Business Administration grant, these trees were planted in 1994, and have been maintained by Bufferlands staff to provide both wildlife habitat and an amenity to the surrounding neighborhood.
South Sacramento Streams Project
Beginning in 2004, as part of the South Sacramento Streams Project, more than 265 acres of habitat enhancements were implemented in four unique areas of the Bufferlands. Aquatic habitat, seasonal wetlands, and upland areas all received a major facelift as part of this joint flood control project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The restoration effort included the creation or enhancement of 95 acres of valley oak savannah, 92 acres of native perennial grassland, 40 acres of aquatic habitat, 20 acres of riparian woodland, 10 acres of seasonal wetlands, and 8 acres of emergent marsh.
More than 10,000 trees and shrubs were also planted, and artificial nest boxes for species such as wood ducks, American kestrels, barn owls, ash-throated flycatchers and tree swallows were constructed and installed. The Bufferlands team provides the ongoing maintenance required to preserve the value of these restored areas.
Constructed Wetlands Demonstration Project
From 1994 to 1998, the Sacramento Constructed Wetlands Demonstration Project was conducted to determine how treatment wetlands can help remove trace metals and improve water quality.
This study evaluated treatment wetlands management methods, focusing on vegetation and biota, wetland habitat management, vegetation management, vector and pest control, water quality, sediment quality, and hydraulic monitoring. While the results showed the wetlands were somewhat effective in removing trace metals and ammonia, the study also identified a number of challenges in implementing a larger scale project.
Swainson's Hawk Conservation Easement
In 2016, SacSewer’s Board of Directors conveyed a 185 acre conservation easement on the Bufferlands to the Sacramento Valley Conservancy (SVC). This easement was to mitigate possible EchoWater project impacts to Swainson’s Hawk foraging habitat. The easement arrangement also provides for the perpetual monitoring and protection of the conservation easement by SVC.
The conservation easement, located in the southwest portion of the Bufferlands, was amended in 2017 to add 20 more acres of suitable open space to mitigate for further impacts to Swainson’s Hawk foraging habitat associated with the construction of a 5MW solar array project installed in 2017 to mitigate EchoWater greenhouse gas emissions.
Nicolaus Dairy
This historic homestead was originally established in 1890 and operated as a dairy for nearly 100 years. In 2015, at the direction of our Board, plans were developed to restore this property to a living example of a 1940’s dairy operation, including the turn of the century Sears, Roebuck and Co kit home, milking barn with cutting edge (at the time) technology and the old workshop. Currently, Sac Sewer parnters with Sacramento SPLASH to provide educational opportunities at the dairy for as many as 8,000 students per year.
The program, named Project AWE, is designed to teach 2nd through 5th grade students about agriculture, water, energy and the environment.
Wildlife Research
Several scientific studies of species found at the Bufferlands have been conducted over the years. This research is performed by Bufferlands staff and researchers from local universities.
Western Pond Turtle
From 2005 to 2006, Bufferlands staff collaborated with Sacramento State master’s candidate Laura Patterson on a study that helped improve understanding of the Bufferlands’ only native turtle species, the western pond turtle.
Other introduced species such as the red-eared slider and painted turtle, often sold as pets, have been introduced to the Bufferlands and are using its wetland habitats.
There is concern these turtles may be out-competing native turtles for resources, contributing to the decline of the western pond turtle. This study investigated the population of these introduced species to assess the probability that this population will persist and ultimately spread.
Western Burrowing Owl
The Bufferlands provides excellent habitat for one of the Central Valley’s most charming birds, the burrowing owl. Since 1991, our natural resources experts on our Bufferlands staff have carefully monitored burrowing owl habitat while pioneering innovative techniques for increasing owl populations.
Through hands-on research, staff have successfully developed a way to build artificial nesting mounds for the threatened birds. Staff have also worked to place identification bands on burrowing owls to help monitor their movements and activities and better explain the dynamics of how these owls use the Bufferlands and surrounding areas.
Christmas Bird Count
Since 1995, Bufferlands staff have also participated in the largest wildlife census in the world: The National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count. The information collected during the count provides valuable statistics on the health and number of individual birds and bird species, which provides an indicator of the health of our environment.
This count is performed as part of the larger Rio Cosumnes/Stone Lakes count. On average, the Bufferlands portion of the Rio Cosumnes event has yielded between 90 and 120 species each year, an amazing number of different birds for such a small area.
Mourning Dove Banding
Since 2010, Bufferlands staff have taken part each summer in a large mourning dove banding study sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. For each dove we capture in a baited trap, we record its age and sex based on plumage characteristics and place a band with a unique numbered code on one of its legs.
Our banding effort contributes to a program that helps determine population dynamics of the species throughout the state and beyond. To date, we have banded over 3,000 doves and they have been recaptured as far away as Mexico.
Great-tailed Grackles
In 2021 and 2022, the Bufferlands hosted part of a multi-year and multi-state study of Great-tailed Grackles, a large, long-tailed member of the blackbird family. The study aims to understand characteristics that have contributed to its rapid range expansion.
The first record of this species in Sacramento County was on the Bufferlands in 1996, and it was first recorded in the state, in southeastern California, in the 1960s. It has been recognized as one of the most rapidly expanding species in North America.
The study, run through the Max Planck Institute, seeks to determine how some species, like the Great-tailed Grackle, are able to adapt to novel, human-altered environments, and expand their range while many other species decline under similar conditions.
One component of the study involved mapping the species’ range and habitat usage. Another involved capturing grackles and holding them for a few weeks to determine how well they performed puzzle-solving tests to recover food rewards.
The study hypothesis is that the grackles are expanding their range because they exhibit a high degree of behavioral flexibility allowing them to adapt to new environments. Several scientific papers have been published through this ongoing study including data collected on the Bufferlands.
