The Ecological Fabric:
The Living Landscape
John Kelly, Director of Research & Resource Management

When wandering through natural areas, I often imagine another time. A thousand years ago I might have seen an identical garter snake or examined an orb web of exactly the same design. The forested slopes above Bolinas Lagoon may be as enchanting now as ever, and even the thick smell of the lagoon at low tide seems timeless. But I realize that my sensibilities contrast sharply with those of all but the most recent observers. Only recently have people seen nature as other than vast and undisturbed. Wildlife sanctuaries have become "islands" in a human-altered landscape, and opportunities to escape into an earlier time are limited. Of course, nature remains vast, and these islands still depend on the health of the surrounding "sea."

Research and resource management at Audubon Canyon Ranch seeks to protect not only the living resources in our sanctuaries but also the ecological fabric that binds them to larger landscapes. Take, for example, the majestic stretch displays of courting herons and egrets. At ACR, the success of these displays most likely depends on the availability of mates fledged from other heronries across central California - and most other sites are unprotected. As described by Katie Etienne in this issue, field observers on ACR's Heron and Egret Project find personal rewards in helping protect other colony sites while contributing to the scientific knowledge used by managers and planners worldwide to benefit heron and egret populations.

To successfully manage ACR sanctuaries, we must address threats from beyond our boundaries. At ACR's Tom's Point on Tomales Bay, we are fighting to protect a pristine patch of native coastal prairie from the beautiful but invasive Eurasian velvet grass. The soft lavender wash of this plant's feathery culms paints a blush across our coastal hills and terraces that is strikingly beautiful and, in the right light, beautifully surreal. Unfortunately, velvet grass displaces native species, transforms food webs, and simplifies whole ecosystems into monotonous and relatively unproductive versions of "natural." At Bolinas Lagoon Preserve another invasive weed, cape ivy, creeps into forested habitats with a similar ferocity. The accompanying article by Len Blumin provides a look into the challenges and rewards of the war against cape ivy. Len has learned a lot about this particular pest and his experience provides a powerful example for others attempting to control this species.

Conservation research and natural resource management share common ground whenever biological monitoring is involved. In late winter, bands of low vegetation swish across the lower fields of ACR's Bouverie Preserve, revealing subtle wetland depressions called vernal swales - waiting to flower as they dry in spring. We are beginning new efforts to inventory and monitor the specialized life in these areas. Because vernal wetlands are so sensitive to changing land use in California, we hope this work will lead to fundamental investigations of their biology and conservation.

At Cypress Grove Preserve, we are studying the power of tidal circulation in restoring coastal marshes. The process of restoration, like other research and resource management activities, seeks essentially to link the past with the future - a dimension of perception often inspired when observing nature. From this perspective, one sees that nature often endures, not only as the precious life we nurture within our sanctuaries but across the broader landscapes we call home.

Suisun Survey
Katie Etienne, Research Coordinator

Waking up before dawn to conduct fieldwork gives you a chance to come alive with the rest of the animals and recognize a day full of new possibilities. As the first hint of sunlight penetrates the morning fog, subtle colors suffuse the darkness, and I am aware of my senses tuning in for new adventure. Today I'll join John Kelly and Grant Fletcher for our annual boat trip through the Suisun Marsh to observe colonial waterbirds.

Locating and observing eight colonies in one day is a bit of a challenge, even aboard the new research vessel donated by Chris Condy. John pilots the sleek 19-foot cruiser through labrynthian channels on our way to the first potential nesting site. Sure enough, before Grant throws the anchor on shore, we hear the cacophony of Great Blue Heron chicks demanding to be fed. With the help of a quick sketch, we soon agree on the location and contents of 18 active nests. Watching arrivals and departures of the adults, we conclude that half of the 24 chicks are on their nests alone while both parents fly off to forage for food. This stage of development is useful in estimating breeding success for a colony. Chicks at this stage are well on their way to maturity but have not yet begun to venture out on twisting branches or explore their neighbors' nests.

Data from this site and over 50 colonies in the region are analyzed through ACR's North Bay Heron and Egret Project. Inspired by Helen Pratt's research at Picher Canyon, John Kelly initiated this ambitious project in 1991, to evaluate changes in the abundance and distribution of colonial waterbird populations in five counties. The scope of the project requires enormous effort by many volunteers who observe various colonies that range in size and habitat characteristics.

Factors that influence the birds' population dynamics include fluctuations in food supply, human disturbance, habitat destruction and predation. While it is always disappointing to observe an apparent decline in the size of a given colony, it is important to remember that these long-lived birds frequently join or start new colonies. For example, this year we received preliminary reports of synchronous fluctuations in neighboring colonies that may prove to be significant when analyzed with the rest of the data from the region. Another value of the Heron and Egret Project is the chance to share a telescope with landowners and passers-by, sometimes providing their first view of a heron or egret mating display, sibling rivalry over tasty morsels, or fledglings making their first tentative forays onto adjacent branches.

I look forward to visiting all of the project sites - and to helping analyze the data that will enable ACR to explore new questions about regional distribution patterns and the role of disturbance in the ecology of colonial waterbirds. ©

War of the Weeds
Len Blumin, Board Member & Volunteer

Imagine if you will an alien plant form invading an idyllic creek along the coast. Growing relentlessly, the lime green mass creeps inexorably upstream, smothering all vegetation in its path, and in a few decades it extends its domain to a total of six acres. Science fiction? Sadly, no. The place is Volunteer Canyon at ACR's Bolinas Lagoon Preserve, and the invading menace is a vine from South Africa called cape ivy. Our biologists identified cape ivy as the leading pest plant on the preserve, and four years ago I decided to do something about it. And so began the project "Manual Removal of Cape Ivy from Volunteer Canyon."

The good news is that cape ivy is easy, even fun, to pull up. The bad news is that cape ivy behaves like a malignancy, regrowing from the smallest fragment of stem or "stolen" left behind. It was clear from the beginning that only a methodical long-term effort might succeed. Methodical we have been! First, the margins of cape ivy growth were marked with pvc stakes, and three years ago we began a deliberate assault. Volunteers work every week of the year, singly and in groups, yard by square yard, rolling back the mat of ivy like a carpet and teasing the roots from the moist organic substrate that covers the canyon floor. The mass of ivy is carried to a sunny area, where it can be piled on a tarp to desiccate. And I mean piled! Notes of a typical work day early in the project relate that eight workers toiling for two hours each were able to remove 32 large wheelbarrow loads of cape ivy foliage.

Progress? Most observers rate the ongoing project a qualified success. An average worker clears an area of up to ten square yards per hour. Youngsters enjoy the activity as much as adults. We have had second graders from Stinson-Bolinas School, Boy Scouts, employees from Patagonia, Inc., and of course our reliable Work Day volunteers (even goats, but that's another story). We have been able to remove cape ivy from three acres upstream of the buildings in Volunteer Canyon. Each area cleared must be revisited every three to six months to cull the "sprouts." In some areas, especially in the shade or on slopes, there is rapid return of native flora, with an abundance of ferns and flowering plants and shrubs. In other areas, especially those previously disturbed, we face a plethora of weedy aliens such as poison hemlock and Italian thistle.

Rewards? Time spent in Volunteer Canyon is treasured. It is sometimes hard to stay on task, with varied distractions to the eye and ear. Several crews have found the Pacific giant salamander. Winter Wren, Swainson's Thrush, and Black-headed Grosbeak all breed in the canyon and sing the day long each spring. Wildflowers vary with the season, the most spectacular being the giant trilium. But there is a more subtle benefit, perhaps even a therapeutic one. It's the feeling that what we are doing really does make a difference. The ferns have returned to the Fern Trail with a vengeance. Carpets of milkmaids and miner's lettuce fill the understory. Native flora and fauna, disrupted for years by timber cutting and farming, then slammed by a pernicious creeping vine, now emerge with halting steps to reclaim the land. Being there to marvel at the changes is a moving and fulfilling experience. Come join us.

For information about becoming involved in ACR Research & Resource Management, call (415) 663-8203.