Talk:Cosumnes River Preserve

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): MichaelShun. Peer reviewers: MichaelShun.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 18:33, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
I am currently in a California Water and Society class and we need to update a Wikipedia page for our class project. I plan to focus my work on the Cosumnes River Preserve and update the Wikipedia page. I am looking to expand the history page by adding some of the Native American culture to the page as well as more history of the Cosumnes Preserve. I am also looking to expand the native and invasive species that are present within the preserve. Lastly, I would like to include some information about what the wetlands are being used for and some of the volunteer opportunities that are available for people wanting to help out at the Cosumnes River. These are some of the sources I have looked into so far that may work. I will continue to look for more sources and talk to employees that work for the preserve for more information. MichaelShun (talk) 05:18, 14 March 2016 (UTC)

Cosumnes River Preserve Addition
Into Section:

In total, there are 46,000 acres that are owned by the preserve with almost 40,000 acres of that being used for agricultural production. Of those 46,000 acres, approximately 12,500 acres are easement lands and 16,500 acres are fee-owned lands. Currently the Cosumnes River Preserve uses both public and private lands as a location for migratory birds throughout the year as well preserving natural riparian oak woodlands, vernal pools, wetlands, and grasslands. The Elderberry longhorn beetle, California giant garter snake, and the Swainson's hawk are three threatened or endangered species that have been found living on the preserve.

Early history:

The Miwok Native American tribe settled the area around the Cosumnes River Preserve many centuries ago. They survived up through the 1900's with a 1910 census counting 670 Miwok Native Americans left. According to a 1770 estimate, there were approximately 9000 Miwok present. Population density for the Miwok tribe was about 10 persons per square mile which may have been the most out of any California tribe. The entire Miwok tribe consisted of 28 small groups which could range from 300 to 475 people. The Miwok people ate a diet consisting of acorns, various types of other seeds, deer, and fish. The local Miwok people practiced burning and other management practices to shape the land to create more opportunity for food. Through these methods of enhancing floodplains in the area, fish species may have had lower mortality rates and increased growth. After the mid 1700's, the Miwok way of life started to change with the arrival of the Spanish.

Around 1770, a small group consisting of Spanish explorers decided that the Cosumnes River Preserve and other places within the Central Valley was a perfect pasture for grazing animals. Trappers came into the area around the preserve in the early 1800's but found that there was no place to settle and the fur trapping was not worth it. The Mexican government started issuing land grants in 1844 and John Sutter who was a European immigrant was one of the first to colonize the Cosumnes River area. John Sutter founded the colony New Helvetia and soon some of his assistants moved out to the Cosumnes River Preserve area. Once the California gold rush started in 1848, many miners settled in along the Cosumnes River hoping to find gold and get rich. Once realizing that there wasn't very much gold in the region, they dammed the river and changed the landscape to grow hay, wheat, and various types of fruit. The Miwok people lost sources of food that they relied on and soon after villages and burial grounds were destroyed. Shortly after, the Miwok moved out of the region where the Cosumnes River Preserve is and in 1999, the last person to spoke Plains Miwuk died.

Hydrology:

The Cosumnes River Preserve is a wetland habitat that experiences annual flooding. This area is a perennial stream that experiences late summer runoff that used to provide up welling groundwater to the preserve. With increased agricultural production however, much of the groundwater underneath the Cosumnes River Preserve has been depleted so it cannot recharge the wetland habitat during the early summer. During the wet season, which occurs between late fall and early spring, much of the Cosumnes Preserve floods which provides a perfect wetland habitat for many riparian species of flora and fauna. During the late summer and early fall, the Cosumnes River Preserve has no water flow which could potentially impact local aquatic plant species as well as fish.

Flora and Fauna:

There are many species of plants that reside within the preserve besides the iconic Valley Oak(Quercus lobata). Some of the species that are located close to the water are Cottonwood (Populus fremontii), cattail (Typhaceae Typha), Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), and Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana). Other plants that you can find on the preserve include Wild California Grape (Vitis californica), California Rose (Rosa californica), and the Elderberry tree (Adoxaceae Sambucus). Two greatly invasive plant species that occur around the Cosumnes River Preserve are the Perennial Pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium) and Common water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes).

The Cosumnes River Preserve is also a habitat for many mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Some of the larger mammals that live on the preserve include beavers(Castor canadensis), otters(Lontra canadensis), mountain lions(Puma concolor), and black-tailed deer(Odocoileus hemionus). Many smaller mammal species also exist within the preserve such as muskrats(Ondatra zibethicus), black-tailed jackrabbits(Lepus californicus), and raccoons(Procyon lotor). Many people traveling to the preserve will witness local bird species such as the red-tailed hawks(Buteo jamaicensis), swainson's hawks(Buteo swainsoni), Nuttall's woodpeckers(Picoides nuttallii). Many migratory bird species including the greater and lesser sandhill cranes(Grus canadensis), tundra swan(Cygnus columbianus), and various species of ducks also call the preserve home. Two of the native fish species that have been recorded within the preserve are Chinook salmon(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), and Tule perch(Hysterocarpus traskii). A few amphibians and reptiles that have been spotted on the preserve include the California Tiger Salamander(Ambystoma californiense), the Giant Garter Snake(Thamnophis gigas), the Western Fence Lizard(Sceloporus occidentalis), and the Western Pond Turtle(Actinemys marmorata).

Volunteer Opportunities:

The Cosumnes River Preserve relies on volunteers to inform the public about plants and animals found within the preserve as well as helping the staff with restoration, conservation, and preservation. After becoming trained as a volunteer naturalist, many different volunteering options are available. Volunteer Naturalist training at the Cosumnes River Preserve takes two training days in which you learn about plant and animal species present, various volunteer opportunities, and information about the organizations that work with the preserve to help maintain the area.

Many of the volunteers work in the visitor center helping to answer questions brought up by visitors. Restoration projects in the form of the removal of invasive plants or creating wood duck boxes for wood ducks is also an option. Bird and raptor surveys are also done at least once a year to get a population estimate on birds of prey and waterfowl that migrate or live within the Cosumnes River Preserve. Other volunteer options are available such as working with the paddle team, leading guided nature walks, or helping with the mountain lion research team. The paddle team takes visitors on tours of the Cosumnes River throughout the year. Some of the paddle tours include the bat paddle which allows visitors to witness tens of thousands of Mexican Free Tail bats feed during sunset right over the heads of the visitors. The mountain lion research team gets to access closed parts of the preserve and places or checks game cameras to observe mountain lions that reside around the preserve. There are many other volunteer opportunities available at the Cosumnes River Preserve.