River Refuge to the Rescue
The integration of public use facilities in new areas of the refuges and an overall public use blueprint for the complex are now on Zahm's mind as he prepares to hire a public use specialist, a staff position long unfilled but one that Zahm ranks as necessary as a biologist on a refuge.
Salt-laden water no longer enters the refuge. The higher water quality was bound to make a difference because, as Zahm points out, the valley evolved with the help of fresh water.
But he is nevertheless overwhelmed by the quick results of his wildlife crusading. "It is unbelievable. Hundreds of willow trees are appearing from seeds that couldn't germinate before. No one dreamed that the grasslands would come back so fast," said Zahm.
So little of the original valley is being preserved that the management of it must be right, says Zahm. "Everything we do has a major impact and my staff knows that." He considers every member of the staff to be an ecologist and, he says, they are the most professional, hardest working that he has ever been associated with.
The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex is more than just a wildlife preserve. It is an essential stopover for Pacific Flyway migrants. Like other refuges in the system, it is a protector of what have become unique or rare natural communities and a place where people can learn, observe, and recreate.
Nearly 20,000 homes were damaged or destroyed and nine people lost their lives in the 1997 California floods. Near the junction of the San Joaquin and Tuolumne Rivers, flood waters ran over the tops of levees and covered cropland and farm buildings with 8 feet of water. Were it not for the levees and dams, the river would overflow into its floodplain most every year, rewatering adjacent land and river edge trees and spreading the seeds and soil that it carried. Flooding occurs enough, however, to have convinced the owners of three large farms to sell and move.
San Luis NWR Complex manager Gary Zahm saw that as an opportunity not only to expand the size of the San Joaquin River NWR by 3,112 acres but also to put into practice the concept of more effective, nonstructural flood protection (Summer 1997 Refuge Reporter, p.13). By returning the acreage to natural floodplain, the river will have more upstream space to overflow and downstream property owners can expect less flooding.
Representative Gary Condit (D-CA) is an ardent supporter. He told The Modesto Bee it is a "win-win" situation to improve flood protection and restore riparian areas while compensating willing sellers. Condit pushed for and got funds included in the omnibus flood relief legislation just passed by Congress in for the land acquisition.
The farms lie on the edge of the San Joaquin River NWR boundary, a refuge established in the floodplain along 7 miles of the river to preserve remnant riverine environment. Refuge real estate appraisers are determining the fair market values of the properties, but, before any acquisitions can occur, assessment of the environmental impacts of the refuge expansion needs to be performed and circulated for public comment.
The new lands are expected to provide opportunities for future wildlife observation, environmental education, and waterfowl hunting.
For more information:
San Luis NWR Complex, P.O. Box 2176, Los Banos, CA 93635, 209-826-3508.
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