wildfarmers is a division of Stork Peterkin International; a 501c3 non profit
wildfarmers is a division of Stork Peterkin International; a 501c3 non profit
A collaboration between Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS/USDA), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), The Hawkes Family, and wildfarmers/spif.
Wetland Habitat/Pond
Blue Oak and wildlife healthy habitat
Wetlands such as this one, the headwaters of the Pajaro River play a critical role in the cleaning of water as it goes through the ecosystem. Coupled with the Blue Oak woodlands the pond works to clean the water as well as support a rich biologically diverse ecosystem. A key player in the link between the coastal and inland support system for human and animal health as well as the environmental health of the planet.
Wetlands are at a critical point. The World Wildlife Federation announced that freshwater wetlands are the fastest diminishing habitat of any. More than Coral Reefs or Forest. California has lost over 90% of it's wetlands. The Central Valley of California extending north to south for over 450 miles has harbored most of the biodiversity for over a millenia. By the 1970's the Central Valley had lost over 90% of it's wetlands to unsustainable agriculture and development. Since then the yearly losses of wetlands in the valley have greatly reduced the availability of wetlands. The Central Valley and the eastern rim of the coastal mountains are a globally important bird area. Aquatic birds as well as others migrate yearly from South America to the Arctic. They have to stop to rest and refuel many times on that flight. The stop overs have vanished. A million migratory birds die every year and the numbers are increasing. Freshwater wetlands make up only 1% of the earth's surface but they support over 10% of all the animals on earth. Fifty percent of federally listed animals and 28% of plants depend on wetlands for survival. In reality, most non marine wildlife depend on wetlands to some degree.
Why should we care? Landmark studies have consistently linked human health to animal and plant biodiversity the greatest of which are found in wetlands. A landmark study on climate change in 2017 showed that nature can deliver at least 30% of emissions reductions needed by 2030 to prevent climate catastrophe. Protecting and increasing biodiversity plays a crucial part in increasing these emissions reductions.
The health and lives of the human community are integrally linked to the health and survival of our wetlands and wildlands.
During the last hundred years the wildfarmers pond became a haven for wildlife. As the human population in this area grows The Blue Oaks and wildlife are more and more stressed.. The tap roots of the Blue Oaks disconnect from their aquifir and die and the wildlife search for resources now used to bait them into traps. Last year when wildfarmers' pond went dry 5 Pumas, 6 bobcats, and countless coyote, badger, hawks, etc; were killed in the area.
Wildfarmers began working with US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS/USDA) to strengthen the embankment and provide the only safe water source in the area for Oaks and wildlife
In December of 2018 we signed the contract with USFWS and NRCS. 2019 we were able to find a contractor and schedule for 2020. 2020 and 2021 closed us down due to COVID, 2022 was too dry to dig (drought). 2023 was our final year the pond had to be on it’s way to completion to fulfill our contract with USFWS and NRCS. Post COVID boom in April of this year took our contractors out of the game and all other contractors as well. Prices tripled and heavy equipment operators were all at work in more convenient places.
Our Executive Director, Veronica Stork, became Project Manager, Job Foreman, Surveyor, and Heavy Equipment Operator. With the help of USFWS Biologist, Shawn Milar, she learned how to operate the equipment, read the engineering drawings, and shoot the heights in order to build the new embankment. We hired Rocklyn Capri, awesome one legged backhoe operator,
Together we demolished the old embankment, cleaned out debris from the pond, constructed and compacted the new embankment. and lined and compacted the pond.with new clay.. We are now ready to start the Spillway Project
Bigger is better? Not so. This little guy, a tiger salamander, shows us that the smallest beings, hidden from us, play a large part in the biodiversity of the Blue Oak Savanna and thus in the balance of the planet. In leaf litter or under water, the workers we don't see; make a giant impact on our ecosystem . The restoration of our wetland habitat is guided by the needs of the Tiger Salamander and other species like them that are the great balancers in the ecological systems that support our environment and the health and stability of human communities. Salamanders act as a natural for of ‘pest control’. They consume ticks and mosquitoes and generally keeping insect and arthropod populations in balance AND they help with carbon sequestration!
Tiger Salamanders are endangered because of habitat loss and fragmentation. This is caused by activities such as the conversion of land to agriculture, urban development, the creation of roads and reservoirs, and invasive species such as pigs which hunt and eat them are a threat to the salamanders survival. It is also thought that global declines in insects are also greatly affecting them.
NRCS engineers Adriana Campagna and Mark Moehling spending a long day of surveying and staking out the wetland habitat restoration area at wildfarmers pond site.
Wildfarmers Director of Operations, Tony Stork, the contractors, NRCS engineer; Mark Barnet, and USFWS biologist Shawn Milar; discussing the parameters of the pond and wetland habitat restoration.