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.
Wetlands are at a critical point. 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.
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.
Bigger is better? Not so. This little guy, a tiger salamander, shows us that the smallest beings, hidden from us in oak leaf litter or under water, the workers we don't see; make the biggest impact. The wildfarmers wetland habitat restoration is guided by the needs of the Tiger Salamander showing us the way to restore balance in a pond translating to balance in nature and restoring balance in our lives.
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.