Riparian Habitat

With a varied mix of upland and wetland habitats, the Bufferlands is an important wildlife area, supporting more than 245 species of birds, 20 species of native mammals and several native fish, amphibians, and reptiles. The Bufferlands is also home to more than 20 species of rare plants and animals, including several threatened and endangered species such as Swainson’s hawk, vernal pool fairy shrimp and giant garter snakes.

Beginning in 1989, Regional San teamed with the National Audubon Society, the Sacramento Job Corps Training Center and other groups in an ambitious effort to restore wildlife habitat on 650 acres near the bustling I-5 freeway. With our Bufferlands resource management experts taking the lead, by 1995 this unique coalition had planted more than 10,000 native riparian trees and shrubs and enhanced or restored more than 300 acres of prime seasonal and permanent wetland habitats. This area now provides high-quality habitat for many species of waterfowl and other wetland birds and mammals, including the annual return of thousands of canvasback ducks, a species that had all but disappeared from this region.