The news on your RCD's latest efforts to conserve and protect our most valued natural resources, support a thriving agricultural community and promote a sustainable local economy.
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Hummingbird in sage, Isabel Herrera
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This month's edition is all about spring:
- Give Monarch butterflies a winter home
- Interested in rainwater catchment at your property?
- Get your garden ready for the dry summer
- New NASA-funded project wants to hear your backyard bird songs
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Give the monarch butterfly a winter home
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The Sonoma Coast has been an overwintering site for monarch butterflies along their incredible migration for as long as we can remember. Long-time ranchers have stories of these brilliantly colored butterflies fluttering through the sky in groups nearly 1,000 strong and roosting high in trees such as Eucalyptus.
In the past decade, monarch butterfly populations have dropped precipitously. Loss of habitat has decimated the continent's populations by a shocking 99%. The monarch butterfly is currently awaiting listing on the Endangered Species list.
Increasing overwintering habitat for the remaining individuals is essential to the survival of this species. Do you manage a property with the right conditions for monarch overwintering habitat?
Winter habitat for monarchs is typically:
- 1.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean
- at a lower elevation (200-300' above sea level)
- situated on slopes oriented to the south or southwest or west or in shallow canyons or gullies
- a forested/wooded area with dappled sunlight, high humidity, fresh water, lack of freezing temperatures or high winds
- a stand of nonnative blue gum eucalyptus, native Monterey pine, native Monterey cypress, nonnative red gum eucalyptus, native western sycamore, coast redwood, coast live oak, and others
- has fall- or winter-blooming flowers to provide nectar forage
- For example, Bodega Dunes Campground was identified as one of the top 50 sites along the entire California Coast important to monarch butterfly overwintering needs.
Tell us if you would like assistance improving your property for monarch butterfly habitat. Email Noelle Johnson at
Noelle@goldridgercd.org
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Water Reliability Program
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Residents living in the upper reaches of Green Valley and Dutch Bill creeks who get water directly from the creek or from shallow, near-stream wells may be eligible for funds to design and construct water storage systems with the RCD. Storage systems include rainwater catchment, off-channel storage in tanks or ponds, and water use efficiency projects.
This fall, we will construct one rural residential rainwater project, building a total of 84,000 gallons of winter water storage, while continuing to work on designs for five more projects. This program is in its tenth year! We are always looking for eligible landowners to participate in this water-wise program, so please share this opportunity with your friends and neighbors.
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Why participate?
Having an alternative source of water for irrigation, livestock watering, and other necessary outdoor uses is a huge comfort to residents of west Sonoma County whose water resources are uncertain. These properties will have the benefit of thousands of gallons of rainwater, captured during the rainy season, and ready for use in the dry season. Transitioning summer water-demand from shallow wells and in-stream pumps to winter rainwater means thousands more gallons are left in the stream during drier days for the watershed's fish and aquatic ecosystems. Keeping streams flowing in the summer also contributes to more sustainable hydrology throughout the watershed, with long term benefits to its human residents.
Learn more
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Get your garden ready for the dry summer
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Spring is an ideal time to prepare your garden for another dry summer. It’s a time to think about how you will use water more wisely. Oftentimes, we over-water our gardens. Here are some reasons why and some solutions:
1) “I don’t know how much water my plants really need….”
If you don’t have a good sense for how much water your plants really need, look online for descriptions of your plants and their irrigation requirements.
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2) “I don’t know how much I am watering my garden….”
Maybe you have an automated drip system, sprinkler system, or a gardener who handles watering for you. Investigate how much water you are using. Talk to your gardener and ask them how much time they spend watering and if they think they can safely cut back on watering. Put a meter on your water valve and watch how much water is going to your garden. Get a meter from your local garden supply store. The information collected on the meter is ONLY for your eyes.
3) “I have plants that need lots of water in the same beds as plants that need less water…”
If you have a garden with diverse irrigation needs, you could be watering the garden more than some plants would like. This spring, try planting beds with the same water needs, then water them accordingly.
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4) “I don’t think I like any of the drought-tolerant plants…”
If you think that drought-tolerant plants are less attractive, take another look! Many of these water-thrifty plants are beautiful, with showy colors and diverse shapes and textures. And best of all, they need less maintenance! Dry summers are just fine for them.
See more guidance here.
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5) “I don’t know what kind of irrigation system would be best to install….”
By far, drip-line irrigation is the highest recommended system type. It is the most water-efficient. It can be programmed to turn on and off at certain times of day. And, it can send more water to some beds than other beds.
See more guidance here.
Want to have a pro come to take a look at your garden? Request a consultation with a Sonoma County Master Gardener! It’s a free, high-quality service.
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New NASA-funded project wants to hear your backyard bird songs
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The tag-line for the exciting new program
Soundscapes to Landscapes
(or S2L) is "monitoring animal biodiversity from space using citizen scientists." And that just begins to sum up the awesome NASA-funded collaboration between Sonoma State University, Point Blue Conservation Science, Pepperwood, Audubon CA, Sonoma Ag + Open Space, and others to capture the sounds of Sonoma County's birds.
While this isn't a Gold Ridge RCD project, it is a very exciting opportunity for landowners in our district to do something very special to celebrate and document our local abundance of bird life.
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Participating is simple. Receive an audio recorder in the mail. Hang the recorder out on a tree, fence post or building on your property. The device records the sounds it hears for one
minute every 10 minutes for 3-4 days. Any urban or rural landowner is welcome to participate!
Once you mail the recorder back, the sound recordings (or "soundscape data") are then analyzed to identify birds, and these field data are then used to model bird diversity in conjunction with images from state-of-the-art sensors in airplanes and satellites. This study is cutting-edge and will paint a picture of bird life in Sonoma County like never before. In the future, the technology developed here may also be used in other locations
and to monitor other species
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Hear a sample of bird sounds here
processed on the computer for identification
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Note on the graph where the recorder clearly picked up the calls of Bewick’s Wren (BEWR), California Scrub Jay (CASJ) and Northern Flicker (NOFL).
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To learn more and get involved, visit the S2L website. The landowner sign-up section is at the bottom of the home page.
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Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District
(707) 823-5244
www.GoldRidgeRCD.org
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