The Natomas Basin
What types of habitats are in the Natomas Basin?
Grasslands, Wetlands, and Riparian Corridors.
What is an Endangered Species?
A plant or animal whose population is declining and at some risk of extinction in the future.
Name 4 species that live in Natomas Basin:
Swainson's Hawk, White-tailed Kite, California Tiger Salamander, Tri-colored Blackbird, Giant Garter Snake.
What do developers want to do with land in the Natomas Basin right now?
Build warehouses and new homes.
True or False:
We don't think it is important for the city to build warehouses or homes, at all.
False.
It is important and natural for humans to develop some land.
What is a Riparian Corridor?
"Riparian" = river / "Corridor" = hallway or pathway
"river pathway"
What does the Endangered Species Act do?
It protects endangered plants and animals from being killed or harmed, AND it protects their habitats.
What is the status of the Giant Garter Snake?
Threatened
How much land are they talking about developing right now?
54,000 acres.
What are two things the team did to work on this problem?
We attended a Town Hall meeting to get with others who care and learn about the issue.
We interviewed an expert to understand the problem and solutions.
We shared our Enviromercial with our school in an assembly.
Why is the Natomas Basin important habitat?
It has natural waterways that are precious habitat to native wildlife. With global warming, California is getting drier. The riparian corridors in Natomas Basin are essential the survival of many species.
Can you name two categories of Endangered Species protection?
In order of needing most protection to less protection:
ENDANGERED
VULNERABLE
THREATENED
SPECIES OF CONCERN
What is the status of the Swainson's Hawk?
Threatened.
If they develop, name one "mitigating measure" the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan will require:
(mitigating = lessening harm)
For every 2 acres they develop, they have to create one acre of Nature Reserve, like the Cosumnes River Preserve. That is good, but it still means losing 2 acres of habitat.
They have to "make a disturbance" before they start construction, to try to get animals to leave before they get killed by construction.
They need to leave Swainson's nesting trees standing.
They can't start construction in winter, when the Giant Garter Snake is dormant, overwintering underground and won't have a chance to try to leave.
What are two things we can do in the future to help this issue?
We will write letters to city council members.
We will try to start a letter writing campaign at our school.
We will have letters for people at Nature Bowl to take and fill out!
Where is Natomas Basin?
Just north of our school! Right next to many of our homes! It is the space between our neighborhood in North Natomas and the Sacramento airport, and miles north from there too.
Is there a California Endangered Species Act AND a federal (United States) Endangered Species Act?
Yes, there is both.
...That's DOUBLE protection, because its so important to protect biodiversity and prevent species extinction!
What is the status of the Tri-Colored Blackbird?
Species of Concern.
If they develop, name another "mitigating measure" the Natomas Habitat Conservation Plan will require:
For every 2 acres they develop, they have to create one acre of Nature Reserve, like the Cosumnes River Preserve. That is good, but it still means losing 2 acres of habitat.
They have to "make a disturbance" before they start construction, to try to get animals to leave before they get killed by construction.
They need to leave Swainson's nesting trees standing.
They can't start construction in winter, when the Giant Garter Snake is dormant, overwintering underground and won't have a chance to try to leave.
What should the city do instead of building in Natomas Basin?
They should build elsewhere, in land that is not as valuable to important endangered species.
Why is the Natomas Basin important to the Swainson's Hawk?
They migrate to California to nest and raise their young. To do that, they need BIG trees that are alone in OPEN grasslands, which are not always easy to find. Natomas Basin has that habitat. From those trees, Swainson's Hawks watch for movement of prey like small mammals and reptiles, which they need to feed their young. (They usually just eat insects themselves, but need extra food when raising a family).
If developers want to change land that is habitat to endangered species, describe one thing they must do:
- They have to do an ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT to figure out how their actions will effect that ecosystem.
- They have to make a HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN to balance protecting the endangered species with development.
- They have to follow MITIGATING MEASURES to lessen the harm they do during development.
What makes the Giant Garter Snake a highly aquatic snake?
1. It mainly hunts in the water, and hunts aquatic prey, like frogs, small fish, and grayfish.
2. It uses the water to protect itself from predators by diving in when chased.
Explain why the Mitigating Measures are good, but not as good as NOT developing Natomas Basin:
Even when we save 1 acre for every 2 acres they develop, wildlife is still losing 2/3 of its habitat space.
Even when we try to "make disturbances", it doesn't mean wildlife will actually know that they should leave before they get killed by construction.
Even if we leave Swainson's nesting trees standing, if we build all around them, they won't want to nest there if all the hunting ground around it has been replaced with development.
Even if we avoid the Giant Garter Snake's overwintering time, snakes are slow and like their dens. Even if they are awake, they probably won't run away when construction starts, they are more likely to stay hidden and get killed.
What was the name of the expert we interviewed, and what organization was she with?
Edith (Thatcher)
She is with ECOS, which stands for the Environmental Council of Sacramento.