Partnership and innovation define the Yolo Bypass Wildlife AreaBy Dave Feliz, Area Manager for the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area
The Central Valley was once the site of approximately four million acres of wetlands. This was the winter home for millions of waterfowl and shorebirds every year. Nowhere else on earth did such concentrations of waterfowl gather in one place. This was truly the jewel of the Pacific Flyway.
Government efforts to restore wetland habitats began with the creation of the Los Banos Wildlife Area in 1929. Locally, the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area was established in 1997. I arrived 12 months later.
In 2001, we were presented with an opportunity to purchase a large in holding within the Wildlife Area. This 3,000-acre set of parcels was part of the larger Glide holdings which included the Glide Tule Ranch. Incredibly, all of the Glide property in the Yolo Bypass was available for purchase. Of course we wanted it. The Tule Ranch contained vernal pools and historic duck hunting clubs. This was a golden opportunity to turn the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area into a world-class wildlife refuge.
The 3,000 acres south of Interstate 80 was called the Causeway Ranch. It was being used to grow tomatoes, safflower, milo and other row crops. During one wet spring, row cropping was delayed until it became impossible. That was the year wild rice was grown on the Causeway Ranch.
It is certain that rice is difficult to grow south of Interstate 80 because of its proximity to the Sacramento Delta. Cool evening breezes in the summer inhibit the maturation of rice, so extraordinarily long growing seasons are needed to grow a crop for market. To say the Causeway Ranch is substandard rice country would be an accurate description of its potential.
The acquisition of land is rarely accompanied by the money necessary to manage it. True to form, our acquisition of nearly 13,000 acres in 2001 came with no additional operating funds. However, this property was annually producing crops and other agricultural commodities. With the vague notion of somehow harnessing this income annually produced by farmers, we planned to incorporate agriculture into the business plan of managing the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area.
Enter the Dixon Resource Conservation District. Through a Master Ground Lease, they are able to sub lease parts of the Wildlife Area to sub tenants to grow agricultural crops. Lease payments are made to the RCD, 15 percent of these funds are kept by the RCD, and the remainder is available for the operation of the Wildlife Area.
So, nine years later, the government’s acquisition and management of sub prime rice ground in the floodway is a reality and it must be asked, was it a good idea? Is this the best use of this land?
One trip through the Causeway Ranch reveals our answer. Since the land is public, anyone can drive through the Causeway Ranch. A public tour route brings you right through a working rice farm, managed by Jack Dewit. If you make this trip in mid summer, you’ll see deep green fields of growing short grain rice, cool weather varieties bound for the markets of Southeast Asia. In other fields, chaotic tumbles of wild rice represent a more specialized crop. During autumn and winter months, the harvested fields are flooded and there may be a hundred thousand ducks and geese feeding in the stubble. This is habitat that more than pays for itself and contributes to the local economy.
Additionally, some fields are fallowed each year and managed for shorebirds during the mid summer south bound migration. This technique was invented right here at the Wildlife Area and now 200 acres of summer shorebird habitat is a regular part of the rice lease. There are advantages to the State managing this property. Unlike a private landowner, our bottom line is not monetary, but instead focuses on the development of wildlife habitat. In this case, we are willing to give up additional income in favor of being able to present 200 acres of shorebird habitat every summer. Within 6 weeks, these fields are drained. They are then dominated by alkali bull rush and watergrass. In other words, they are now fine waterfowl units.
The Wildlife Area is also home to a thriving population of Giant Garter Snake, a wide variety of birds of prey abound, and when the Yolo Bypass floods, it provides important flood plain habitat for juvenile salmon and adult splittail, a native minnow.
The property is open to the public for bird watching, hunting, hiking or just to take in the view. There are monthly tours led by expert docents and a successful environmental education program. This “Discover the Flyway “ program is administered by the Yolo Basin Foundation and hosts nearly 4,000 students a year. They learn about wildlife habitat created in wetlands and rice fields. More importantly, they learn about important land use decisions society has supported within the flood control system of Northern California. Together we have created a public asset for the Northern California community and a model for how Delta solutions can be developed.
By Julius (Jim) Groeser
Josh Sheppard is proud to be part of the fourth generation of his family that have been farming rice in Butte County for many generations. After receiving degrees in Agribusiness and Water Science from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in 1997 he returned to the 3,000 acre family rice operation with his parents, a brother, and a sister. Josh and his wife, Kathryn, have two children.
Michael Hubbartt, author of "Images of America, The Sutter Buttes." describes the important role family farmers and ranchers have played in preserving the icon of the Sacramento Valley. Hubbartt conducts educational programs about the Buttes and was recognized with a Spirit of Freedom Award sponsored by the Marysville Appeal-Democrat for his dedication to the environment. He has collected images for this volume from the Community Memorial Hospital of Sutter County, the Sutter County Historical Society, neighboring libraries and many local families.
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