Sand Ridge/Tulare Lake Conservation Report
Creighton Ranch. Pixley National Wildlife Refuge. Allensworth State Historic Park. Sand Ridge. Deer Creek. Located in the Tulare Lake Basin, the Sand-Ridge - Tulare Lake Planning Area features some of the best gems in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
With documented human use stretching back 15,000 years, this area now includes low population density, important farmland and natural areas for a wide variety of plants and animals. Highlights include: alfalfa, pasture and other farms that provide critical foraging land for 5,000+ sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) and nesting areas for wintering, breeding and migratory birds; 61 unique species, many of which are only found in this region; and excellent representations of a diversity of natural areas, including grassland, shrubland, trees, wetlands, rivers and creeks.
With 24 separate plant community classifications, this area encompasses greater natural diversity than either nearby Carrizo Plain National Monument or Merced County’s Grassland Ecological Area. Seventy five percent of these communities are listed as rare and are tracked by the California Natural Diversity Data Base.
The Sand Ridge - Tulare Lake Conservation Report proposes the following recommendations:
Read more about Sand Ridge - Tulare Lake conservation goals, objectives and site-specific recommendations.
With documented human use stretching back 15,000 years, this area now includes low population density, important farmland and natural areas for a wide variety of plants and animals. Highlights include: alfalfa, pasture and other farms that provide critical foraging land for 5,000+ sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) and nesting areas for wintering, breeding and migratory birds; 61 unique species, many of which are only found in this region; and excellent representations of a diversity of natural areas, including grassland, shrubland, trees, wetlands, rivers and creeks.
With 24 separate plant community classifications, this area encompasses greater natural diversity than either nearby Carrizo Plain National Monument or Merced County’s Grassland Ecological Area. Seventy five percent of these communities are listed as rare and are tracked by the California Natural Diversity Data Base.
The Sand Ridge - Tulare Lake Conservation Report proposes the following recommendations:
- Protect 83,000 acres of existing uplands, such as shrubland and grassland;
- Protect 20,000 acres of existing wetlands, such as marshes, floodplains, creeks and ponds;
- Restore 30,000 acres of uplands;
- Restore 30,000 acres of wetlands;
- Complete Allensworth Ecological Reserve; and
- Complete Pixley National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS).
Read more about Sand Ridge - Tulare Lake conservation goals, objectives and site-specific recommendations.