ALC: Protecting Vital Habitat in the Sacramento River Bend

ALC has been partnering with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in the Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Natural Area since 1992, working piece by piece to fill in a mosaic of protected lands that include high priority riparian and oak woodland habitat and outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities. As of January, 2011, ALC has protected 1,662 acres within the Sacramento River Bend ONA. View Map.


(Photo: Avi Hesterman) 		 

The Sacramento River Bend is rich in ecological, recreational, and cultural treasures: 

  • It contains diverse habitats including now-rare oak woodlands and 25 miles of some of California’s last intact riparian habitat.
  • Wildlife viewing is exceptional, as vernal pools, wetlands, riparian forests, blue oak savannah, lava bluffs and rocky plateaus provide diverse habitat for an array of fish and wildlife species, including endangered, rare, and threatened species.
  • Among the numerous species found here are southern bald eagle, osprey, Swainson’s hawk, yellow-billed cuckoo, ringtail, mule deer, bobcat, river otter, heron, and egret. The area also includes winter range for a sizeable deer population and habitat for wintering waterfowl, raptors, and migratory songbirds.
  • It provides excellent habitat for transient salmon and steelhead trout that spawn upstream.
  • It offers outstanding public recreation opportunities, including biking, hiking, horseback riding, boating, camping, bird watching, hunting, salmon, trout, and bass fishing, wildlife viewing, nature photography, and more.
  • It contains archeological sites from the Yana and Nomlaki Indian tribes (features such as river village sites and rock shelters can be found along the trails); and the great explorer, Jedediah Smith, is known to have camped here during his 1828 travels north to Oregon.

Conservation in the Sacramento River Bend ONA is a priority, as it is surrounded by some of the fastest population growth in the state. ALC and BLM are protecting parcels that were imminently threatened by development and subdivision in order to prevent further fragmentation of riparian habitat. The area has been designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern by the BLM and is under consideration  to become a National Recreation Area.

ALC has made steady progress in conserving this important ecological resource: In 1972 the area included just 4,000 acres of public land and less than a mile of river frontage. Today it includes nearly 18,000 public acres and 16 miles of river frontage managed by the BLM. ALC has completed 13 projects in the Sacramento River Bend since 1996.

ALC Projects in the Sacramento River Bend
Year # of Projects Acres
1992 1 225
1993 3 1,022
1996 1 161
1999 1 42
2002 1 48
2004 1 53
2009 1 91
2010 1 10
2011 1 10
Total: 13 1,662

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