EVALUATING THE HEALTH OF MANAGED WETLANDS IN CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL VALLEY

Dustin Howland; Humboldt State University; Dustin.Howland@humboldt.edu; Sharon Kahara

The National Wildlife Refuge System and our current conservation easement standards are designed in part to provide adequate habitat for vulnerable taxa. Colusa County in California's Central Valley not only includes the seven-square-mile Colusa National Wildlife Refuge but also has more conservation easements than any other county in the state. Most of these easements support managed freshwater wetlands. We evaluated biotic and abiotic responses to different management and restoration practices at managed wetlands in Colusa County. Water quality of the inflow, hydrology and temperature of standing water, flood timing and duration, and vegetation management techniques influence the taxa present in managed wetlands. We will unravel these variables and describe their effects on the presence of taxa in these wetlands.

Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles II