In tidal wetlands, hardstem bulrush (or tule; Schoenoplectus acutus) may break off in rooted masses and float with the tide, relocating on mudflats and shorelines as the tide recedes. In newly constructed tidal wetlands, where vegetation can sometimes take years or decades to successfully colonize, these clumps can develop roots and rapidly become established. During this process, sediment is attracted to these clumps and mounds will form where other plants can establish and climb up the tules themselves. Using camera traps, we documented use of these mounds as high tide refugia by small mammals at a newly restored marsh located on the Hill Slough Wildlife Area, Suisun Marsh, where salt marsh harvest mice (Reithrodontomys raviventris) are known to occur. Even as the tules themselves senesce, vegetated mounds remain and are still used by wildlife. Other emergent macrophytes can serve the same purpose through different modes of establishment. Tule masses can be transported artificially into newly constructed wetlands to accelerate sedimentation and provide habitat for small mammals. This method could be an effective but inexpensive and easy habitat management strategy that could be incorporated into restoration projects at the planning phase.

Rayna Fitzgerald is a scientific aide with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, where they have had the pleasure of working with an array of wildlife species in the Suisun Marsh, including the endangered Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse and California’s endemic Tule Elk. This is their first job since graduating from UC Berkeley in May 2023 with a B.S. in Conservation and Resource Studies. In their senior year of undergrad, Rayna completed an honors research thesis in Dr. Chris J. Schell’s Urban Ecology Lab studying the impacts of urban intensity on medium sized mammals in the East Bay.