There has been widespread loss of riparian forests and floodplain habitats across the Sacramento Valley with increased pressures from highly channelized river systems, introduction of nonnative species, and other anthropogenic alterations. As a result of these changes, vegetation occurring within these systems has become overgrown and choked with a thick understory of both native and nonnative species, significantly increasing the wildfire risk. River Partners assessed vegetation conditions and wildlife use within four Sacramento River Wildlife Area (SRWA) units in their current state to prioritize future restoration efforts for the purpose of reducing wildfire risk and benefit wildlife species. These sites were chosen after desktop analysis due to their extensive weed or California grape populations, as well as potential for pollinator restoration. We performed vegetation releves and avian point count surveys, as well as deployed autonomous recording units to capture bird calls and wildlife cameras from May to July 2024. We also performed rapid pollinator surveys and the Bumble Bee Atlas. We will present these baseline wildlife data, and assess outcomes as associated with differences in the sites’ dominant vegetation. Lessons learned from this project may help guide future restoration projects that benefit both wildlife and wildfire resiliency.

Ms. Goeman is a restoration biologist with River Partners that specializes in wildlife biology. She has a keen interest in creating and restoring critical wildlife habitat, not only for special-status species, but for the entire ecosystem. Ms. Goeman received her Bachelors of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Nevada, Reno in 2018, and has since worked with numerous special-status wildlife and botanical species in California's Central Valley and Northern Nevada. She is particularly passionate about pollinator ecology and conservation.