The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is spending $175 million to conserve open space and wildlife habitat in the central coast, central valley and Sierra Nevada regions, and having more effect than many larger government programmes. Its Conserving California Landscapes Initiative helps other organisations purchase land, and supports efforts to balance economic use with environmental need on private land.

It works with government agencies, and business interests in a non-confrontational way, and makes small acquisitions that catalyse other environmental improvements. It has had resounding successes in a region where loss of wetlands, forests and open space had been common. Here are three.

The Cosumnes River watershed, a spectacular collection of wetlands, riparian forests, vernal pool grasslands and blue oak woodlands, supports thousands of migratory waterfowl, over half the Central Valley’s sandhill cranes, the endangered giant garter snake and the rare river otter. It is the only remaining river still flowing undammed from the Sierra into the Central Valley.

The Cosumnes River Preserve is an example of co-operation between public and private landowners. The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Water Resources and Sacramento County all own land in the preserve, but manage their holdings co-operatively.  In certain areas levees are being breached to increase the river's flood and meander zone, but range lands have been kept in production.

The 9,200 acre M&T Staten Ranch, a famous example of private conservation in its own right, is part of the preserve. It runs cattle in dry months and is managed to benefit wintering waterfowl when the seasons turn. 

There’s nothing special about this. Private farmers in California have long flooded their fields after the harvest is in to provide food for wintering waterfowl. Many did it to support hunting. The Delta, has long been a pre-eminent duck and goose hunting areas.   Although the M&T ranch does not earn money from hunting, but its managers took the flooding policy further. They altered the flooding cycle for its fields to benfit migratory birds as much as possible and found that it benefited by reduced wind erosion.  That's not all.  The extra birds left their droppings behind and reduced the need for fertiliser.

Government flood control agencies had long argued that levees should be stripped of vegetation and rocked or riprapped, to prevent deep roots damaging the structure.   The M&T owners argued that trees and brush, placed properly, actually help with flood prevention. They can act as a baffle to lessen erosion, and anyway, "who wants to live in a desert?"  Although they had to bear all the costs of maintenance and risks of breaching themselves, being private, they were able to experiment.  It turned out they were right. They have not had a flood since 1906, and their levees now supply vital habitat for many important species, including the Swainson's Hawk, on the California Endangered Species List.

Battle Creek, a northern tributary of the Sacramento River, drains a 356-square-mile watershed on the slopes of Mount Lassen. A spring-fed creek, its flows are cold and consistent, making it prime habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead trout.  Dams have obstructed fish migration for a nearly a century, but remnant populations have survived.  

How is it funded?  $20 million has come from the PG&E Corporation, the operator of the dams, $3 million from the Packard Foundation and various sums from private landowners and other agencies. This is not only cheaper for the taxpayer but quicker and more permanent than it would have been using the regulatory process.   Water rights will be permanently dedicated to in-stream flows rather than just for the life of a regulatory permit. Thanks to charitable, private and state co-operation, Battle Creek is on its way to becoming a breathtaking example of stream restoration.

Elkhorn Slough is one of California's largest coastal wetlands. At the mouth of Monterey Bay, it is of international significance. Despite, or perhaps because it contains highly valuable agricultural land, it is also a brilliant example of how to restore and conserve a watershed. CCLI has funded efforts to draw private owners into the process of restoration, stewardship, and long-term economic well being, and persuaded government to help by easing regulatory burdens.

Soil erosion is an example.  Not long ago, a farmer seeking to undertake erosion control measures needed separate permits from up to ten agencies, and would be required to pay hundreds of dollars in permit fees. Now only a single permit is required, and voluntary participation by farmers has increased dramatically.  Recent data indicates that farmers have recently reduced soil erosion by more than 20,000 tons annually.

A watershed conservation plan now drives the acquisition and management strategies of government agencies, the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and others. By ensuring money is spent efficiently, it has attracted other funding sources and each grant has helped catalyse further participation. New sources of private funding are being drawn into the process. Elkhorn Slough is a model for the conservation and renewal of a vital natural resource.

Jim Thornton 12 August 2001