Canebrake Ecological Reserve
Encyclopedia
Canebrake Ecological Reserve is a 6700 acres (27.1 km²) nature reserve in the South Fork Valley of Kern County
, 20 miles (32.2 km) east of Lake Isabella, California
. The California Department of Fish and Game
acquired the land in 1994 and by 1996, 1300 acres (5.3 km²) became the Canebrake reserve, named after Canebrake Creek, a tributary of South Fork Kern River
. A 1.2 miles (1.9 km) nature trail crosses Canebrake Creek, is wheelchair accessible, and has views of cottonwood-willow forest with several willow
species (Salix gooddingii , S . lasiandra , and S . laevigata) and Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) that intergrade with a relict
stand of Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia).
The reserve was enlarged by land purchases in 2002 and 2005 through the state Wildlife Conservation Board. Although not contiguous, one segment is in Cap Canyon, the other in Scodie Canyon, the lands are important corridors for wildlife connecting the reserve to Sequoia National Forest
. The 2005 purchase by the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) used Proposition 117 funds. Proposition 117, known as the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990, created the Habitat Conservation Fund with an annual budget of $30 million dollars, for various state agencies such as the WCB.
Rare bird species in the area include the federally-listed endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Epidonax traillii extimus), state listed endangered Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo
(Coccyzus americanus occidentalis) and the Tricolored Blackbird
(Agelaius tricolor), a species of concern.
The South Fork Kern population of Southwestern Willow Flycatcher is one of the largest in the US.
The Kern Red-winged Blackbird is on the state's species of concern list.
. Part of the historic nesting area on the South Fork Kern River was lost from land clearing.
In 1954, the filling of Lake Isabella reservoir inundated and destroyed several miles of riparian and wetland
nesting areas for the Kern Red-winged Blackbird. The largest breeding population still occurs in the South Fork Valley and may number as many as 500 individuals. The current nesting area is from Canebrake Ecological Reserve to the area around the town of Lake Isabella.
Historian Wallace M. Morgan, in History of Kern County, California. wrote that the South Fork Valley was the first area settled, around 1846, and described the valley as "a fertile strip of bottomland that forms the most important of the mountain farming districts." The first acreage purchased for reserve was part of the 129-year-old Bloomfield Ranch.
Restoration work in the Canebrake Ecological Reserve and South Fork Valley includes removing damaging invasive species
such as tamarisk (Tamarix
) and the invasive exotic purple loose-strife (Lythrum salicaria).
A total of 340 acres (1.4 km²) were replanted with Fremont cottonwood and red willow on the South Fork Kern River, from 1987 to 1993. The plantings are on floodplain
sites from which these species had been removed and the land cleared for agriculture
. The survival rates for these plantings have exceeded 90 per cent.
Kern County, California
Spreading across the southern end of the California Central Valley, Kern County is the fifth-largest county by population in California. Its economy is heavily linked to agriculture and to petroleum extraction, and there is a strong aviation and space presence. Politically, it has generally...
, 20 miles (32.2 km) east of Lake Isabella, California
Lake Isabella, California
Lake Isabella is a census-designated place in the southern Sierra Nevadas, in Kern County, California, United States, located near Lake Isabella. Lake Isabella is located east-northeast of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 2513 feet...
. The California Department of Fish and Game
California Department of Fish and Game
The California Department of Fish and Game is a department within the government of California, falling under its parent California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Game manages and protects the state's diverse fish, wildlife, plant resources, and native habitats...
acquired the land in 1994 and by 1996, 1300 acres (5.3 km²) became the Canebrake reserve, named after Canebrake Creek, a tributary of South Fork Kern River
Kern River
The Kern River is a river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield. Fed by snowmelt near Mount Whitney, the river passes through scenic canyons in the mountains and is a popular destination for...
. A 1.2 miles (1.9 km) nature trail crosses Canebrake Creek, is wheelchair accessible, and has views of cottonwood-willow forest with several willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
species (Salix gooddingii , S . lasiandra , and S . laevigata) and Fremont cottonwood (Populus fremontii) that intergrade with a relict
Relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....
stand of Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia).
The reserve was enlarged by land purchases in 2002 and 2005 through the state Wildlife Conservation Board. Although not contiguous, one segment is in Cap Canyon, the other in Scodie Canyon, the lands are important corridors for wildlife connecting the reserve to Sequoia National Forest
Sequoia National Forest
Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The U.S. National Forest is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia trees which populate 38 distinct groves within the boundaries of the forest....
. The 2005 purchase by the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) used Proposition 117 funds. Proposition 117, known as the California Wildlife Protection Act of 1990, created the Habitat Conservation Fund with an annual budget of $30 million dollars, for various state agencies such as the WCB.
Rare bird species in the area include the federally-listed endangered Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Epidonax traillii extimus), state listed endangered Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
The Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus, is a cuckoo. Common folk-names for this bird in the southern United States are Rain Crow and Storm Crow...
(Coccyzus americanus occidentalis) and the Tricolored Blackbird
Tricolored Blackbird
The Tricolored or Tricoloured Blackbird, Agelaius tricolor, is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae. Its range is limited to the coastal areas of the Pacific coast of North America, from Northern California in the U.S...
(Agelaius tricolor), a species of concern.
The South Fork Kern population of Southwestern Willow Flycatcher is one of the largest in the US.
Habitat restoration
Habitat restoration includes planting of Fremont cottonwood, red willow, Oregon ash, white alder, hoary nettle and California black walnut. One goal of the restoration is to increase suitable riparian areas for the Kern Red-winged Blackbird and Southwestern Willow Flycatcher, both of which require dense cottonwood-willow forest.The Kern Red-winged Blackbird is on the state's species of concern list.
. Part of the historic nesting area on the South Fork Kern River was lost from land clearing.
In 1954, the filling of Lake Isabella reservoir inundated and destroyed several miles of riparian and wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
nesting areas for the Kern Red-winged Blackbird. The largest breeding population still occurs in the South Fork Valley and may number as many as 500 individuals. The current nesting area is from Canebrake Ecological Reserve to the area around the town of Lake Isabella.
Historian Wallace M. Morgan, in History of Kern County, California. wrote that the South Fork Valley was the first area settled, around 1846, and described the valley as "a fertile strip of bottomland that forms the most important of the mountain farming districts." The first acreage purchased for reserve was part of the 129-year-old Bloomfield Ranch.
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
such as tamarisk (Tamarix
Tamarix
The genus Tamarix is composed of about 50-60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa...
) and the invasive exotic purple loose-strife (Lythrum salicaria).
A total of 340 acres (1.4 km²) were replanted with Fremont cottonwood and red willow on the South Fork Kern River, from 1987 to 1993. The plantings are on floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
sites from which these species had been removed and the land cleared for agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. The survival rates for these plantings have exceeded 90 per cent.