The Sacramento Valley has lost over 85% of its natural riparian ecosystem which provided habitat for a diverse number of plant and animal species along its reaches. In 1989 the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge (SRNWR) was formed by the authority provided under the Endangered Species Act, Emergency Wetlands Resources Act, and the Fish and Wildlife Act. Since SRNWR’s creation, it has been creating and implementing restoration projects along its 10,000 acres with the great help and guidance of its many dedicated partners, including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The proposed project will be a hunter opportunity project that consists of restoring 34 acres of invasive weed infested floodplain on the Sul Norte Unit of the Sacramento River NWR located along the Sacramento River in Glenn County. Yellow star-thistle, black mustard, milk thistle, and annual rip-gut grasses currently occupy the site and provide little to no benefit for upland game bird species and other associated wildlife. The specific goals and objectives of this project is to convert current unproductive flood-prone agricultural lands to restored riparian habitats (including scrublands, forests, woodlands, savannas, herb lands, grasslands and marshes) along the Sacramento River for the benefit of upland game birds and upland game bird hunters.