Vernal Pool Management at Jepson Prairie-Solano Land Trust
The 1566-acre Jepson Prairie Preserve, owned by the Solano Land Trust, is one of California’s best remaining examples of claypan vernal pools and native bunchgrass prairie, habitats once widespread in the Central Valley but now mostly converted to agricultural or other development. The pools host a unique assemblage of plants and animals through a brief life cycle which must be completed before pools and grasslands dry in the unremitting summer heat.
Vernal pools exceeding an acre in size are generally termed playa lakes and one of the largest of these within the Jepson Prairie Preserve is Olcott Lake. Olcott Lake supports a disproportionately high number of threatened and endangered species. These species are well adapted to the extreme conditions in the pool and most spend the dry season in varying states of dormancy.
Only a single strand of low wire currently blocks off-road vehicle access from the pasture north of Olcott Lake, known as the Docent Triangle. This pasture is approximately 20 acres in size. In the past year, this wire has been illegally cut twice and off-road vehicle tracks detected. The continued threat of off road vehicles is very high because of the close proximity of the Argyle Park motorcycle and go-kart track. Off road vehicle traffic from Argyle Park occasionally ventures down Cook Lane, the County road that bisects the Preserve. Olcott Lake has been completely fenced on all sides except for the Docent Triangle side. SCWA funded new fencing of Olcott Lake along Cook Lane two years ago. The proposed fencing will tie in with the current fence and effectively protect the entire playa lake.
Solano Land Trust proposes to replace the single strand of wire along the east side of the Docent Triangle fronting Cook Lane, a county road, and the un-serviceable fence along the west side of the Docent Triangle fronting the former Northern Railroad right of way, now owned by the Western Railroad Museum to restrict unauthorized vehicle access and permit controlled grazing of the Docent Triangle.
