Nestled in the natural landscape of the Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center, you will find a sign marking the entrance of one of the Center's two nature trails. The Porter Creek Nature Trail is less than one mile long and is marked with multiple signs, describing the history, natural resources and types of research conducted at SFREC. The trail first descends down to a bridge crossing the creek and takes hikers through three different zones. 

Along the stream is the Riparian area where you will find many plants that have roots in the water or very damp soil. Even in the dry summer months, these plants usually grow tall and jungle-like since they have plenty of water. These Riparian plants are important because they help stabilize soil and filter impurities from the water in addition to providing critical habitat for a variety of wildlife. Holes in large rocks can also be found near the water where the Native Americans who once lived in the Sierra Foothills would grind acorns into flour.

The type and density of vegetation changes drastically as you climb up from the creek, ascending to the  Upland area. The main plants here are foothill pines, blue oaks, interior live oaks, and annual grasses and forbs. These hillsides are extremely dry in the summer, but upland species, unlike the riparian plants have adapted to these harsh conditions.

Finally, hikers will come upon a convenient steel foot bridge that spans over the entire marsh area. The soil in this small basin is always saturated due to contact with the water table. Here you will find specialized plants that grow well when their roots are always wet such as cattails, reeds, forbs and shrubs. This vegetation provides nesting habitat for a rare bird species called the black rail that was recently discovered to be living in the foothills.

Groups or individuals are welcome to stop by to explore the variety of plants, wildlife, and other unique natural resources highlighted on the Porter Creek Nature Trail. If interested, please call the SFREC office at (530) 639-8800. Be sure to check in at the office before setting out on your hike and you can pick up a copy of the Guide to the Porter Creek Nature Trail or the Trail Map. We ask that all hikers please stay on the trail, close the gates behind you, and enjoy your walk!

Epizootic bovine abortion (EBA), also referred to as foothill abortion, is one of the most serious cattle diseases in the Western United States. UC researchers, Professor Jeff Stott and Specialist Myra Blanchard from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine have made major headway in developing a vaccine for this disease and currently are mid-way through a multi-year field trial examining vaccine field efficacy. This disease is carried by ticks and is present in many foothill regions making SFREC a natural outdoor lab to evaluate field efficacy.

Last Wednesday researchers checked pregnancy status and condition on heifers assigned to the study. By August, heifers will be moved to irrigated pasture where SFERC staff can monitor animals closely for how the vaccine improves calving success and calf health. To read more about the efforts of SFREC researchers to combat foothill abortion, click here.

Adaptation to changing weather and economic conditions is fundamental to farm and ranch survival but this year's drought is pushing variable adaptation strategies to their limit. The international community is closely watching how this dire situation is progressing in California and on June 19^th the Canadian Broadcast Company (CBC) visited the Sierra Foothill Research & Extension Center (SFREC) to document how ranchers are adapting to these extreme events and the implications these events have on agriculture and ultimately food production worldwide.   Filming involved capturing interviews of three ranchers to explore their perspectives as well as a tour of SFREC to examine potential adaptation strategies to drought.

Joe Fischer, cattle rancher and President of the Placer County Farm Bureau, told CBC the economic impacts and emotional toll of the drought on ranching families have forced ranchers to rethink their management strategies and find innovative ways to manage the land. “Ranchers tend to be profitable if the land is productive,” Fischer said. “We have to look ahead five to ten years or more and try to be as conservative as possible with our stocking rates. Under these conditions, we have a much smaller margin for error so we have to be more precise than ever with our management strategies.”

Fifth generation rancher, Cari Koopman-Rivers, discussed how her family was recently forced to sell 60% of their cattle due to diminishing water sources on their land. “In addition to grass production, drinking water for the cattle is a major concern,” said Koopman-Rivers. “We are continually working to develop more water systems for both drinking and distributing the cattle into areas they wouldn't normally be willing to graze.”

SFREC Director Jeremy James and Livestock and Natural resource Advisor Glenn Nader used SFERC as an opportunity to demonstrate how intensive grazing management, agricultural by-products and culling strategies could be deployed to mitigate some of the impacts of drought. Many producers with limited feed sources are utilizing agricultural by-products that are available in their area in order to sustain the nutritional requirements of their livestock. Nader, pointed out that almond hulls are high in energy and have limited protein, which allows cows to more efficiently digest hay and can limit the quantity of hay they need to consume. Nader warned that the almond hulls fed must contain a low level of almond shell, in order to avoid problems with rumen digestibility. Rice straw and rice bran are more local agricultural by-products that, under the right conditions, have been utilized as dietary supplements for cattle.

Dan Macon of Flying Mule Farms said that the challenges that arise from this drought and various other climatic events from the past remind ranchers that they need to look further out into the future and make sustainable plans for the long term. After culling 40% of his sheep flock, Macon has found success with contracting with landowners who are looking to reduce forage on their property. He is able to bring his sheep, along with electric fencing into areas that other livestock may not be able to access as easily. “This is not a new norm, it is a continuous norm,” said Macon, responding to how he is adapting to the drought. “No one year is ever the same on any ranch. Adaptation is what we do to sustain ourselves and the land and it is how we will continue to do so regardless of the climate conditions we face in the future.”

To view the proceedings from the January 29th SFREC Drought Workshop, click here.

4009- Effects of defoliation and habitat on medusahead demography

The winter annual grass Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski, commonly known as medusahead, is one of the most dominant invasive range species in the West. Despite a broad understanding of medusahead impacts we have limited understanding of how environmental conditions and management strategies influence medusahead population dynamics.  This insight is key if we are to ultimately forecast changes in medusahead abundance and spread under various conditions.  Using  periodic matrix models, we are investigating how density and habitat type (grassland vs. oak woodland) and defoliation influence population dynamics.  First year results show strong density dependence ranging from positive to negative depending on time of year with oak woodland habitat suppressing medusahead population growth much more than open grassland.  

Check out the video for more!