The Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, located south of
Sacramento, California, lies within the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta, the destination of thousands of migrating
waterfowl,
shorebirds, and other water birds. The refuge was established in 1994.
Habitats
Through a number of innovative partnerships, the refuge is protecting scarce natural habitats and agricultural resources in an area threatened by urban sprawl and agricultural changes. Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge contains both seasonal and permanent
wetlands,
riparian forest, and
grasslands, as well as some of the last remaining freshwater lakes in the central valley.
These habitats support large populations of migratory water birds, a major rookery for several colonial nesting species such as
great blue heron
The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...
s, and a warm water
fishery
Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...
. Several
endangered,
threatened, and
special-status species benefit from these habitats: the
valley elderberry longhorn beetle,
Swainson's hawk, and
greater sandhill crane
The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large Crane (bird), crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sa ...
.
Visitors
Visitor numbers increase every year; they topped 8,500 in 2001, despite a lack of developed facilities such as a visitor education center and
restrooms. Volunteers from the local area dedicate their time on weekends guiding visitors through grasslands and tree-lined waterways to educate the public about the refuge in their backyard.
References
External links
*
official Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge websiteStone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge profile
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National Wildlife Refuges in California
Protected areas of Sacramento County, California
Parks in the San Joaquin Valley
Natural history of the Central Valley (California)
Protected areas established in 1994
Wetlands of California
Landforms of Sacramento County, California