Longview Oaks Restoration Project

Longview Oaks Update:  Recruiting Volunteers for a New Field Season!

updated 2/6/06 

Longview Oaks is a 7-acre open space parcel within Del Paso Regional Park that is owned by the City of Sacramento.  The City has partnered with CNPS to restore the site, which is located in the upper portion of the Arcade Creek Watershed.  Urban development has removed precious riparian habitat and severely degraded water quality in Arcade Creek, creating high flood flows that result in severe erosion and bank undercutting.  We have the opportunity to create a vision for this beautiful parcel and provide stewardship to the resources both on site and downstream. 

In past years, dedicated CNPS volunteers have planted several blue and valley oak seedlings, and with much care and attention a large majority of them are thriving.  A number of vernal pools were also created on site.  These pools have ponded wonderfully this winter and appear to support a diversity of hydrophytic vegetation.  In addition, the site contains several very large oak trees, a seasonal drainage, and many species of native wildflowers. 

We are recruiting volunteers to help us create and implement a vision for Longview Oaks.  In addition to idea people, we will need people interested in helping with a botanical inventory of the site.  Other tasks might include noxious weed removal, installing bird and/or bat boxes if appropriate, or planting and maintaining additional native plant species.  As you can see, we’re in the early stages of planning so thoughts and suggestions are appreciated!

If you are interested in finding out more about Longview Oaks or are interested in sharing your energy and creativity by becoming involved, please contact Deborah Stout (deborahlstout@yahoo.com).

SacValley CNPS in our restoration project at  Longview Oaks.  Longview Oaks is a 7 acre open space parcel owned by the City of Sacramento and within Del Paso Regional Park.  There is a restoration project in the works to protect and enhance this tributary watershed to Arcade Creek. By revegetating the native habitat of the Longview Oaks  parcel, the watershed will be enhanced to not only visually appear healthier but will restore the native ecosystem close to what it once was and also provide for more rainwater infiltration capacity to nourish the oak savannas and wetland swales. The City of Sacramento has teamed with the local chapter of the California Native Plant Society to obtain a grant from the Department of Water Resources to make improvements to Longview Oaks and Arcade Creek. Already the property has been roped off with cable to help prevent vehicular trespassing and illegal dumping. Preliminary soil testing and planning is currently under way and the city is finalizing the environmental documents needed to complete the following plans for restoration of the property [note: these are PDF files of blueprint sheets listed as links at the bottom of this page]:

The grant also provides for a study of Arcade Creek to determine what can be done to improve water quality and habitat, and to make the trail system around the bridges useful year around. Horse enthusiasts are the main users of these trails, but day hikers are also welcome. This urban park trail provides the people of Sacramento a unique opportunity to trek through a wild natural area without leaving the city limits.

Pat yourself on the back for being part of the organization that saved this small bit of open space from becoming a parking lot. Not long ago fully detailed plans existed to fill in the tributary's natural swales, pave over the upper terraces, and cut down over 40 naturally occurring oaks at this site. For years, small groups fought to save this parcel. With the help of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of CNPS, we successfully convinced the City of Sacramento to protect and preserve the property. We hope this is just the beginning of the development of healthier open space sites.Special events are planned during the implementation that will call for volunteers to participate.If you would like to see more development of this type happen in the Sacramento area, come to these events and show your support. Watch for announcements to appear on the website and in future Hibiscus issues. You may also contact us to be placed on a list of volunteers and we will notify you directly when events will occur. Call Nancy Thompson at (916) 923-3430 and state that you want to volunteer at Longview Oaks, leave your name, phone number, and address.