For information on all facilities, please contact:

Peter DeSimone

Director of Land and Stewardship, Audubon California

Starr Ranch Sanctuary

100 Bell Canyon Road

Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679

pdesimone@audubon.org

Phone: (949) 858-0309

Casad Sanctuary

County: Kern

Nearest town: Glenville

Acreage: 200 acres

Elevation: c. 3000’

Casad Sanctuary is located along Lumreau Creek in the western foothills of the Greenhorn Mountains, the southernmost extension of the Sierra Nevada. The property is via ranch roads south of Glenville, and is open only by prior arrangement with Audubon California. The surrounding ownership is private ranchland to the north and west, with the 40-acre Williams Preserve (Kern Co. Community College District) adjacent to the east, and Sequoia National Forest just beyond.

This area was historically a major wintering area for the California Condor, which congregated during calving season. Sensitive breeding birds in the area include Sharp-shinned Hawk, Golden Eagle, Vaux' Swift and Yellow Warbler, with Grasshopper Sparrow possibly present. Other sensitive species that may be present include: Western Pond Turtle, Legless Lizard, Sierra Night Lizard, California Mountain Kingsnake and either Foothill or Mountain Yellow-legged Frog. Sensitive plants that may be present include: (CNPS List 1B): Fritillaria brandegei Greenhorn fritillary, Linanthus serrulatus Madera linanthus, Navarretia setiloba Piute Mountains navarretia, and Ribes menziesii var. ixoderme aromatic canyon gooseberry.

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MayacamaS Mountains Audubon Sanctuary

County: Sonoma

Nearest town: Healdsburg

Acreage: 1,400 acres (+ 200 acres, see below)

Elevation: 1,200’ to 2,500’

Mayacamas is located in the northern Coast Ranges, just above the Alexander Valley, a major wine-producing region of Sonoma County. Pine Flat Road cuts directly through the center of the Sanctuary for about four miles. The sanctuary supports a mix of grassland, chaparral, oak woodland, mixed evergreen forest, semi-permanent streams, and a small vernal pool.

Mayacamas boasts 10 species of oak, three species of pine (including Knobcone Pine) and major stands of Sargent Cypress. Major serpentine outcrops in the area support unique communities of chaparral and grassland that support some of the state's rarest plant species.

The sanctuary is officially closed to public pending the completion of a major water pipeline along Pine Flat Road, though Madrone Audubon has used the site for its "PeeWee Audubon" program and for school field trips (overnight). The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District owns a "Wild Forever" Conservation Easement on the entire 1,400 acres, and a neighboring ranch to the south has been managing its 1700 acres as a de facto wildlife sanctuary for several decades.

Sensitive breeding birds include Bell's Sage Sparrow and Purple Martin. Other sensitive animals include: Northwestern Pond-Turtle, and possibly Foothill Yellow-legged Frog, California Red-legged Frog, California Tiger Salamander, Western Spadefoot and American Badger. Sensitive plants include: (CNPS List 1B) Cryptantha clevelandii var. dissita  serpentine cryptantha, Streptanthus brachiatus ssp. hoffmanii  Freed's jewel-flower and Calystegia collina var. oxyphylla Mt. St. Helena Morning-Glory.

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McVicar Audubon Sanctuary

County: Lake

Nearest town: Clearlake

Acreage: 238 acres

Elevation: 1400’

Ownership: NAS

McVicar protects a portion of the freshwater marsh and adjacent terrestrial habitats on the southern shoreline of Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake wholly within California. This area is about two hours north of the Bay Area, within the foothills of the Northern Coast Range. The preserve is officially closed to the public, but may be reached by foot from Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.

Sensitive bird species known to nest in the area include: Least Bittern, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Purple Martin, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Sage Sparrow and Tricolored Blackbird. Sensitive non-breeders include: Ferruginous Hawk, Peregrine Falcon and Short-eared Owl. Other sensitive animals include Northwestern Pond Turtle.

Sensitive plants in the vicinity include:  (CNPS List 1B) Arctostaphylos manzanita ssp. elegans  Konocti manzanita, Eriastrum brandegeae  Brandegee's eriastrum, Hesperolinon adenophyllum  glandular western flax, Hesperolinon bicarpellatum  two-carpellate western flax, Horkelia bolanderi  Bolander's horkelia, Lasthenia burkei  Burke's goldfields, Layia septentrionalis  Colusa layia, Navarretia leucocephala ssp. bakeri  Baker's navarretia and Sedella leiocarpa  Lake County stonecrop; (CNPS List 2) Potamogeton zosteriformis eel-grass pondweed Potamogetonaceae.

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Sweet Springs Preserve

County: San Luis Obispo

Nearest town: Los Osos

Acreage: 24 acres

Elevation: Sea Level

Sweet Springs is a small sanctuary that has been owned and operated by Morro Coast Audubon Society since 1989. Situated on the southeast side of Morro Bay, it features several short trails and a boardwalk leading out to an observation deck on the Bay. During low tide, thousands of shorebirds and waterfowl may be seen, nearly year round. Its upland areas feature several natural freshwater springs and a restored area of coastal dune scrub, as well as many mature eucalyptus, cypress and pines that were part of an old plantation. Sweet Springs has long been regarded as one of the best birding spots in the region, and Morro Coast Audubon is actively managing and restoring this fascinating site, with the help of dozens of local volunteers.

Sensitive birds of Sweet Springs include resident Peregrine Falcon, Long-billed Curlew (non-breeding) and Bryant's Savannah Sparrow. California Black Rail and Swainson's Thrush may breed. The winter months bring large numbers of Brant to the estuary, easily visible from the observation deck. Other sensitive species include a small but stable population of Southwestern Pond Turtle associated with spring-fed ponds, as well as two rare and endemic invertebrates, the Morro Bay Blue Butterfly and the Morro Bay Shoulderband Snail. Sensitive plants include the narrowly-endemic Morro Manzanita (Arctostaphylos morroensis) and the rare Saltmarsh Bird's-beak (Cordylanthus m. ssp. maritimus).

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Wattis Sanctuary

County: Colusa

Nearest towns: Gridley, Colusa

Acreage: 843 Acres

Elevation: <100’

Wattis lies in the heart of the rice-growing region of the Sacramento Valley, just northwest of Sutter Buttes and adjacent to the famous Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. The entrance road (locked gate) is along the Gridley-Colusa Hwy. east of Colusa, but the sanctuary is closed to the public. Wattis is managed as a “waterfowl sanctuary”, with fields flooded to provide food for ducks, geese and other waterbirds. The biological consulting firm EDAW conducted Brown-headed Cowbird trapping during the spring and summer of 1999-2001 (and may continue in 2002).

Sensitive breeding species at Wattis include: American Bittern, White-faced Ibis, White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, Burrowing Owl, Short-eared Owl, Loggerhead Shrike and Tricolored Blackbird. Sensitive non-breeders include: Golden Eagle, Sandhill Crane and Long-billed Curlew. Other sensitive animals include Northwestern Pond Turtle, Giant Garter Snake and Black-tailed Jackrabbit. There are no sensitive plants known from Wattis.

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Williams Sisters Ranch

County: San Mateo

Nearest town: Los Altos

Acreage: 1200 acres

Elevation: c. 700-1400’

The 1200-acre Williams Sisters Ranch is located in the northern Santa Cruz Mountains, east of the community of La Honda. The property is closed to the public. The land was given to the National Audubon Society in 1976, as a gift from the Williams Sisters. The caretakers at that time are still there today, ranching as they always have.

The upper portion of the property and the ridges along Skyline Drive are lightly-grazed grassland (many native wildflowers), with mature mixed evergreen forest (including large Douglas-Firs) lower down and along gullies, including Woodruff Creek. A small area of Redwood forest exists on the northern portion of the ranch. Williams Sisters Ranch may be one of the most important strongholds for Grasshopper Sparrow on the entire San Francisco peninsula (fide F. Toldi, Sequoia Audubon Society), and dominates one of the most diverse atlas blocks (88 nesting bird species) inventoried for the San Mateo Breeding Bird Atlas.

Sensitive birds species thought to breed in and around the Williams Sisters Ranch include Sharp-shinned Hawk, Spotted Owl, Vaux' Swift, Loggerhead Shrike, Swainson's Thrush, Grasshopper Sparrow and possibly Marbled Murrelet and Purple Martin. Sensitive mammals include American Badger, which is actually abundant here (fide L. Bordi, Jr.), and possibly Red-legged Frog. Sensitive plants known from the vicinity of the ranch include: (CNPS List 1B) Dirca occidentalis western leatherwood, Eriogonum nudum var. decurrens Ben Lomond buckwheat, Legenere limosa (no common name), Monardella villosa ssp. globosa (no common name), Pedicularis dudleyi Dudley's lousewort and Usnea longissima long bear lichen.

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Alison Sheehey © Nature Ali

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