Putah Creek And Wildlife Conservation

Visiting one of the most significant features on the UC Davis campus, Putah Creek represents the university’s ability and effort to improve wildlife conservation on campus. After observing 12 different stops on a three-mile long trip of Putah Creek, the average score I calculated as part of the university’s sustainability program is 1.83 on a scale of zero to three. This is a score that I expected from a university dedicated to sustainability and conservation, but there is room for improvement. In order to improve this score and balance high/low scores the university should have some areas reserved strictly for wildlife conservation (off limits to the public) and other areas visible to the public that remain interactive. Five of the 12
I observed during these two stops the most variety of wildlife that included the California ground squirrel, northern flicker, California black walnut, and Fremont cottonwood. It is a very large area with many habitats, hearing bird songs, rustling, some splashing and little access for humans, serving as a great example of successful conservation. I also scored stop six (North Fork Reserve) a three, because it is a large area of land (36-acres) fenced off to protect the habitat and animals from human presence and has done quite well, with small birds and western fence lizard visible when I visited. I scored stop 11 (Arboretum) a two because it is a large open area with two river otters, western pond turtles, and California ground squirrels visible from a manmade walkway. It is also very close to a freeway, cars, and human access with high risk of the area being polluted. An example of an area given a score of one is stop 10 (Peter J. Shields Oak Grove) because it is a large area used to preserve, display, and educate the public about native species of plants and animals, with a purpose of education rather than
Proving this by scoring 1.83 on a zero to three scale, but of course still needing improvement in some areas. Having areas such as Putah Creek and North Fork Reserve, serve as favorable examples of successful work so far. Locations with visible habitats, animals, and an ecosystem thriving so close to campus, and serving as an educational experience for people is very beneficial. While also having areas such as the Peter J Shields Oak Grove that focuses on educating the public on why it is necessary to conserve wildlife areas is important to a sustainability program. In addition, including areas such as stop eight where the university displays its plans for future conservation is a positive step towards their goal. If the university continues to follow their plans and incorporates two different areas, one strictly for the privacy of wildlife and other locations for educating the public, then a balance in scores will more likely be seen in the