By: Barbara Archer, City of Davis
This spring, the City of Davis invites the community to check out the City’s many open space areas that are ideal for walks, runs or family exploration. You might even see some sheep and goats grazing! Visitors can enjoy grassland habitats, large oak trees, migratory birds and idyllic views within the 240 acres of the City’s Open Space Program.
Starting May 2, for about two weeks, a herd of sheep and goats will visit the City’s South Fork Preserve Open Space area to remove some of the biomass in the oak savannah area that built up over the winter months. The City uses these grazing herds as a natural and effective way to control vegetation growth of certain plants and weeds, instead of using pesticides. Targeted light grazing, which also promotes the spread of native grasses and wildflowers, is one key way the City promotes native biodiversity at the preserve.
After their work is complete at South Fork Preserve, the sheep will spend the next month grazing at three stormwater detention basins managed by the City’s Public Works Utilities and Operations Department. The first is located behind Target. The second area is in the Cannery, and the third area is along Covell Boulevard in West Davis. The City is counting on the grazing herd to eat all the weeds in these detention basins, thereby reducing the risk of fire, trespass and vandalism.
The grazing herd will have guard dogs in the grazing areas with them at all times. The company that owns the herd, Perennial Grazing, will be closely watching the herd and making sure everything runs smoothly. Perennial Grazing of Rumsey has been a great City partner. They are very attentive herders who constantly keep the animals moving, in order to prevent damage to desirable native plants.
Some great open space areas you can visit this spring include:
- Putah Creek Parkway. This two-mile parkway runs along the City’s southern border and is a part of what is left of the old North Fork of Putah Creek. Beginning in the 1870’s, Putah Creek was diverted into the South Fork channel to protect the City of Davis from flooding. The historic natural channel is now the UC Davis Arboretum Waterway, the Putah Creek Parkway and the old North Fork of Putah Creek that runs between the Willowcreek and Willowbank neighborhoods. Visitors can hike, bike, walk dogs on leash and enjoy views of the habitat area and adjacent farmland.
- El Macero Agricultural Buffer. This three-acre buffer was created as a required buffer between the El Macero Estates subdivision and adjacent farmland. Visitors can hike or bike on the gravel trail, walk dogs on a leash or view the adjacent oak savannah habitat.
- Mace Ranch Park Habitat Area. This four-acre open space area is located in the middle of Mace Ranch Park in East Davis. Visitors can see native plants, grasses and trees and travel a meandering gravel path with benches and interpretive panels. Visitors can walk along the packed-dirt path, read the various interpretive panels and enjoy the surrounding natural habitat. Bikes and dogs are not allowed in this area.
For a complete list of the City’s open space areas, visit: www.cityofdavis.org. The program also has a new interactive map that can be found on the City’s website. The map includes updated and enhanced information about all the City’s open space areas and other publicly owned lands within the 100,000-acre Davis Planning Area at: https://cityofdavis.org/OpenSpaceMap.
About the Open Space Program
The City’s formal Open Space Program was established in 1990 to implement long-standing policies that called for the protection of the farmlands and habitat areas that surround the community. Since 1990, the City has been able to permanently protect more than 5,900 acres of land within the Davis Planning Area, which is an amount approximately equal to the footprint of the City of Davis itself. These acres include agricultural lands, riparian corridors, habitat areas and land under threat of conversion to urban uses. The City co-owns 21 conservation easements with the Yolo Land Trust and three conservation easements with the Solano Land Trust. The City’s Open Space Program has become a national model for open space preservation.
In 2000, Davis voters passed Measure O, an ongoing parcel tax dedicated to open space preservation and maintenance. Since then, Measure O funds have enabled the City to make remarkable progress towards achieving its long-term vision for land conservation within the Davis Planning Area. The Program actively maintains about 240 acres of open space for the enjoyment of Davis residents and for wildlife species. These lands include ag buffers, grasslands/uplands habitat, riparian habitat and native plant sites.
For questions about the Open Space Program, contact Open Space Program Manager Tracie Reynolds at: treynolds@cityofdavis.org.
