The San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust is committed to restoring, enhancing, and maintaining all public and private Parkway lands for the benefit of plants, animals, and humans alike. With the help of partner organizations and volunteers, our habitat restoration projects have taken on many forms depending on each property’s needs. From cleaning up litter, managing invasive weeds, and replanting streamside forests; all the way up to engineering new floodplains, stabilizing stream banks and improving river flow. Whether big or small, each project plays an important role in restoring the natural processes vital to our ecosystem.
Jensen River Ranch Habitat Enhancement
Habitat enhancement at the 190-acre Jensen River Ranch has been our most visible project to date. Over the last 15 years, spanning a multi-year and inter-agency technical study of the site and 3 subsequent phases of revegetation, this former agricultural site has been transformed into a free and publicly accessible, environmental interpretive and recreation space next to Woodward Park. Work on this project involved many public access improvements including the 2.5-mile Thomas MacMichael Sr. Loop trail, construction of 2 oxbow lakes and other wetlands, invasive plant management, and the installation of over 8,600 native trees and shrubs.
Spano River Ranch
Our latest revegetation project is taking place around the H-shaped pond at Spano River Ranch.