Aside from the golf course, the Maintenance department also manages the riparian areas throughout the golf course. We have 10.17 acres that were constructed per the mitigation agreement. Per the agreement, there are many standards that we must achieve in order to stay in compliance. The biggest one is that we must maintain 80% survival in years 1-3 and 60% survival in years 3-10. If we were to fall below that standard, we go back to year 1. I am proud to say that the staff and myself have never had a failing year. The other items that are monitored are percent cover, basal area, tree height, and overall site maintenance. The quarterly monitoring is done by Live Oak Associates.
The species of plants and trees that you will find in our riparian areas are as follows:
Valley Oak, Coast Live Oak, California Bay, California Sycamore, Red Willow, California Buckeye
Mexican Elderberry, California Wild Rose, Mugwort, Pacific Blackberry, Common Snowberry,
Coyote Bush, & California Sage
Each riparian area needs to be weed free and the native grasses must be kept low. The reason for this is to give the raptors the opportunity to catch the gophers and other critters that may impede the development of the riparian areas. Each area also has drip irrigation to every plant to ensure proper establishment and the irrigation must be maintained regularly. As the riparian areas become more established the irrigation is slowly reduced until seasonal rains will suffice. The ultimate goal is to leave behind a naturally reproducing riparian area.
