Northern Spotted Owl Surveying at Jenner Headlands Preserve
Northern Spotted Owl / Wikimedia Commons
Old growth forests provide fresh air, clean water, and a home for a variety of plants and animals, as well as a healthy refuge for humans from our busy lives. As land stewards of Jenner Headlands Preserve, The Wildlands Conservancy works to restore its redwood forests and streams, which were devastated by clearcutting dating back to the late 1800s. As a consequence to California’s old growth forests dwindling by 95 percent due to logging practices, many species dependent on these mature ecosystems have become threatened, including the Northern Spotted Owl.
The federally threatened Northern Spotted Owl is an ‘indicator species’ meaning it can provide a greater picture of the health of these old growth forests. As part of restoration forestry efforts carried out by Wildlands staff and volunteers, The Wildlands Conservancy works to conserve and improve habitat conditions for rare, threatened and endangered species, protect water resources and water quality, and to manage wildfire resiliency at Jenner Headlands Preserve. In doing so, Wildlands staff routinely surveys the Preserve for Northern Spotted Owl activity to inform these efforts.
For three consecutive nights each month from April to August, Wildlands staff depart the Preserve office at sunset, making their rounds playing Northern Spotted Owl vocalizations at designated call spots. In surveying and monitoring Northern Spotted Owl activity on the Preserve, Wildlands staff are able to locate nesting areas during breeding season to avoid disruptions made by forest restoration, identify potential threats such as encroaching barred owls, and measure overall forestry conservation efforts.
Along with monitoring Northern Spotted Owl and other bird population activity at Jenner Headlands Preserve, Wildlands staff monitors water quality within the creeks and streams, and forest characteristics within the redwood forests. Utilizing informed research that is gathered, The Wildlands Conservancy revises and adapts restoration practices to ensure maximum benefit for an abundance of species that rely on healthy old growth forest ecosystems.
Jenner Headlands is a spectacular 5,630-acre mosaic of redwood and Douglas-fir forests, oak woodland, chaparral and coastal prairie overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The Preserve adjoins Pacific Coast Highway for 2.5 miles adjacent to Sonoma Coast State Park, just north of the Russian River Estuary. Many rare and endangered species inhabit the property including the northern spotted owl, peregrine falcon and red tree vole. Deer, bobcat, coyote, mountain lion and steelhead trout are also found on the property.