Conservation Glossary of Terms
A guide to commonly used terms in the San Joaquin Valley
Oak gall
Alkali meadow: Alkali minerals and salts (eroded when melting snow flowed over granite in the Sierra Nevada) were deposited here through flooding that happened regularly before Terminus Dam at Lake Kaweah was built. Only salt-tolerant plants like saltgrass and yerba mansa grow here today. The Yokuts harvested this salt for medicinal purposes, to season acorn mush, and to preserve meat.
Blue elderberry (Sambucus mexicana): These native shrubs are the only host to the rare valley elderberry longhorn beetle. Female beetles lay their eggs in crevices in the bark. After they hatch, the larvae tunnel into the tree. They will spend a year or two eating the soft interior wood, which is their only food source.
California sycamore (Platanus racemosa): This native tree is common in a few remaining riparian forests in central California. It only grows where the underground water table is high. It has a unique, pale-colored bark that peels off in places.
Conservation easement: A flexible agreement, voluntarily determined by the landowner, which limits future development uses of the land, while keeping all other uses of the land exactly the same.
Grazing as a form of
land management
Creeping wildrye (Leymus triticoides): This native, perennial grass is quick-spreading, and unlike annual grasses, it serves as a food source for birds and grazing animals throughout summer and into early fall. Many birds use grasses like creeping wildrye to help build their nests.
Grazing: Sequoia Riverlands Trust uses cattle grazing as a land management tool that, when used with care, can ensure the health of native grass communities.
Habitat: Anyplace where a plant or animal can live and maintain itself. Understories, canopies, downed or standing dead trees, and many other places provide birds, mammals and “critters” with the shelter, food and water that they need for survival.
Interpretive sign: A sign that demonstrates/interprets the natural surroundings of a place (a preserve, a national park, a scenic view) to its visitors.
Land trust: An organization established to hold land and to administer use of the land according to the charter of the organization.
Native plants: Plants that developed and occurred naturally in this area prior to European contact. Here in the Central Valley, native plants have evolved to handle an environment of hot, dry summers and are therefore considered drought-tolerant.
Non-native plants: If it’s brown in the summer or sticks in your socks, chances are it’s a non-native grass—a plant that does not occur naturally in this area. As part of its land stewardship plan, Sequoia Riverlands Trust works to rid our preserves of non-native plants.
Oak galls: Tiny cynipid wasps sting the stems of oak leaves in the early spring and lay their eggs there. The tree responds to the chemicals the wasp leaves behind and quickly produces a growth that the wasp larvas live in and consume until they become adult wasps and chew their way out. The galls can look like an apple, a tiny pink-and-white chocolate kiss, a wooly ball, a bright pink sea urchin, a brain or even a tiny ball the size of a pinhead that jumps around!
Prescribed fires: Wildfire is a natural part of life for native plant communities. When fire is prevented over a long period of time, a thick layer of dry, dead plant material can build up. This makes it difficult for new plants to grow and can increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires. As part of its land stewardship program, Sequoia Riverlands Trust occasionally conducts prescribed burns, coordinating closely with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.
Preserve management: Although it seems like we should be able to just step back and let nature take its course, the modern world has brought about so many changes in natural habitats and how they function that conservation organizations like Sequoia Riverlands Trust must actively care for conserved lands. At Kaweah Oaks Preserve, for instance, this includes livestock grazing, removing non-native plants, planting native plants and using prescribed fire when necessary.
Understory: The understory is made up of plants like herbs, shrubs and vines that grow close to the ground. This habitat provides shelter and protection for small animals and ground-dwelling birds.
Valley oak riparian woodland: In valley oak riparian woodlands, the dominant trees are valley oaks, interspersed with other trees like California sycamore, with an understory of grasses, herbs and shrubs. The word riparian refers to forested lands that grow next to a flowing body of water, such as rivers and streams. Riparian woodlands help control sediment and help stabilize stream banks.
Vernal pool in the winter
Vernal pool: Vernal pools are a rare ecosystem created by small depressions in the earth that temporarily collect seasonal precipitation, usually from winter through spring. They are home to many rare, endemic species such as the fairy shrimp, because of the unique conditions created by the clay hardpan bottom of the pool. In late spring, as the moisture evaporates from the edges of the pools, rings of multi-colored grasses and flowers emerge to create unique patterns. Vernal pools are also important because they provide resting sites for migrating birds and foraging grounds for bald and golden eagles.
Wetland: An area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands include swamps, marshes, and bogs, among others and the water found in them can be saltwater or freshwater. Wetlands are considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems.