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Home My WebLink AboutAgenda Report - December 18, 1985 (78)LETTER RECEIVED FITM STOCKTON AUDUBON SOCIETY ASKING THAT LODI LAJ(E WILDERNESS AREA NOT BE ELMINATED ` . City Clerk Reirriche presented a letter that had been received from the Stockton Audubon Society asking that Council not eliminate the wilderness area at Lodi Lake Park, V...,... 940 N. Argonaut Street Stockton, CA. 95203 December 5, 1985 Lodi City Council Lodi City Hall Lodi, CA. 95240 Re: Proposed elimination of wilderness area at Lodi Lake Gentlemen: We of Stocktcn Audubon Society (including members in Lodi and throughout the entire county) have long used and apprec2ated the wilderness area by Lodi Lake. Our members have birdwatched, picnicked, bicycled, and otherwise enjoyed the area in an informal way: Additionally, our group has sponsored one or two birding field trips each year for study; identification and enjoyment of the wildlife in the wilderness area. It is also part of our official Christmas Bird Count area for which our club gathers annual statistics on birdlife and provides these for publication in the year's volume of American Birds. As you may be aware, these Christmas Count statistics are used by researchers nationally as indicators of species and habitat patterns and health. Each time Stockton Audubon has sponsored a field trip to the area, we have noted that there are a large number of other people also in and enjoying the wilderness area. Our members report that they also have noted heavy usage of the area when they have been there informally. At the times we have observed the area, it would seem. to be used more heavily than many other such areas in our county. This beautiful riparian. wilderness area, despite heavy use by joggers, cyclists, hikers, fishermen, nature levers; etc., provides one of the few habitats in. the entire county where birds such as the Western Wood Pewee and the Wrentit actually nest. Because of the diversity and lushness of vegetation nature lovers can almost always see Western Pond Turtles, Muskrats and many common birds and insects. But uncommon insects, such as the p1peVine Swallowtail Butterfly, and uncommon birds, such as the Osprey and Black -Crowned g Night Heron, have also been seen here.. Four of the bird species on the State of California's rare/endangered list have been observed .here: Cooper's Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, Long Eared Owl and the Willow Flycatcher. In fact 1 Swainson's Hawks have been observed nesting i.. this wilderness area. If the area were cleared and grass planted, these species would probably be lost to the county and perhaps soon to the state. The following is a list of birds which our members have observed in the Lodi Lake Wilderness area. The asterisks indicate birds which have been observed to nest in this riparian area. Pied -billed Grebe* Great Blue Heron Great Egret Snowy Egret Grecn-backed Heron Black -crowned Night Heron Tundra Swan Snc•r Goose Wood Duck* Mallard* Common Merganser Turkey Vulture Osprey Northern Harrier Black -shouldered Kite Sharp -shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-shou•idered Hawk Swainson's Hawk* Ped -tailed Hawk American Kestrel Merlin California Quail* Common Moorhen American Coot* Killdeer Black -necked Stilt Greater Yellowlegs Least Sandpiper Long -balled Dowitcher Dunlin Ring -billed Gull, California Quail Mourning Dove* Great Horned Owl* Long-eared Owl Anna's Hummingbird* Costa's Hummingbird Black=chinned Hummingbird* Rufous Hummingbird Bdlted Kingfisher Acorn Woodpecker* Red -breasted Sapsucker Downey Woodpecker Nuttall's Woodpecker Northern Flicker Western Wood Pewee* Willow Flycatcher Hammond's Flycatcher Dusky Flycatcher Western Flycatcher Black Phoebe* Say's Phoebe Ash -throated Flycatcher* Western Kingbird Horned Lark Tree Swallow* Violet -Green Swallow Cliff Swallow* N. Rough -winged Swallow Barn Swallow* Scrub Jay* Yellow -billed Magpie* American Crow Plain Titmouse* Bushtit* Brown Creeper Bewick's Wren* White -breasted Nuthatch* House Wren* Winter Wren Marsh Wren Golden -crowned Kinglet Swainson's Thrush Blue -Gray Gnatcatcher Ruby -crowned Kinglet Hermit Thrush American Robin* Varied Thrush Wrentit* Northern Mockingbird* Water Pipit Cedar Waxwing Phainopepla -Loggerhead Shrike Starling* Solitary Vireo Hutton's Vireo Warbling Vireo Orange -crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Yellow Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Townsend's Warbler Common Yellowthroat Black -throated Gry Warbler MacGillvray's Warbler Wilson's Warbler Western Tanager Black -headed Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak Lazuli Bunting Rufous -sided Towhee* Chipping Sparrow Lark Sparrow Fox Sparrow ..--.._ _ Lincoln's -Sparrow _White -throated. Sparrow Golden -crowned Sparrow Dark -eyed Junco White -crowned Sparrow Red -winged Blackbird Western Meadowlark Brewer's Blackbird Brown -headed Cowbird* Hooded Oriole* Northern Oriole* -Evening Grosbeak* Purple Finch House Finch* Pine Siskin Lesser Goldfinch Lawrence's Goldfinch American Goldfinch House Sparrow As you can easily see from the list, there is. a great deal of birdlife in the Lodi Lake wilderness area for us to watch. The diversity of bird;; and other wildlife is a direct result of the diverse and lush vegetation in this area. We hope you will consider 2 the effect on wildlife before you consider any plan to eliminate any .of the plants in this area. We have a genuine interest in this area and request that you inform us of any upcoming hearings regarding any changes of any sort to it. Moreover, if there are any public papers or documents regarding any such.changes, we request to be furnished timely copies of these. Conversely, if you would like any more information which we might be able to provide on the area's wildlife, we would be delighted to assist you. Thank you for your consideration of this and future notification of our group about any planned developments affecting the wildlife of our county. Yours truly, Kathy Schick, Conservation Chairman P kns CC: Lodi Department of Parks and Recreation Lodi News Sentinel Lodi Unified School District 3