October 16, 2025When River Partners’ science and operations staff are in the field, monitoring vegetation we placed in the ground, performing surveys, and collecting data to maximize the benefits of future restoration, they cross paths with some pretty amazing wildlife. This is the wildlife that call these areas their homes, where they nest, give birth, and pass their knowledge onto the next generation. And their mere presence tells us that restoration works—and it’s something we’re proud to share in this wildlife journal series.
Please check out the first four editions of the “Eyes in the Wild” series here.
Battle Creek (Shasta County)
Associate Restoration Scientist Raquel Elander was collecting avian and vegetation data at the Battle Creek Wildlife Area (owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife) near our 300-acre Rancho Breisgau restoration project along the Sacramento River north of Red Bluff. Along the way, she met up with this gorgeous spider as it rested at the center of its carefully crafted web. This species of orb weaver is the yellow garden spider, which is common in Northern California. Found in gardens, meadows, and riparian areas, the yellow garden spider feeds upon a variety of flying insects which end up in its large, circular web. The spider wraps its prey in silk before injecting its venom to immobilize it. Then, it’s mealtime.
A thriving population of orb weavers indicates a healthy ecosystem, one that includes abundant insects, clean vegetation, and minimal pesticide use. Females can grow up to about an inch long, while males are much smaller, about one-quarter of the size of a female. Males, therefore, tread carefully as they approach females’ webs to mate, so as not to be mistaken for prey.
While orb weaver populations remain stable around the world, they can also tell us more about the natural world around us than we may realize. For example, when mature orb weavers appear in late summer and fall, it’s time to harvest seeds from Santa Barbara sedge. This is an example of how one unrelated seasonal indicator can predict the readiness of another specific resource—something Indigenous peoples in California have followed for time immemorial.
Dos Rios State Park (Stanislaus County)
Associate Restoration Scientists Bella Cardenas and Diego Garcia were along a slough at the 1,600-acre Dos Rios State Park near Modesto, which River Partners restored over more than a decade, monitoring sedge and dogbane plugs recently planted by River Partners when they saw some slight movement in some vegetation. Creeping closer they realized they stumbled upon an insect meal: this praying mantis was dining on a wasp.
Praying mantises are not picky when it comes to catching prey. While they help our backyard gardens with their appetite for pests—as well as lizards and frogs—they’ll also eat beneficial insects and pollinators, like butterflies and bees. They are well-known for being able to camouflage themselves and keen ability to remain motionless and then ambushing their prey.
Praying mantis populations are stable pretty much everywhere globally, boasting more than 2,400 different species. Their entire life cycle, however, takes place over a single year. In the fall, the female lays up to 200 eggs in a protective case called an ootheca. After overwintering, nymphs emerge in the spring and are already equipped to eat smaller insects. After they reach full size during summer, their lifespan typically concludes with the arrival of colder weather in fall, when they’ve already mated and laid eggs for the next generation.
Great Valley Grasslands (Merced County)
Restoration Science Ecologist Dr. Sarah Gaffney was performing a rare-plant survey at Great Valley Grasslands State Park as part of River Partners’ future 106-acre restoration project in Merced County in partnership with California State Parks and American Rivers. Our work will include reconnecting a section of the San Joaquin River to a portion of the site through strategic levee breaches or removal. As Gaffney did her surveying, she saw this beautiful bald eagle perched upon a fencepost.
Combining a wingspan that stretches over seven feet, with formidable talons, a powerful grip, and keen eyesight (they can see four to five times as far as humans), this bird is the apex predator in its ecosystem. It feeds primarily on fish, which this eagle likely would find at the nearby San Joaquin River and populations of which our restoration efforts are designed to support. It supplements its diet with ground squirrels, rabbits, and even waterfowl. Bald eagles mate for life and build very large nests they’ll use for many years.
The recovery of the bald eagle is a remarkable success story. Once on the critically endangered list, populations of the bald eagle have recovered. Though it was removed from the federal list of endangered species in 2007, the bald eagle is still protected by federal law and is listed as endangered under California’s Endangered Species Act. The bald eagle has increased its numbers within the San Joaquin Valley, and its resurgence is a testament to the success of endangered species protections and continued conservation initiatives like those River Partners undertakes each day with diverse partners.
San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Merced County)
Restoration Science Ecologist Ashley Verna heard from her team that a rodent of some kind was being captured on video by a camera trap, as part of River Partners’ Before-After Control-Impact (BACI) monitoring project in the San Joaquin Valley. When Verna saw the rodent at the 26,800-acre San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex, where River Partners is restoring 274 acres over multiple areas, she immediately identified it as a kangaroo rat hopping around. Yes, they really do hop!
What’s most notable about the presence of kangaroo rats here is that they were in an area that was originally intended to be a relocation site for the critically endangered riparian brush rabbit (RBR) at the refuge. Verna and her team shared these photos with project partners U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and strategized. Thanks to the photos, we adjusted our restoration plans to be more friendly to the kangaroo rat, while making sure our efforts also benefit relocated RBRs.
“With the discovery of the kangaroo rats within these gorgeous alkali sinks and sandy areas, we’ve changed the restoration plan to embrace the sinks and manage these sections as a weed abatement section,” Verna said. “This should allow the kangaroo rats to continue prospering without impacting the alkali sinks they need.”
