Ecesis
ecesis \I-’se-sus, i-’ke-sus\ noun [from Greek oikesis meaning inhabitation]: the establishment of an animal or plant in a new habitat.
The Quarterly Newsletter of the California Society for Ecological Restoration
Summer Solstice Volume 15, Issue 2
Also featured in
this issue...
2-4... SERCAL 2005
Updates on Bass Lake,
Keynote Speaker &
First-Ever Art Exhibit
4... Report on Riparian
Guild Workshop
8... Noteworthy Natural
Resource Events
10... Professional &
Student Opportunities
Ecesis is published quarterly
by the California Society
for Ecological Restoration,
a nonprofit corporation, as a
service to its members.
Newsletter contributions of
all types are welcome and
may be submitted to any of
the regional directors (see
page 2). Articles should be
saved in RTF format; with
accompanying photos saved
as jpg or tif files.
Above: Area of concern after
two years’ growth.
Oops! Many thanks to Board
Rep Erin Gates for her article
last issue on SERCAL’s first
student chapter.
Stabilizing Owens Dry Lake
Surface with Irrigated Saltgrass
PART 2: THE MANAGED VEGETATION PROJECT
The constraints listed in Part 1 of this article are only the first we encountered in developing the managed
vegetation project. Others arose as a result of implementing the project and are described here. Also
described are the project components that allowed for reliable achievement of managed vegetation
performance criteria in the presence of the described constraints.
General Layout
Project water supply comes from outlets in the Los Angeles Aqueduct (LAA) which flows
southward above the western shoreline of Owens Lake. These outlets are near the northern and
southern ends of Owens Lake. Water is conveyed in a looped pipeline that forms a backwards C-
shaped arc inside of the eastern lake shoreline. Water in the pipeline flows by gravity, and it feeds dust
control facilities in the dust control area (DCA) generally along this route. For much of the pipeline’s
length, a parallel saltwater pipeline conveys subsurface drainage among areas producing and
consuming these flows. Vegetated and flooded areas are interspersed throughout the DCA. Regulating
storage of saltwater is provided by several storage ponds and the deeper portions of shallow flooded
areas.
Managed vegetation areas are generally sets of 16-hectare, drip-irrigated blocks, with about 16 such
blocks served by a turnout. Each turnout contains filtration, blending, and injection facilities to control
water quality going to the turnouts. All of the irrigated area is underlain by subsurface drainage, which
is collected in sumps and recycled in the saltwater pipeline.
Shallow flooding areas are irrigated with networks of alfalfa risers and contained by berms.
Tailwater and perimeter subsurface drains capture water at the downgradient end of bermed basins for
recycling through the alfalfa risers.
Stormwater Flow Management —
In general, where concentrated flows of stormwater meet the upper margin of vegetated fields,
grade control structures function as weirs to protect facilities by converting concentrated flow to sheet
flow. Facilities are mostly either raised or underground to resist damage as stormwater flows across the
DCA. Roads contain culverts where they cross flow paths. In general, this layout has worked well,
minimizing erosion and associated damage, even though developing saltgrass stands as yet afford little
protection to the land surface.
continued on page 5
John Dickey1, Maurice Hall1, Mark Madison1, Jason Smesrud1, Margot Griswold2, Quitterie Cotten1, Mica
Heilmann1, Greg Roland1, Jim Jordahl1, Richard Harasick3, Wayne Bamossy3, Richard Coles1, Lizanne
Wheeler4, Pat Brown4, Kevin Burton1, Rick Fornelli1, Ileene Anderson2, Melissa Riedel-Lehrke2, Ron Tiller5,
and Jim Richards5. 1CH2M HILL, Inc., Sacramento; 2EARTHWORKS, Los Angeles; 3Los Angeles Department of Water
& Power, Los Angeles; 4Sonora Pacific Group, Inc., Lone Pine; 5University of California, Davis.
 SERCAL Board of Directors
President Paul Kielhold, Michael Brandman Associates
pkielhold@brandman.com
President-Elect Regine Miller, H.T. Harvey & Associates
rmiller@harveyecology.com
Past President Michael Hogan, Integrated Environmental
Restoration Services, Inc. Revegetate@earthlink.net
Secretary John Coy, Jones & Stokes JCoy@jsanet.com
Treasurer Bo Glover, Environmental Nature Center
BoGlo@aol.com

Directors
Region 1 Nicholas Pacini, Humboldt State University
nap10@humboldt.edu — NORTHERN INTERIOR (Lassen, Modoc,
Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity)
Region 2 Mark Stemen, California State University-Chico
mstemen@csuchico.edu — SACRAMENTO VALLEY (Butte, Colusa,

The Pines Resort & Conference

Glenn, Lake, Sacramento, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo, Yuba)
Region 3 Brad Olson, East Bay Regional Park District

Center at Bass Lake

bolson@ebparks.org — BAY AREA (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin,
Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma)
Region 4 Regine Miller, H.T. Harvey & Associates
rmiller@harveyecology.com — SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY (Amador,
Calaveras, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Mariposa, Madera, Merced, San
Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tulare, Tuolumne)
Region 5 Margot Griswold, Earthworks Construction &
Design earthworks@telis.net — SOUTH COAST (Los Angeles,
Orange, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura)
Region 6 Joe Donaldson, ASLA, Cal Poly-SLO
jdonaldson1@sbcglobal.net — CENTRAL COAST (Monterey, San
Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz)
Region 7 Erin Gates, Humboldt State University
erinorion@yahoo.com — NORTHERN INTERIOR (Del Norte,
Humboldt, Mendocino)
Region 8 Michael Hogan, Integrated Environmental
Restoration Services, Inc. Revegetate@earthlink.net — SIERRA
(Alpine, El Dorado, Inyo, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra)
Region 9 Mark Tucker, Wildlands, Inc.
mtucker@wildlandsinc.com — SOUTHERN INTERIOR (Imperial,
Riverside, San Bernardino)
Guild Chairs
Sage Scrub Margot Griswold, EARTHWORKS
Construction & Design earthworks@mail.telis.net
Dunes Vince Cicero, California Department of Parks &
Recreation vcice@parks.ca.gov
Riparian Karen Verpeet, H.T. Harvey & Associates
kverpeet@harveyecology.com
____________________
Administration: Susan Clark smclark@lightspeed.net
2701 20th St., Bakersfield 93301
tel. 661.634.9228 fax 661.634.9540
Newsletter Editor: Julie St. John gui@igc.org
Webmaster: Steve Newton-Reed
webmaster@sercal.org
“A classically pretty mountain lake ringed by tall ponderosa
pines” (Sunset Magazine), Bass Lake is nestled in the Sierra National
Forest at 3.400 feet. Only an hour’s drive from Fresno and 14 miles
from the southern entrance to Yosemite National Park, Bass Lake is
Central California’s most popular mountain retreat.
The Pines Resort’s Conference Center, located in The Pines
Village overlooking the lake from the north shore, offers spacious
lakeview meeting rooms with all the amenities necessary for
conference presentations, plus a fully staffed catering department.
Ducey’s Lodge, part of the Conference Center complex, features 2
unique restaurants which can accommodate a wide variety of tastes
and choices.
For the SERCAL Conference, there will be two types of
accommodations available. The Pines Chalets (mountain condos)
have fully equipped kitchens and are able to accommodate up to 6
persons. Ducey’s Lodge offers lakefront suites (with or without spa
tubs) which will accommodate up to 4 persons. SERCAL has
reserved a large block of both room types at special conference rates.
(Unreserved rooms will be released on 18 September). Conference
attendees will book lodging reservations directly with the Pines
Resort.
If the conference schedule—four pre-conference workshops,
plenary speakers, concurrent technical sessions, poster and exhibitor
displays, catered meals, an art exhibit with cocktail reception and
three post-conference fieldtrips—isn’t enough to keep you busy, the
Pines Resort and surrounding communities have a wide variety of
outdoor activities and opportunities available to enhance your
conference experience!

2 Ecesis Summer 2005 Volume 15, Issue 2

 Noted rivers advocate Tim
Palmer to kick off
SERCAL’s 12th Annual
Conference
On Thursday morning, October
20, the SERCAL 2005 conference
will kick-off with a spectacular slide
presentation by author,
photographer and environmentalist,
Tim Palmer. Tim has written sixteen
books on rivers and the
environment over a 25 year career,
during which he has canoed or
rafted on more than 300 different
rivers throughout North America. A
resident of California for many
years, he has traveled extensively
though our state on foot, by canoe
and whitewater raft, on skis, by
mountain bike and in his well-
equipped van.
Tim’s travels, experiences and
vision have produced a wide range
of highly acclaimed publications,
including Pacific High: Adventures
in the Coast Range from Baja to
Alaska; The Sierra Nevada: A
Mountain Journey, The Heart of
America: Our Landscape, Our
Future, The Columbia; Sustaining A
Modern Resource, Yosemite: The
Promise of Wildness, California’s
Threatened Environment, Stanislaus:
The Struggle for a River, America by
Rivers, Lifelines: The Case for River
Conservation, Endangered Rivers
and the Conservation Movement,
and California Wild (Voyager Press,
2004) which will be the focus of his
SERCAL plenary presentation.
An editorial review of California
Wild notes: “Tim Palmer’s book
celebrates the beauty of the Golden
State, interprets its natural wonders
and inspires you to care for this
remarkable place with joy, foresight
and stewardship. While much of the
California landscape has been
changed in the past several
generations, much still remains
undeveloped. This books captures the
spirit of that wildness and reminds us
that the exquisite workings of nature
are essential to all of life.”
In addition to being an award
winning author and photographer,
Tim Palmer is recognized as a
remarkable communicator, which he
acknowledges as a “highly rewarding
sidelight” of his work. Just a few of
many endorsements of Tim’s abilities
as a public speaker and his slide
presentations are listed below.
“Among the hundreds of public
presentations I have witnessed over
the past fifty years, I would rank Tim
Palmer’s among the top two or three.
Our audience was overwhelmed by
his stunning photography, but perhaps
even more by the force and eloquence
of his environmental message.”
W. Zelinsky, Professor Emeritus of
Geography, Pennsylvania State
University.
“A brilliant photographer and prolific
writer, Tim Palmer has a special
ability in bringing his years of
experience to life. To layman and
scientist alike, he is an excellent
commentator and instills a great
appreciation for our natural
resources.”
Volume 15, Issue 2 Summer 2005 Ecesis
A. Benke, Professor of Biological
Sciences, University of Alabama.
“If one wants to learn about the
stewardship of American
landscapes, then come listen to Tim
Palmer. He brings a
conservationist’s heart and a
scholar’s mind to very subject about
which he speaks.”
J. Freemuth, Professor of Political
Science, Boise State University.
“Tim Palmer speaks with eloquence
that inspires. His clear, passionate
defense of water and land makes
responsible action possible.”
T. Shallat, Professor of History,
Boise State University.
“Tim’s words and images bring
subjects to life in ways that few
speakers can. He gives human
dimension to complex
environmental problems and
weaves natural history, geology,
sociology, and history into a rich,
seamless fabric.”
K. Cline, Professor of
Environmental Law and Policy,
College of the Atlantic.
SERCAL feels fortunate to have
been able to engage Tim Palmer as
the opening plenary speaker for our
12th Annual Conference. We feel
sure that this is a presentation you
will not want to miss and will not
soon forget.
3
 A Report on the 2005

Announcing
SERCAL Riparian Guild
One-Day Workshop:
Floodplain
Restoration SERCAL’s First-Ever
Friday, April 8, 2005, at the East
Bay Regional Park District’s
Conference Art Exhibit
Trudeau Training Center in
Oakland, CA
Ten speakers, listed below,
presented information on
geomorphology, permits and How better to
project management, design, soils,
revegetation, implementation, and
long-term maintenance to 50
celebrate the
workshop registrants. The
presentations were followed by a
moderated panel discussion and
Heart of California
Q&A session.

Mark Tompkins University of

than to spend an
California Berkeley, Department
of Landscape Architecture &
Environmental Planning
evening with local
Rhonda Reed CALFED
Virginia Mahecek Valley &
Mountain Consulting
fine artists who
Jeff Haltiner Philip Williams &
Associates
Dr. Roland Meyer University of
have captured the
California Davis, Land, Air, &
Water Resources
Neal Funston Cornflower Farms
beauty of this
Dan Stephens H.T. Harvey &
Associates
Bill Vandivere Clearwater
landscape?
Hydrology
Susan Schwartz President, Friends
of Five Creeks
Dave Yam Caltrans
A Call for Artists will be sent out this summer to
Our thanks to the
participating speakers, and to prospective artists. If you know of a fine artist
Karen Verpeet, SERCAL’s whose subject matter is California land or
Riparian Guild Chair, for her
outstanding job in developing and
waterscapes, please send their contact
presenting the workshop. Thanks information to Julie St. John at gui@igc.org
also to Brad Olson, SERCAL
Region 3 Director, for facilitating
use of the beautiful Trudeau And look for a unique “Patron of the Arts”
Center in the East Bay hills for opportunity in our upcoming Call for Sponsors!
the workshop.

4 Ecesis Summer 2005 Volume 15, Issue 2

 Stabilizing Owens Dry Lake
Surface with Irrigated Saltgrass
continued from p. 1
Saltgrass plants over drip irrigation emitters in 2002.
Subsurface Drainage System—
Applied water is needed for plant use and to wash excess
salt out of the soil (see reclamation section on p. 6). As
mentioned previously in Part 1, groundwater gradients on the
Playa are generally within a meter of the surface. This situation
requires that shallow groundwater be removed from deeper
soil to make way for percolating irrigation water. Even where
shallow groundwater is not near the surface, application of
sufficient irrigation water (in the absence of artificial
subsurface drainage) to meet plant and reclamation demands
would raise groundwater levels into the root zone over most of
the Playa.
Perforated, plastic drainage pipe was laid out much as in
conventional, poorly drained agricultural fields. Pipe was
encased in a filter fabric sock. Sand from onsite dunes (a
driving force for dust storms) was purchased from the State of
California, mined, and used as drainage envelope material.
Spacing between drains was established based on available soil
mapping and permeability data, and in consideration of the
effect of water movement in relict soil cracks. The drainage
system was designed with the goal of accommodating long-
term, average drainage loads, so that initial (reclamation and
establishment) loads during the first year would result in
somewhat higher groundwater elevations. Severely waterlogged
areas were replanted as irrigation rates were lowered and
drainage improved.
Areas with poor soil-bearing capacity were generally
known, and measures to facilitate early de-watering were
planned. Nevertheless, equipment was ultimately put onto mats
to access these areas, significantly slowing drain installation.
The drainage system functioned as anticipated, providing
an adequately drained root zone for plant establishment over
most of the site. Some topographic lows in approximately 5%
of the area (the site was not leveled) had groundwater near the
surface. In some of the wettest areas receiving subsurface
recharge from the Playa margin, drain installation was
extremely difficult. These areas drain more slowly than other
portions of the site.
Water Supply—
Water applied to vegetation must be sufficiently saline to
avoid soil dispersion, dilute enough to be usable by plants and
to remove excessive salt from the root zone, devoid of particles
that would plug the drip irrigation system, and of a chemistry
that favors plugging of emitters by neither biological growth
nor mineral precipitation.
Because water from the LAA is quite pure (low in salt), it is
not suitable for direct application to fine textured soils that
dominate most of the planted area. The most ready source of
salinity is shallow groundwater that collects in drains and is
available from the saltwater line. Fresh and salt waters are,
therefore, blended to provide a target salinity for irrigation
water, set on the basis of empirical soil dispersion results.
This target mixture—about 6,600 mg/L TDS—results in
significant scaling (precipitation) potential in the irrigation
system, when calcium and magnesium from the LAA and
bicarbonate and carbonate from recycled saltwater are
combined during blending. This is managed by injection of a
polymeric scaling (precipitation) inhibitor.
Plugging by biological growth, foreign material, or soil is
avoided by filtration, and by periodic injection of chlorine and
flushing of drip lines. Fertilizer (principally nitrogen,
potassium, and magnesium) is added with acid, based on
empirical studies of saltgrass response to soil conditions at
Owens Lake. Root intrusion is prevented by extremely low
concentrations of herbicide. These are all common drip
irrigation practices.
Irrigation System—
Subsurface drip irrigation was selected to deliver water to
vegetation because (1) it makes the most efficient use of water,
(2) minimizing applied water also minimizes drainage loads and
cost, (3) surface drip is more prone to damage and
displacement from roaming cattle, vertebrate pests, sunshine,
and floodwater, (4) temperature fluctuations in tubing
exacerbate the scaling and associated plugging risk, (5) mobile
sand on the Playa will result in portions becoming buried
anyway, (6) thermal expansion and contraction of tubing, along
with associated displacement across the surface, is minimized,
and (7) mechanized transplanting, required for large-scale
projects, is feasible. The drip system and emitters are designed
and operated to resist imbibing soil particles and intrusion by
saltgrass roots. The drip system is laid out operationally within
16-hectare blocks over the project site—delivering water to
emitters spaced at 0.61m, along tubing buried 23cm deep in
the centers of beds, spaced at 1.53m. This layout is a balance of
cost and efficiency, and it requires that all plants within a 16-
hectare block be irrigated at the same rate.
The subsurface drip system appears to have been an
excellent choice for the Playa. Some fields were planted over
tubing that was placed on the surface, because low bearing
continued next page
Volume 15, Issue 2 Summer 2005 Ecesis 5
Stabilizing Owens Dry Lake
Surface with Irrigated Saltgrass
continued from previous page
capacity prevented subsurface installation. Storm flows in these
areas caused tubing displacement that had to be rectified with
additional hand labor; saltgrass may eventually hold this tubing
in place.
Plant Material—
Most of the applicable research on Owens Lake was
conducted with saltgrass. The project landowner (California
State Lands Commission) required that only plants native to
the Owens Lake area be planted on the Playa to control dust.
Further, all research to date had used wild seed planted in trays
Saltgrass establishment at Owens Lake at the end of 2004.
at nurseries, and then transplanted onto the Playa. Precision
direct seeding methods compatible with the buried drip system
and seasonality of site access/seed germination were tested but
were not found to be reliable to establish 50% cover of
saltgrass over the project area within the required time frame.
Thus, seed had to be procured in time to produce about 30
million Owens Lake native saltgrass plant plugs for delivery to
the project by summer 2002. Time to produce this seed supply
was about 2 years. Unfortunately, only small amounts of seed
were available in storage with GBUAPCD, and saltgrass does
not reliably produce seed in nature, as mentioned previously in
Part 1.
Seed supply development incorporated three tactics: (1)
gathering local native seed, where available, (2) planting seed
multiplication fields with local native saltgrass at Smith Farms
in the Owens Valley and at S&S Seeds’ Los Alamos farm near
the California coast, and (3) developing seed priming with Seed
Dynamics, Inc., to reduce the effects of dormancy and increase
timely germination in the greenhouse. The project timetable
required the seed increase fields to be planted by the fall of
2000 to allow for establishment, growth, seed set and harvest in
2001. Transplants for the seed multiplication fields included
plugs grown from seed available from GBUAPCD, and
importantly, plants propagated from rhizomes cut from
flowering female plants, with the goal of increasing the
proportion of seed-bearing flowers and, thus, the potential seed
yields of these fields. Due to timing of harvest of the female
rhizomes in the summer of 2000, development of these plugs
was less than hoped and took longer than expected even when
the rhizomes were chilled after harvest and prior to planting at
the greenhouse. As a result, the seed increase field in Owens
Valley was planted mainly with plugs grown from seed in
October 2000, resulting in a more even distribution of male
and female plants across the field. Because we could delay
planting the field at Los Alamos with its milder climate until
December when the majority of plugs grown from the female
6 Ecesis Summer 2005 Volume 15, Issue 2
plants were ready, this field was planted alternating four rows
of plants grown from female rhizomes, and four rows with
plants grown from seed. Both seed increase fields were planted
mechanically using four row vegetable planters. Harvest of the
seed increase fields at Los Alamos in fall of 2001 resulted in the
expected much higher yield due to the greater proportion of
female plants. The biggest challenge to seed production at both
fields was weed control. Saltgrass is apparently a poor
competitor except in soils with high salinity.
Ultimately, the combination of tactics succeeded in
producing the amount of seed required to plant the project.
Had any of the tactics not been implemented, the seed supply
would not have been sufficient. Seed collection from native
populations provided the genetic diversity required for survival
on the Playa. The seed increase fields provided the majority of
seed needed for the project. Seed priming was essential for
reliable germination at 80%, so that one seed (each the size of
a grain of sand) could be planted in each transplant cell. The
30 million plant plugs were planted in twice-weekly seed drops
in greenhouses and grown for approximately 11 weeks. They
were transported to the Playa starting in July 2002. The plugs
were mechanically transplanted much in the manner of many
vegetable crops. However, the plants had to be planted deeper
than vegetables plugs to reach the irrigated zone of the buried
drip system to survive the blazing daytime summer
temperatures on the Playa. Eleven mechanical planters were
used to accomplish the planting in four weeks. Saltgrass plant
plugs were randomly inspected prior to delivery and again in
the field at planting to make sure that the majority of plants
had the required root development that would insure
successful transplanting.
Soil Reclamation—
In saline soil, reclamation is the process of reducing salt
concentrations in zones where plant roots must grow. Excess
salts are carried away by irrigation water moving through this
zone. To move excess salts, the irrigation water salt concentration
must be lower than that of the soil solution that it displaces.
Ultimately, the combination of displacement and mixing must
result in root-zone salt concentrations within the range tolerated
by the young plants.
The irrigation and drainage systems functioned in concert to
transform a small proportion of the dry, saline surface soils on the
Playa into the type of moist, less saline environment in which
saltgrass thrives. The plant’s inherent tolerance for salinity is also
critical; saltgrass requires conditions vastly more hospitable than
those that occur naturally on most of the Playa, but even the
improved conditions within the successful project would
preclude survival of any but the most tolerant plants. For
example, saltgrass in this project established in soils with 3 to 7
times the minimum salt concentration criterion defining a saline
soil.
For a number of equipment reasons, it was decided to plant
directly over the tubing. To be successful, this required that the
area above the tubing—which receives less water than areas to
the side or below the tubing—nevertheless be reclaimed. Water
only flows upward in soils as a result of pressure, or within a fine
pore network when overlying soil is drier. Tillage was the key to
creating the fine-pore network.
The construction schedule resulted in system commissioning
during mid-May 2002, providing about 40 days before the target,
1 July planting startup. After startup, more than 1,800 soil
samples were taken from the planting zone over the tube and
between emitters, and their salinity was measured in a laboratory
constructed at Owens Lake. These data provided a reasonable
estimate of the conditions the least-fortunate plants would
encounter after planting. During this period of about 40 days,
salinity levels in several fields were brought within the target
range (<20 dS/m ECe) required for planting. Thereafter, planting
was scheduled on fields with the most favorable reclamation
results, which generally met the salinity criterion.
Figure 2
Tillage and Planting—
Conventional subsurface drip installation (Figure 2) includes
loosening and pulverizing soil to about the depth of installation,
injecting the tubing to the desired depth, and compacting soil
over and around injected tubing to eliminate large voids and
promote water movement. Special circumstances at Playa
included (1) extensive cracking of clay soils, (2) the fact that all
reclamation was to be achieved with the drip irrigation, and (3)
the extremely high salinity and, consequently, huge amounts of
reclamation flow and salt transport required to achieve adequate
reclamation. These conditions required that the pore network
over the tubing be stable, as well as sufficiently fine (consistently
small pores, no large voids or cracks). The depth of tillage was set
slightly below the target depth of tubing injection. We avoided
disturbing deeper soil, which would have readily connected much
of the soil volume to the network of large, naturally occurring
cracks. This result was achieved by several passes with a disk
harrow specifically designed to till beds for subsurface drip
injection, followed by several passes with a cultipacker (loose,
fluted, cast iron rings turning loosely on an elongated, steel
drum). This fine, compacted bed over injected drip tubing was
created before water was turned on.
Because of the lack of site-specific soils data, the precise
location and extent of areas of poor bearing capacity and
restrictive hardpan were not known before construction.
Therefore, they were dealt with through more costly construction
techniques. Hardpan was broken up with heavy equipment where
it appeared within the specified tillage depth.
Salts accumulate at the edge of the wetting front, which, in
the upward direction from the tubing, is at the soil surface. This
is where salts removed from the planting zone collected, forming
thick crusts as they dried. This crust was removed in a planting
bed scalping operation, followed by rotary tillage of a strip of
reclaimed soil above the tubing.
Each night for month, one to three 16-hectare blocks were
mechanically planted. Plugs were placed as close to the drip
tubing as practicable. Handwork to ensure proper placement of
some plugs required the use of trowels, which were the most
frequent cause of damage to drip tubing. All repairs were made
early in the morning, so that newly planted plugs were receiving
water before they were subjected to sunlight or high
temperatures.
Establishment and Growth—
Plant root growth and later plant expansion were monitored
during the first two seasons after planting to guide irrigation
within each 16-hectare block. Plants were established on
approximately 80% of the site with a high rate of success. During
2002 and 2003, irrigation was scheduled to maximize growth of
the best 80% of the site. The young plants required between 0.46
and 0.61 m/yr of irrigation during this period. Due primarily to
native landscape and soil irregularities, about 20% of the site
suffered from water logging or lack of water, and produced
inadequately after the first planting.
In winter 2004, specific drainage system improvements were
identified and constructed to address localized wetness. In spring
2004, areas lacking plants were replanted after an initial
reclamation period. Salinity was tracked carefully and sufficient
water was applied to achieve the target 20 dS/m in the planting
zone near each drip emitter. As expected, this spring-planted
saltgrass had significantly higher survivorship and first-season
growth than saltgrass planted during summer 2002. Plant
development was again monitored and irrigation was scheduled
to meet the needs of plants in the newly replanted portions of the
continued on page 9
Volume 15, Issue 2 Summer 2005 Ecesis 7
 Noteworthy Natural
Resources Events
Do you know of an upcoming event that would be of interest to SERCAL members? Send specifics to Ecesis via gui@igc.org.
Jun 11 & 18: Pinnacles National Monument Weed Pull
Fests (Volunteer opportunity; special arrangements for
groups of 6 or more). Refreshments provided. Info: Jenn
at 831.389.4485 x274 or jennifer_tiehm@nps.gov
Jun 17-18: Stream Biological Monitoring (Berkeley)
Sponsored by UC Berkeley Extension
Info: 510.642.4111 or info@unex.berkeley.edu
www.unex.berkeley.edu/cat/course793.html
Jun 17-19: Concepts in Applied Wetland Restoration
(Jepson Herbarium Weekend Workshop in UC Berkeley
& Greater Bay Area) Instructor: John Callaway.
Workshop details: ucjeps.berkeley.edu/wwout_05.
html#112 More info: Cynthia Perrine at 510.643.7008 or
cperrine@berkeley.edu
Jun 23-24: TMDLs: Total Maximum Daily Loads in
California Rivers (San Francisco) Sponsored by UC
Berkeley Extension. Info: 510.642.4111 or
info@unex.berkeley.edu www.unex.berkeley.edu/
cat/course794.html
Jun 24: ABSTRACT SUBMITTAL DEADLINE for SERCAL’s
12th Annual Conference, RESTORING THE HEART OF
CALIFORNIA, 19-22 October 2005 at Bass Lake
Jun 24: Overview of Environmental Laws and
Regulations (San Francisco) Sponsored by UC Berkeley
Extension. Info: 510.642.4111, info@unex.berkeley.edu
www.unex.berkeley.edu/ cat/course789.html
Jul 7-10: Plants of Bear Basin Butte Area: Emphasizing
Conifer Identification (Jepson Herbarium Weekend
Workshop at Six Rivers National Forest, Del Norte
County) Instructor: John O. Sawyer. Workshop details:
ucjeps.berkeley.edu/wwout_05.html#121 More info:
Cynthia Perrine at 510.643.7008 or cperrine@berkeley.edu
Jul 15-17: Salix Identification (Jepson Herbarium
Weekend Workshop at Sequoia/King’s Canyon National
Parks) Instructor: George Argus. Workshop details:
ucjeps.berkeley.edu/wwout_05.html#122 More info:
Cynthia Perrine at 510.643.7008 or cperrine@berkeley.edu
8 Ecesis Summer 2005 Volume 15, Issue 2
Jul18-22: Salmonid Restoration Federation’s
Bioengineering Field School (Hopland) Instructor: Evan
Engber of Bioenginerring Associates. Info: 707.923.7501,
srf@northcoast.com, or www.calsalmon.org
Jul 28-31: Sierra Nevada Plants: An Introduction to
Species & Communities (Jepson Herbarium Weekend
Workshop at Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab,
Mono County) Instructor: Linda Ann Vorobik.
Workshop details: ucjeps.berkeley.edu/wwout_05.
html#124 More info: Cynthia Perrine at 510.643.7008 or
cperrine@berkeley.edu
Jul 29-31: Sierra Nevada Alliance’s 12th Annual
Conference—Regions of the Sierra: Unique and United
(Kings Beach, CA) Info: Kathy Haberman at
530.542.4546, kathy@sierranevadaalliance.org
www.sierranevadaalliance.org/conference/profile.html
Aug 20-21: Aquatic Plants (Jepson Herbarium Weekend
Workshop at Valley Life Science Building, Berkeley, with
field trips to local wetlands) Instructor: Barbara Ertter.
Workshop details: ucjeps.berkeley.edu/wwout_05.
html#125 More info: Cynthia Perrine at 510.643.7008 or
cperrine@berkeley.edu
Sep 14: Early Registration Deadline for SERCAL’s 12th
Annual Conference, RESTORING THE HEART OF
CALIFORNIA, 19-22 October 2005 at Bass Lake
Oct 4-6: 7th Biennial State of the Estuary Conference
(Oakland, CA) sponsored by San Francisco Estuary
Project & California Bay-Delta Authority. Info: SFEP
510.622.2398 or www.abag.ca.gov/abag/events/estuary
Oct 6-8: Cal-IPC’s 14th Annual Symposium: Prevention
Reinvention: Protocols, Information, and Partnerships to
Stop the Spread of Invasive Plants (California State
University, Chico) Info: www.cal-ipc.org
Oct 19-22: SERCAL’S 12TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE:
RESTORING THE HEART OF CALIFORNIA (The Pines Resort
& Conference Center, North Shore, Bass Lake)
Info: www.sercal.org
Stabilizing Owens Dry Lake Surface with Irrigated Saltgrass
site, so that water logging was generally avoided. Established
plantings on the remaining 80% of the site tolerated reduced
irrigation (as low as 0.20 m/yr) without significant loss of stand,
and new plantings succeeded on all but about 8.5 ha (1% of the
site). From 2005 onward, the needs of the poorly drained areas
will be balanced with those of the rest of the site when
scheduling irrigation.
The difficulty of achieving adequate drainage for large-scale
vegetation of the playa suggests that irrigation systems that
minimize drainage (e.g., drip) are most suitable for vegetating
the playa. Wetness during construction prevented subsurface
placement of drip tubing in some fields. During the first several
years of operation, we have observed that surface drip tubing is
easily shifted by high winds or flowing storm water. Deep
staking is helpful, but is time consuming and not entirely
effective. Applied water may also flow away from aboveground
drippers, across the soil surface to another location before
infiltrating. Shifting tubing or water flow often stresses or kills
the young plants that are distanced from applied water. For
these and other reasons, subsurface drip irrigation appears to be
superior to surface placement of drip tubing in this setting.
Actual saltgrass water requirements were evaluated in
irrigation reduction trials conducted on the site during 2004.
Preliminary results suggest that irrigation before June and after
July was essential to avoid unsustainable plant water stress
levels. However, in most cases even heavily stressed saltgrass
maintained viable rhizomes that can recover when adequate
water is returned. Therefore, temporary, extreme water stress is
tolerated by established plants, but cannot be sustained if the
plant stand and cover are to be maintained in the long term.
However, saltgrass exhibited tolerance for reduced irrigation in
2004 and continued growing when extreme water stress was
avoided. Restriction of applied water to established vegetation in
a 16-hectare block to avoid excessive wetness in the most poorly
drained areas appeared to be a workable strategy, and generally
did not result in extreme plant stress within drier areas within
blocks. Lower levels of applied irrigation water are viable and
necessary in many blocks, which will substantially reduce water
and drainage costs.
At the end of 2003 after 1.5 years of growth, only a few
hundred hectares averaged 50% saltgrass cover. However, sand
motion and associated dust emissions at the site were greatly
reduced. A working hypothesis attributes this to the relatively
dense lines of vegetation, spaced every 1.5m over most of the
850 hectares. At the end of 2004 after 2.5 years of growth,
average saltgrass cover in areas that established well in the first
year (80% of the site) increased about 20% from the previous
year, despite lower applied water during 2004. There is
significant establishment in areas of initial sparse saltgrass cover,
and in areas where replanting was undertaken in spring 2004;
most of these areas are expected to attain the required
vegetation cover by the end of 2006.
continued from p. 7
The overall approach to wetter areas has included a mixture
of locally enhanced drainage, adaptive irrigation management,
and replanting. This approach requires an additional year for
saltgrass establishment in the most poorly drained areas. Over
most of the site, establishment of 50% vegetation cover appears
to require at least two full growing seasons.
Monitoring of soil, plant, and water conditions affecting
long-term sustainability is under way. Halophytes other than
saltgrass are being investigated; however, their ability to
effectively control dust will have to be demonstrated before they
can be planted for this purpose.
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment—
Because of concerns about potential environmental impacts
of operating this facility, LADWP committed to and pursued an
aggressive environmental monitoring program, aimed at early
detection and rapid remedy of significant impacts.
Groundwater, standing water, water supply, drain water, and
food chain organisms were monitored. Wildlife abundance and
activity were observed, and eggs from failed nests were analyzed.
To date, the following conclusions have emerged: (1) no
significant wildlife impacts have been observed, although the
general abundance of shorebirds and snowy plover on the
lakebed is greatly increased, (2) trace elements do not appear to
bioaccumulate to toxic tissue concentrations, (3) bird use of the
ponds, which are maintained at a very high salinity level, is
minimal, and (4) agricultural chemicals, which are generally
applied at low rates, do not increase naturally occurring
concentrations offsite.
References
Dickey J., M. Hall, M. Madison, J. Smesrud, Q. Motte, M. Hart, G. Roland, J.
Jordahl, R. Coles, K. Burton, M. Griswold, R. Harasick, T. DeVorss, and R.
Prittie. 2003. Stabilizing Owens Dry Lake Surface With Irrigated
Saltgrass. Air & Waste Management Association, 96th Annual
Conference, San Diego, CA, June 22-26, 2003.
Dickey J., M. Hall, M. Madison, J. Smesrud, M. Griswold, Q. Motte, M. Hart,
G. Roland, J. Jordahl, R. Harasick, W. Bamossy, R. Coles, Lizanne wheller,
P. Brown, K. Burton, R. Fornelli, I. Anderson, M. Riedel-Lehrke, R. Tiller, J.
Richards. 2005. Managing Salt to Stabilize the Owens Playa with
Saltgrass. Proceedings of the International Salinity Forum, Riverside,
CA.
Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District. 2003. Owens Valley
PM10 Planning Area Demonstration of Attainment, State
Implementation Plan, 2003 Revision.
Holder, G. 2000. Owens Lake Groundwater Data (provided by GBUAPCD
on CD).
Smesrud, J.K, J.B. Dickey, B. Jacob, J.L. Jordahl, R.Z. Jackson, P.D. Brown,
G.C. Roland, and M.F. Madison. 2004. Collection and Reuse of Extremely
Saline Drainwater on Owens Dry Lake. Proceedings of the Eighth
International Drainage Symposium, Sacramento, California, March 21-
24, 2004 (pp 469-477).
Soil and Water West. 2000. Soil Survey of Owens Lake. For GBUAPCD.
Volume 15, Issue 2 Summer 2005 Ecesis 9
 . . . . . . . Job Hotline . . . . . . .
The following information, received via Cal-IPC’s CalWeedJobs Listserv is posted for information only.
SERCAL has not researched or validated the information provided by the potential employer. For
additional job opportunity information, visit www.sercal.org/jobs/listing.htm
Full-time or Permanent
Domestic Fisheries Observers / Alaskan Observers, Inc.,
Seattle WA. Info & application: David Edick 800.483.7310
www.alaskanobservers.com
Ludwigia Control Project Manager / Laguna de Santa Rosa
Freshwater Wetland Complex, Sonoma County.
www.lagunadesantarosa.org/ RMP/Ludwigia/default.htm
Info: Laguna Foundation’s Exec. Dir. 707.527.9277 or
dan@lagunadesantarosa.org
Agricultural Biologists / Kern County Agricultural
Commissioner’s Office
www.co.kern.ca.us/person/app_main.asp#jobs
Stewardship Coordinator / The Big Sur Land Trust. Info:
Susanna Danner, P.O. Box 221864, Carmel, CA 93922;
831.625.5523 x104 www.bigsurlandtrust.org
Bouverie Preserve Biologist/Educator Info: Audubon Canyon
Ranch, 4900 Highway One, Stinson Beach 94970,
415.868.9244 or acr@egret.org www.egret.org
Junior or Assistant Research Specialist (Position
#T05-35) / UC Santa Cruz, Center for Agroecology
and Sustainable Food Systems (focus on water
quality and cover crop research and protection along
the Central California Coast). Written application to
Marc Los Huertos, Ph.D., Research Manager, CASFS,
UC Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz 95064.
Position details: Academic Human Resources at
831.459.4300 or www2.ucsc.edu/ahr/employment/
Marine GIS Analyst / National MPA Center Science
Institute Salary, Monterey. Info:
Ida.Buffone@noaa.gov
22 Biological Science Technician positions from
GS5 through GS7 levels / US Fish & Wildlife Service
and US Forest Service. Info via online vacancy listing
service: www.avuecentral.com — select “search for
jobs;” type “biological science technician;” and select
“California” to see available positions.
Volunteer Coordinator (part-time) / Cache Creek
Wild. Resume and cover letter to Chris Morrill by
email (word attachment) at
christophermorrill@gmail.com
10 Ecesis Summer 2005 Volume 15, Issue 2
Intern or Seasonal
Seasonal Water Conservation Aide / Seasonal Watershed Aides-
Vegetation Management, Martin Municipal Water District, 220
Nellen Ave. Corte Madera. 24 Hour Job Hotline 415.945.1433;
General info: www.marinwater.org
Biological Resources Assessment Internship / Calif. Energy
Commission (CEC), Sacramento. Info: Mr. Chris Tooker
916.653.1634 or ctooker@energy.state.ca.us
Temporary Field Ecologists / The Grand Canyon Trust
(sampling of vegetation community and soil characteristics on
Kane and Two Mile ranches, north of the Grand Canyon, May-
August). Info & application: Ethan Aumack, Grand Canyon Trust,
2601 N. Fort Valley Rd., Flagstaff AZ, 86001 or
eaumack@grandcanyontrust.org
Public Outreach Intern (part-time) / Cache Creek Wild. Resume
and cover letter to Chris Morrill by email (word attachment) at
christophermorrill@gmail.com
EDAW seeks two restoration ecologists to join its thriving
ecological restoration practice based in Sacramento, California.
The successful candidates will be an integral part of EDAW’s
regionally successful and steadily expanding restoration ecology
practice. Work will include landscape-level restoration and
watershed planning, as well as site-specific restoration design for
projects in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, Central
Valley, Lake Tahoe and Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Staff Restoration Ecologist—Responsible for assistance with field
evaluations, restoration plans, and other field and writing
assignments. Minimum requirements: BS in Ecological Restoration
or a related field; 2-4 years of consulting experience preferred.
Mid/Senior Restoration Ecologist—Responsible for managing and
securing projects related to ecological restoration and working
with a variety of team members in a collaborative setting.
Minimum requirements: BS in Ecological Restoration or a related
field and 6 years of consulting experience is preferred, but non-
consultant candidates with relevant experience will be considered.
Forward a resume with references and salary history to: EDAW
INC, 2022 J Street, Sacramento CA 95814, fax: 916.414.5850,
HRSacramento@edaw.com
SERCAL 2005 Membership
Application/Renewal Form
Annual Membership Dues _____________________________________________________________
SERCAL’s newsletter, Ecesis, is received with all rates.
NAME DATE
Student ______. $15.00
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SERCAL + Cal-IPC† ______ $55.00
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All 3 organizations ______ $95.00 ADDRESS
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Contributing Business 3 3
Complete form, enclose check payable to SERCAL and mail to:
Sustaining Business 4 4
Summit Circle 6 6 SERCAL Administrative Office, 2701 20th St., Bakersfield CA 93301
**When completing membership forms, you may designate
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Cal-IPC California Invasive Plant Council / CNGA California Native Grassland Association

Ecological Restoration is the

leading publication for Your SERCAL Membership
people throughout the world
who are committed to Just Got Better…
restoring the biological
diversity of the Earth’s SERCAL members may now receive a discounted rate, plus direct subscription service to the
ecosystems. journal Ecological Restoration, published by the University of Wisconsin Press.
In each quarterly issue, A one-year, 4-issue subscription for $43 (print and online) may be initiated at any time during
subscribers will find: the 2005 calendar year by logging onto the UW Press Journals website with your credit card
Peer- and editorially- information: www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/journals
reviewed feature articles;
Short “notes” that keep SERCAL’s website www.sercal.org will carry a direct link to the Ecological Restoration page on
readers up-to-date on the UW Press Journals website. SERCAL will not be involved
restoration projects and in handling payments; members will instead deal directly with the publisher.
organizations throughout
You may also subscribe by mail, phone or fax:
the world;
Abstracts of important The University of Wisconsin Press, Journals Division
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Book and website reviews & Phone: 608.263.0668 Fax: 608.263.1173 Or toll-free 800.258.3632
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Volume 15, Issue 2 Summer 2005 Ecesis 11

The California Society for
Ecological Restoration - SERCAL
2701 20th Street
Bakersfield CA 93301
Return Service Requested
Welcome! to our
New Members
through 10 May 2005
Cynthia Roye, CA Dept. Parks
& Recreation, Sacramento
Paul Amato, San Francisco
Regional Water Quality
Control Board
Tom Maloney, Orange County,
Harbors—Beaches & Parks
Dan Airola, Jones & Stokes,
Sacramento
Alac Anderson, Santa Barbara
Natives, Gaviota
Angelika Brinkmann Busi,
San Pedro
Alison Stanton, South Lake
Tahoe
Ingrid Hogle, UC Davis
Emily Walter, Friends of the
Dunes, Arcata
Kerry McWalter, EDAW, Inc.,
San Francisco
And many thanks to our
2005 Sustaining
Individual Members
Dr. Alice A. Rich, A. A. Rich &
Associates, San Anselmo
Martha Blane, Martha Blane &
Associates, San Marcos
David B. Kelley, Kelley &
Associates Environmental
Sciences, Inc., Davis
Paul Kielhold, Lilburn Corp.,
San Bernardino
Bo Glover, Environmental
Nature Center, Newport Beach
Michael Hogan, IERS, Inc.,
Tahoma
2005 Contributing
Business Members
Hedgerow Farms, John Anderson, Winters
Santa Clara Valley Water District,
Environmental Planning Unit, Debra
Caldon, San Jose
Pacific Restoration Group, John Richards,
Corona
EDAW, Inc., Sacramento
Zentner & Zentner, John Zentner, Oakland
Full Circle Compost, Craig Witt, Minden, NV
Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency,
Peter E.F. Buck
Santa Clara Valley Water District,
Environmental Planning Unit, Linda Spahr,
San Jose
S&S Seeds, Bruce Berlin & Jody Miller,
Carpinteria