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 Master Planning
Sacramento Valley Conservancy
County of Sacramento
Deer Creek Hills Reserve Master Plan
The Sacramento Valley Conservancy (SVC) is a private, non-profit land trust founded in 1990 on two basic principles – that open lands are necessary for quality of life and that we must save land today so future generations may enjoy its benefits tomorrow. SVC buys land only from willing sellers, and works cooperatively with private land-owners and public and private funding sources to create win-win solutions. and wildlife, and yet adapting also to urban growth pressures and its demand for increased recreational lands and uses.
After purchasing over 4,000 acres of blue oak woodland to create the Deer Creek Hills Reserve in partnership with the County of Sacramento, the California Department of Fish and Game, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation, SVC needed to develop a master plan for this resource in order to protect its many aspects such as ranching, habitat preservation and general public use. An outreach process was conducted with SVC's management partners, local ranchers, adjacent land owners and the general public, to identify opportunities to save oak woodlands on both public and private lands and to determine future uses at the Preserve.
To prepare for these public meetings and before developing the future uses, SVC first needed to survey and map the resources they had, project blue oak growth and regeneration patterns, and then develop opportunities and constraints.
To help SVC survey and map the resources, The Dangermond Group (TDG) brought together dozens of layers of geographic information into a coherent database. TDG then used GIS to coordinate a spatial methodology for survey of oak woodland by area arborists and volunteers. GIS was used to pick a stratified random sample of points from which trees could be surveyed. TDG then mapped the preliminary survey results to present spatial information about dieback, canopy, health and regeneration or lack thereof of the woodland on the Deer Creek Hills landscape. Then TDG integrated this data with models it created of solar exposure (a major factor in soil moisture) and aspect. In addition, past grazing practices were mapped and integrated into the database to investigate what effect cattle grazing rates may have had on oak regeneration.
These models led to the development of opportunities and constraints of the Reserve. GIS was instrumental at the beginning of the design phase and assembled critical information together in one map. For example, GIS was also used to integrate grassland and bird surveys, archaeological surveys, hydrological surveys and the oak survey into computer models. These models included models for solar insolation, viewshed, and hydrological flow accumulation. Additional data from existing soil surveys and mineral resource zones were also gathered and integrated into these models.
Using this tool, the landscape architecture team worked within the set of least impact choices to provide the best recreational services with the least ecosystem impact per visitor and focus on creating the most meaningful experiences for park visitors.
Three sets of ortho-imagery were brought in to support the plan, as well as a set of photographs from the 1950s which provided a historical perspective on the oak woodland area.
Of course, many maps were made for the project and plan. These maps are of a high quality and speedy service that clients have come to expect from TDG. Dozens of maps were made at short notice to facilitate meetings and document the plan.
TDG has completed the Deer Creek Hills Master Plan which will serve as a model for how to save and care for the oak woodlands and to help forge the necessary long-term relationships with ranchers, other land owners, nonprofits, educational and research institutions, and public agencies.
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