Our Hedgerow project is located at Fillmore, Ca on an organic avocado farm. This is project borders the Santa Clara River and is situated adjacent to a wildlife corridor. VCRCD has planted 2 hedgerows alongside of the windrows made up of native willows. This will serve as added contiguous habitat for wildlife along the Santa Clara river and will also provide ecological benefits to the avocados. This project is funded through the Department of Conservation through the Working Lands Riparian Grant Program to protect, restore, and enhance riparian corridors on agricultural lands. We hope to continue this project for other willing landowners looking to increase integrate ecosystem projects in their practices. 

VCRCD is continually monitoring the success of these hedgerows using various methodologies. 

Vertebrate surveys 

First the monitors will survey for vertebrates that are using the willow windrows. This involves a nesting bird survey and note observations of other wildlife or signs of wildlife.

Invertebrate Surveys

The second survey is using the transect method. Here the monitors will walk a 100 foot transect line at an even pace while noting what invertebrates they see. The transect placement is chosen randomly as to avoid bias. 

While the transects are laid out, the monitors will conduct quadrat surveys of the flowering hedgerow species for a length of 5 minutes. These surveys will provide insight on the plant-pollinator associations as well as 

Floral Surveys

Vegetation surveyed using quadrat method. The quadrat is placed on a marked point of the transect line and abundance is measured as a means of survivorship.

Photo points will also be used as a way to measure overall growth of the hedgerows and get more of a visual of change happening overtime.