You can help CSERC by being a forest watchdog!
We’d love you to strengthen CSERC’s efforts by being a forest watchdog. It’s easy, but important work. When you are enjoying the region’s beautiful public lands, simply be observant and keep an eye out for resource damage, or for rare plants and animals, or for any other key observations. As a forest watchdog, your e-mail or phone call reports to CSERC can lead to better protection for water, wildlife and wild places!Here are some important things to keep in mind when you visit the forest or other public lands of the region. The most harmful impacts that often go unreported are livestock damage, threats to water, and invasive plant species.
Livestock damage is most often found in wet areas and meadows where cows concentrate. Look for eroding stream banks, hoof pocks, overgrazing of vegetation, and exposed soil. Other threats to water include illegal or poorly maintained roads and trails that cross streams or steep slopes, causing erosion. You may find a site where bare cut-banks along roads are sliding downslope, or where gullies along roads are sending periodic mud-laden runoff directly into a downslope stream.Invasive plant species such as star thistle, bull thistle, and wooly mullein are mostly found in disturbed areas, often in dense clusters. In contrast to the negative environmental impacts of invasive plants, your observation of rare wildlife species such as Pacific fisher and wolverine might lead to proof that they still survive in the local region. Those two species have not been documented in the Stanislaus Forest for over two decades, so a sighting would be especially significant!
When you see anything of importance, take photos and make note of your location. When possible, include perspective in your photo by having a friend or your backpack in the photo for scale. Try to capture landmarks in the photo to demonstrate your location. Establish where you are as specifically as you can so we can follow up precisely.
Send your watchdog photos and information to: [email protected]
You can also visit our website at: www.cserc.org/main/howtohelp/watchdog.html for a video showing how to remove bull thistle, or to see examples of resource damage, or to find more information about how to be a forest watchdog!