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This website was developed for a Master's thesis project. The date of last update is listed on the bottom of every page. The website will not continue to be updated with new information. While this website contains the majority of information from our final report, there are details left out. If you want all the details, the final report can be downloaded from the documents page.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has identified the Cuyama Valley as a potential priority region due to its ecological richness, rare plant communities, and its potential to function as a wildlife corridor between the conserved lands of the Carrizo Plain National Monument and Los Padres National Forest.  In this project, we assess the impact of current land use on the Cuyama Valley’s riparian habitat, habitat connectivity, and groundwater resources.  Additionally, we evaluate potential threats to habitat connectivity and water resources through four scenarios that depict our vision of how the valley may look by the year 2050.

Analysis of aerial photographs reveals a significant loss of historically present riparian habitat concurrent with the expansion of agriculture and the decline of the groundwater table.  Measurement of eighteen transects along the Cuyama River revealed a decline in riparian vegetation, river channel width, and channel complexity since the first available aerial photograph of the region in 1938.   

Habitat connectivity for four representative species, Blunt-nosed leopard lizard (Gambelia sila), Two-striped gartersnake (Thamnophis hammondii), Pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) and San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica), is strong throughout the valley despite the decline of historic riparian habitat and intensive agriculture. Our results also indicate that habitat connectivity in every modeled scenario improves over current conditions.

Development of a regional hydrologic budget provides evidence that current land use practices are not sustainable with respect to groundwater resources.  In some parts of the valley, declines in the water table exceed 300 feet since the introduction of irrigated agriculture. If the rate of groundwater extraction continues, we estimate that the total available storage will deplete in approximately fifty years.  However, our scenario planning analysis illustrates that major shifts in agriculture and residential development of the valley are possible with groundwater extraction limited to the rate of natural recharge.  To preserve the economic and ecological viability of the valley, future land use should be tied to sustainable groundwater use.

*This project is meant to provide tools and information to assist The Nature Conservancy in their planning efforts for the region. Nothing contained in our final report or on this website is an indication of TNC actions, desires, or plans.