Article by Lorie Hammond - 

Many of us drive between Davis and Woodland for work, pleasure, or to go to Costco! The experience of traversing County Road 102 between these towns is utilitarian at best. For a delightful surprise, take a half-hour deviation and turn east on County Road 25A, where a small sign says ”Woodland Regional Park Preserve.” Pass through a dry grassy field, turn left at the first opportunity, and you will encounter a magical wetlands invisible from the main road. Its one-third-mile accessible path provides instant immersion into a serene natural setting. Once discovered, this path can be re-discovered many times, since like all-natural landscapes, it will transform itself during different times of day and with the changing seasons.

While this Yolo County treasure only opened on May 17 of this year, it represents a long-term cooperative effort between the City of Woodland and many other agencies. The reserve is a retired landfill site that has been converted into a 160-acre nature park which expands local wetland, plant, and animal habitat and will support a variety of educational programs. The proximity of this reserve to Spring Hill homes, Woodland schools, and Woodland Community College makes it ideal for “urban natural” field trips. These trips will be supported not only by the trails but by an extensive environmental education center, now under construction. The Woodland Regional Reserve has received more than 1.5 million in grants from California State Parks, the Wildlife Conservation Board, and others. Local environmental educators, such as Tuleyome and Explorit Science, are involved in planning the educational program, while the Woodland Rotary Club has created a shaded observation deck west of the pond. 

What I would like to communicate, however, is the enchanting experience of walking this reserve. Water has transformed a dry field into a wildlife paradise, and birds are everywhere. Particularly notable are the swallows, which swoop around very close to walkers, and in and out of the water. Redwing blackbirds also move between the tules and the trees on the grassy slopes. This preserve, though small, is an “ecotone,” meaning a place where two ecosystems meet. Such places are fonts of biodiversity. Grassland animals approach the pond for water, and wetlands birds, fish, and turtles live there. The abrupt change from wet to dry in this arid climate enables visitors to see grassland natives, such as oaks, on one side of the broad path, while simultaneously passing willows and tules in the water on the other. A highlight of our walk was a beautiful male pheasant, who moved quickly from the dry grasslands to the water, and back again. 

One nice thing about walking the Woodland Regional Preserve now is to get a glimpse behind the scenes of a preserve in construction. The numerous baby plants in tubes will be trees and shrubs in a few years, paths will be expanded, and a new center will be built. I plan to walk this path every season, as well as at different times of day, over time. It is clear that it is well planned and tended, and that it is only beginning to reach its potential. A major part of its vision is that it provides easy access to Woodland and Davis, and welcomes respite from the man-made developments growing up around it. All paths are wide and wheelchair accessible. The only limitation is that dogs are not allowed. I was initially disappointed to hear this, but once I visited, I could see how much wildlife is near at hand, and how in this environment, wildlife is the priority. 

Among the interpretive signage explaining this preserve is a Land Acknowledgment to the Patwin people which reminds us that they have stewarded this land over many centuries. Walking this preserve provides a glimpse into what this land might have looked like before settlement since this land preservation effort features native plants. The sign states: “We are honored and grateful to be here today on (Patwin) traditional lands.” This honoring is apparent in the design and development of the preserve. I highly recommend it as an accessible refuge for us all. 

Photos by Lorie Hammond, adapted.