Yolo County Resource Conservation District

06/15/2026

On June 4-5, the RCD assisted the City of Davis Open Space and the City of Davis Fire Department with a prescribed burn at the South Fork Preserve. The burn went off without a hitch and was successful in its goals! Check out some photos of the burn, including a before and after of the burn site.

The goals of this burn were to:
🔥 Reduce the continuity of vegetation
🔥 Control invasive species
🔥 Improve grassland habitat
🔥 Reduce the thatch layer of the grassland to manage wildfire fuels and to create optimal conditions for invasive w**d management
🔥 Increase prescribed fire capacity of our project partners

Fire has been a natural part of California’s landscapes for thousands of years, and when applied under carefully planned conditions, beneficial fire (i.e. prescribed, cultural, etc) remains one of the most effective tools for reducing hazardous fuels, improving ecosystem health, and increasing landscape resilience.

Did you know the RCD coordinates the Yolo Prescribed Burn Association to use as a land management tool in Yolo County? To learn more visit yolorcd.org/what-we-do/yolo-pba

06/11/2026

2026 W**d Day at UC Davis is coming up on 6/18! Time is running out to register and all spots are nearly full. This annual event is a great networking opportunity and imparts the latest research in w**d science through field trips and in-person presentations.

Register by 6/12 at https://registration.ucdavis.edu/Item/Details/1393

Image description: A diverse team of w**d science experts and stakeholders inspecting plant growth and soil conditions at a field site.

06/05/2026

Every monarch starts with milkw**d! That’s why the RCD installed and is maintaining pollinator plots to support monarchs at Howat Ranch in Davis, the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, and the Putah Creek Fishing Access sites. This planting season, RCD staff installed an additional 4,000 showy milkw**d (Asclepias speciosa) and narrow-leaf milkw**d (Asclepias fascicularis) plugs to already established pollinator plots.  

Did you know that monarchs have been proposed to be included in the federal Endangered Species Act by US Fish and Wildlife Service due to species decline? Threats to the monarchs include the loss and degradation of breeding, migratory and overwintering habitat, exposure to insecticides and the effects of climate change. 

The RCD plants milkw**d and other native plants in pollinator plots to provide host sites and floral resources for monarch butterflies when they return to Yolo County from overwintering along the California coast.  

1: Showy milkw**d at a hedgerow on Howatt Ranch in Davis, CA.  

2: Showy milkw**d in the Howatt Ranch hedgerow alongside other California native plant species like coyote brush and deer grass.  

3 & 4: Monarch caterpillars on milkw**d at the Putah Creek Fishing Access plots in June 2026.  

5: A milkw**d plug that was planted in a pollinator plot in May 2026 by Matt Toney, the project manager of this Habitat on Working Lands grant.  

6: Marcy Cathcart, Project Manager, and Emily Evans, Project Assistant, install milkw**d plugs at Putah Creek Fishing Access in May 2026.  

Funding for this project is thanks to a CARCD administered block grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board.  

05/29/2026

It’s ! Check out some of the critters RCD staff have spotted at field sites around Yolo County!

1 & 2: A Swainson’s hawk was on the hunt and snatched up a lizard, a snake, and a few other critters to feed its young in a nearby nest. Swainson’s hawk typically choose a single tree or a scattered stands of trees near agricultural fields and grasslands. They place nests at the top of the tree.

3: A western rattlesnake coiled up in grass. Although venomous, rattlesnakes are an important part of our ecosystem and should not be killed, if you come across one. Rattlesnakes typically avoid people, but always stay on-trail, stay alert, and check rocks/stumps before sitting down.

4: A Barn owl peaking around a branch to watch RCD staff. Barn owls have a keen sense of hearing and act as ultimate pest control - consuming over 1,000 rodents a year.

5: One of the first monarch caterpillars spotted of the season on broadleaf milkw**d.

conservation

05/20/2026

Join us at the 2026 Bay Area Butterfly Festival! It will take place at a new location!

Vallejo People’s Garden
1055 Azuar Dr, Vallejo CA
From 10am to 4pm

This is a family-friendly event featuring kid’s activities, presentations, workshops, food & drinks, arts and crafts, and more!

The admission is free!

For more information, check out the link on our bio.
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¡Acompáñenos en el Festival de las Mariposas del Área de la Bahía 2026! ¡Se llevará a cabo en una nueva ubicación!

Vallejo People’s Garden
1055 Azuar Dr, Vallejo CA
De 10am a 4pm

¡Este es un evento para toda la familia que incluye actividades para niños, presentaciones, talleres, comida y bebidas, manualidades y mucho más!

¡La entrada es gratuita!

Para más información, consulte el enlace en nuestra biografía.

04/24/2026

04/17/2026

The Center for Land-Based Learning and Yolo County Resource Conservation District is hosting a Carbon Farm Field Day on Tuesday, May 5th, 2026 from 8:30 am to 3 pm. The day will start at CLBL’s growing olive orchard and discuss the Healthy Soils research project that has been led by Dr Amanda Hodson since 2022. Then attendees will jump on a bus to visit two other farms in Yolo County that are implementing carbon farm plans. Morning snacks, transportation between sites, and lunch will be provided.

Join us to learn about different carbon farm practices, what carbon benefits and co-benefits these practices can provide, and practical considerations when implementing. The field day will consist of short presentations, a tour of three operations implementing their own carbon farm plans, and opportunities for grower-led discussions.

Carbon farming improves soil health, increases water infiltration, and reduces emission. Join us to learn about carbon farming and what resources and funding opportunities are available. To register, please visit bit.ly/CarbonFarm26.

This event is thanks to funding from the Yolo County Community Climate Action Fund -

04/16/2026

Updates from the Pacific Flyway Pond – another season of planting and maintenance is well underway and you can join to enhance this vital bird habitat in Woodland! Yolo Bird Alliance and the RCD are hosting a planting day at Pacific Flyway Pond on Sunday, April 19 from 9 am to noon. Volunteers will install native plants around the banksides of the pond and enjoy the birds with Yolo Bird Alliance. To sign up, please reach out to [email protected].

This restoration project is funded thanks to a grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board. The City of Woodland partnered with the RCD to enhance native plant cover for nesting, forage, and cover opportunities for birds and other wildlife. The Pacific Flyway Pond is actually stormwater drainage system and is a part of the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency Regional Water Treatment Facility. The 78-acre detention basin provides year-round open water habitat for birds, including spring and summer breeding grounds for waterbirds.

What better way to celebrate California Native Plant Month than planting some native plants to support wildlife! We hope to see you on Sunday to create more vital bird habitat!

Photo: Brandon Baker, Restoration Field Lead, uses a w**d whacker to cut back w**ds on the bankside of the pond.

04/16/2026

04/16/2026