Biologists were ecstatic when they recently confirmed that the Santa Cruz kangaroo rat (Dipodomys venustus venustus) is living in Midpen’s Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. The misnomered species, which is more closely related to chipmunks, had not been seen in Santa Clara County for nearly 100 years.
As a keystone species, they positively impact the plants and animals in the chapparal habitat that they are specially adapted to, helping to maintain ecological balance.
“The discovery was really just the beginning of the work. We launched a research project to learn how Midpen can best support Santa Cruz kangaroo rats, and we’re adjusting projects in the area to benefit them,” said Midpen wildlife biologist Matt Sharp Chaney.
One of Midpen’s highest priorities is to increase the land’s wildland fire resilience. Midpen’s Wildland Fire Resiliency Program projects occur year-round to improve the health of the natural environment and reduce nonnative and invasive species. Some of these projects also create strategically placed fuel breaks, where potential fires can be slowed or stopped.
Midpen staff identified a patrol road in a remote region of Sierra Azul Preserve as a priority area to reduce roadside vegetation and create and maintain a fuel break. This road also happens to wind through prime Santa Cruz kangaroo rat habitat.
Staff from multiple departments worked together and came up with a plan to use an excavator to pull the vegetation, roots and all, up and out of the ground to both aerate the soil and avoid compaction. Loose soil is essential for Santa Cruz kangaroo rats which bury seeds and construct burrows for shelter. The project will also generate dead standing trees called “snags” to help support nesting opportunities for a migratory swallow called the western purple martin (Progne subis arboricola), another species recently discovered to be living in Sierra Azul Preserve that has become rare in Santa Clara County. Additionally, the open habitat created by the fuel management work will help Blainville’s horned lizards (Phrynosoma blainvillii), which are known to utilize Santa Cruz kangaroo rat burrows.
Midpen is also removing knobcone pines which have encroached into the chaparral after decades of fire suppression, slowly transforming the habitat to be less favorable for Santa Cruz kangaroo rats. Kangaroo rats have a mutualistic relationship with manzanitas, gathering and caching seeds for food. Seeds that aren’t eaten are protected from fire, promoting future generations of manzanita.
Midpen crews completed the first phase of the work earlier this year, and are now supervising additional work being conducted through the Los Gatos Creek Watershed Forest Health Collaborative, a multiagency effort that is sharing resources to increase wildfire resilience in the region. Overall, more than 10 acres of prime Santa Cruz kangaroo rat habitat will be improved this year, along with critical wildland fire resilience work.