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Map Satellite A variety of plant communities is found in this preserve, with the mixed evergreen forest, dominated here by Douglas fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, tanbark oak, Lithocarpus densiflorus, and California bay, Umbellularia californica, and the redwood forest, Sequoia sempervirens, occupying well over half the area. North coastal scrub and coastal prairie cover the remainder of the area about equally. Three rare plants are found on or close to the Ranch, Arctostaphylos hookeri ssp. montana, Arctostaphylos virgata, and Ceanothus masonii.
The Ranch contains a major heronry, with some 50 to 60 pairs of great blue herons, Ardea herodias, and about 70 to 85 pairs of common egrets, Casmerodius albus, usually nesting during the late winter and spring. Occasionally snowy egrets, Leucophoyx thula, will nest. Raccoons, Procyon lotor, have been raiding the heronry in recent years.
During the winter months some 55 species of waterfowl are likely to be seen on Bolinas Lagoon fronting the Ranch, and some 90, including 60 permanent resident, species of land birds are found in the watershed.
Integrity: Parts of the area have been logged and grazed and there are various buildings in the several canyons. The area is now strictly protected. There are trails and a heronry overlook, and a very popular educational program is conducted on the Ranch.
Use: Educational, research, observational.
January 1976
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2008 Steven Louis Hartman
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