Franks Tract State Recreation Area: Difference between revisions
Started "Wildlife" section and "Franks Tract restoration project section |
Mention Little Franks Tract |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[File:Franks Tract in Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta with Mount Diablo in background.JPG|right|thumb|Franks Tract with [[Mount Diablo]] in the background]] |
[[File:Franks Tract in Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta with Mount Diablo in background.JPG|right|thumb|Franks Tract with [[Mount Diablo]] in the background]] |
||
'''Franks Tract State Recreation Area''' (SRA), is a [[state park]] unit of [[California]], USA, featuring a flooded area in the [[Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta]]. It is accessible only by water. Franks Tract<!--no apostrophe--> |
'''Franks Tract State Recreation Area''' (SRA), is a [[state park]] unit of [[California]], USA, featuring a flooded area in the [[Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta]]. It is accessible only by water. Franks Tract, and a smaller adjoining submerged property called "Little Franks Tract",<!--no apostrophe--> are situated between the [[False River (California)|False River]] and [[Bethel Island (California)|Bethel Island]]. The [[recreation area]] is used primarily for fishing and waterfowl hunting, because of its exposure to to frequent strong winds and fluctuating water levels. In times of high water, the entire site can be submerged except for portions of the old [[levee]]s.<ref name="Website">{{cite web |title=Franks Tract SRA |url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=490 |publisher=California State Parks |accessdate=2012-01-14}}</ref> The {{convert|3523|acre|ha|adj=on}} park was established in 1959.<ref>{{cite journal |title=California State Park System Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 2009/10 |url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/795/files/09-10%20statistical%20report%20final%20online.pdf |publisher=California State Parks |page=20 |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref> It is managed from nearby [[Brannan Island State Recreation Area]], {{convert|6|mi|km}} to the northwest.<ref name="Brochure">{{cite web |title=Brannen Island/Franks Tract State Recreation Areas |url=http://parks.ca.gov/pages/490/files/BrannanIsl_FranksTractFinalWebLayout2011.pdf |publisher=California State Parks |year=2011 |accessdate=2012-01-14 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221012939/http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/490/files/BrannanIsl_FranksTractFinalWebLayout2011.pdf |archivedate=2015-12-21 |df= }}</ref> |
||
==History== |
==History== |
||
| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
==Franks Tract restoration project== |
==Franks Tract restoration project== |
||
The CDFWD has been studying ways to modify the Franks Tract to accomplish several objectives, namely:"...improve habitat for the Delta smelt, reduce saltwater intrusion into the central and south Delta, reduce submerged aquatic weeds and reduce invasive nonnative fish species that feed on native fish like the salmon and the Delta smelt."<ref name="FTRP">[https://www.thepress.net/news/franks-tract-restoration-moves-forward/article_3de54af8-7f12-11e8-81a6-175637c98e5a.html Kukulich, Tony. "Franks Tract restoration moves forward." ''The Press''. July 3, 2018. Updated July 6, 2018.</ref> |
The CDFWD has been studying ways to modify the Franks Tract to accomplish several objectives, namely:"...improve habitat for the Delta smelt, reduce saltwater intrusion into the central and south Delta, reduce submerged aquatic weeds and reduce invasive nonnative fish species that feed on native fish like the salmon and the Delta smelt."<ref name="FTRP">[https://www.thepress.net/news/franks-tract-restoration-moves-forward/article_3de54af8-7f12-11e8-81a6-175637c98e5a.html Kukulich, Tony. "Franks Tract restoration moves forward." ''The Press''. July 3, 2018. Updated July 6, 2018.</ref> |
||
CDFW presented its final draft of its project feasibility study at a meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council in Sacramento on June 29, 2018. The study concluded that, "... the project is both feasible and expensive."<ref name="FTRP"/> The plan is premised on splitting the Franks Tract with a berm that runs north and south, then filling the property west of the berm (including the Little Franks Tract) to create about {{convert|1000|acre|m2}} of wetlands. The east side of the berm would face {{convert|2000|acre|m2}} of open channel. This would permanently block access to False River and the Sacramento River from the Franks Tract and Bethel Island.<ref name="FTRP"/> |
|||
Revision as of 05:07, 8 July 2018
Franks Tract State Recreation Area (SRA), is a state park unit of California, USA, featuring a flooded area in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. It is accessible only by water. Franks Tract, and a smaller adjoining submerged property called "Little Franks Tract", are situated between the False River and Bethel Island. The recreation area is used primarily for fishing and waterfowl hunting, because of its exposure to to frequent strong winds and fluctuating water levels. In times of high water, the entire site can be submerged except for portions of the old levees.[1] The 3,523-acre (1,426 ha) park was established in 1959.[2] It is managed from nearby Brannan Island State Recreation Area, 6 miles (9.7 km) to the northwest.[3]
History
Franks Tract was once the United States' second-largest source of peat, after the Everglades.[3] The site was originally reclaimed between 1902 and 1906 and given over to farming of potatoes, beans, asparagus, sugar beets, onions, seed crops, small grains, and corn.[4] In February 1937 Franks Tract was inundated and reclaimed by October, but in February 1938 the False River levee broke and Franks Tract was flooded and never reclaimed.[5][6] The United States Navy used a 500-acre (200 ha) portion of the area as a bombing target known as Antioch Bombing Target from 1943 to 1952.[7]
Wildlife
Because of the tract's location in the Pacific Flyway, a large variety of waterfowl inhabit it, especially during the fall and winter. Year round species include gulls, great blue herons, terns, swallows, crows, blackbirds, cormorants and kingfishers. Hunting on the open water is allowed, subject to California Fish & Wildlife Department (CDFWD) regulations. Permits and other arrangements must be made in advance through the Brannan Island State Recreation Area.[8]
Franks Tract restoration project
The CDFWD has been studying ways to modify the Franks Tract to accomplish several objectives, namely:"...improve habitat for the Delta smelt, reduce saltwater intrusion into the central and south Delta, reduce submerged aquatic weeds and reduce invasive nonnative fish species that feed on native fish like the salmon and the Delta smelt."[9]
CDFW presented its final draft of its project feasibility study at a meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council in Sacramento on June 29, 2018. The study concluded that, "... the project is both feasible and expensive."[9] The plan is premised on splitting the Franks Tract with a berm that runs north and south, then filling the property west of the berm (including the Little Franks Tract) to create about 1,000 acres (4,000,000 m2) of wetlands. The east side of the berm would face 2,000 acres (8,100,000 m2) of open channel. This would permanently block access to False River and the Sacramento River from the Franks Tract and Bethel Island.[9]
Franks Tract gallery
See also
References
- ^ "Franks Tract SRA". California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
- ^ "California State Park System Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 2009/10" (PDF). California State Parks: 20. Retrieved 2011-12-30.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ a b "Brannen Island/Franks Tract State Recreation Areas" (PDF). California State Parks. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-12-21. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Thompson, John (1957). The Settlement Geography of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. Stanford University: Unpublished Dissertation. p. Map Plates.
- ^ Thompson, John (1957). The Settlement Geography of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California. Stanford University: Unpublished Dissertation. p. 464.
- ^ Schell, Hal (1995). Hal Schell's Guide to Cruising California's Delta: The Delta Dawdler's Dream Tour of This Fabulous 1,000-mile Waterway. Stockton, Calif.: Schell Books. p. 254.
- ^ "Antioch Bombing Target". Historic Posts, Camps, Stations, and Airfields. California State Military Museum. 2008-12-13. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
- ^ "Franks Tract State Recreation Area." California Department of Parks and Recreation. 2018. Accessed July 7, 2018.
- ^ a b c [https://www.thepress.net/news/franks-tract-restoration-moves-forward/article_3de54af8-7f12-11e8-81a6-175637c98e5a.html Kukulich, Tony. "Franks Tract restoration moves forward." The Press. July 3, 2018. Updated July 6, 2018.