Species

Protagonists first · 50 species and invasive species

Design habitat for natural wildlife arrival—no releases, stocking or translocations. Native planting is permitted. Pale red = invasive: design against, not for. Dated observations are distinguished from regional possibilities.

In this section

North American beaver Castor canadensis
Steelhead / rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss
Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
Western burrowing owl Athene cunicularia hypugaea
California ground squirrel Otospermophilus beecheyi
Coast live oak Quercus agrifolia
Crotch’s bumble bee Bombus crotchii
Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus
Yellow-faced bumble bee Bombus vosnesenskii
Yellow bumble bee Bombus fervidus
Northwestern pond turtle Actinemys marmorata
California red-legged frog Rana draytonii
Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus
Southern coastal roach Hesperoleucus venustus subditus
Valley oak Quercus lobata
Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii
Arroyo willow Salix lasiolepis
White-tailed kite Elanus leucurus
Tricolored blackbird Agelaius tricolor
Yellow warbler Setophaga petechia
Common merganser Mergus merganser
Belted kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
Nuttall’s woodpecker Dryobates nuttallii
Pallid bat Antrozous pallidus
Red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Northern California black walnut Juglans hindsii
Coyote brush Baccharis pilularis
Narrowleaf milkweed Asclepias fascicularis
California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum
Great Valley gumplant Grindelia camporum
Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia
Purple needlegrass Stipa pulchra / Nassella pulchra
Clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis
Spreading rush Juncus patens
Hardstem bulrush / tule Schoenoplectus acutus
Congdon’s tarplant Centromadia parryi subsp. congdonii
California wild rose Rosa californica
Giant reed Arundo donax
Himalayan blackberry Rubus armeniacus
Water-primrose Ludwigia hexapetala
Blackwood acacia Acacia melanoxylon
Yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis
Perennial pepperweed Lepidium latifolium
Harding grass Phalaris aquatica
Stinkwort Dittrichia graveolens
American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus
Red-eared slider Trachemys scripta elegans
Red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii
Western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis
Argentine ant Linepithema humile

North American beaver Castor canadensis

What is known

Keystone protagonist · coexistence, not maximum numbers Guadalupe beavers were documented in 2013. Valley Water recognizes both habitat benefits and tree/flood conflicts. The reviewed sources do not provide a current population or overabundance finding for the SJC04 reach.

Design opening

Borrow beaver slowing/storage processes in campus runoff design; retain natural vegetation complexity. River coexistence, dam/flow devices and levee work are a separately agreed Valley Water/river-manager option, not on-parcel works. No releases, feeding or population-increase target.

North American beaver · reference photograph.

Steelhead / rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

What is known

Focal fish · passage and water-condition indicator NOAA confirms Central California Coast steelhead and critical habitat in the Guadalupe. Their needs connect this land parcel to the river even though the fish do not occupy its planted grounds.

Design opening

On parcel: filter sediment and toxic road runoff and moderate flashy discharge. Beyond the parcel: offer support for native river shade and fish passage through river-manager agreements. Steelhead presence alone does not certify good water quality.

Steelhead / rainbow trout · reference photograph.

Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

What is known

Current watershed protagonist · migration NOAA confirms fall-run Chinook in the Guadalupe. Local studies discuss hatchery-linked origins; historical nativity of the present population is unresolved. They should not be labelled a proven historic Guadalupe keystone.

Design opening

Make campus runoff cleaner and less erosive. River shade and passage improvements are an optional off-site partnership, not campus planting works. Keep Chinook goals distinct from recovery of native steelhead.

Chinook salmon · reference photograph.

Western burrowing owl Athene cunicularia hypugaea

What is known

Focal grassland bird · open-ground/burrow indicator April 2025 surveys found no owls, sign or suitable burrows within the surveyed campus/accessed buffer; CEC questions refer to a recent adjacent-property observation. Open grassland remains relevant, not confirmed owl occupancy.

Design opening

Design a broad, sparse grassland refuge with burrows and open foraging connections, separate from dense meadow and raptor-perch trees. Ground habitat is the supported starting point. A roof option needs evidence for chick safety and the full burrow/foraging life cycle; no translocation.

Burrowing owl, photographed by Ryan Phillips; cover of the local Habitat Agency’s 2023 management report.

California ground squirrel Otospermophilus beecheyi

What is known

Burrow engineer · prey and shelter Earlier site studies record burrows; April 2025 surveys found no suitable burrows in the surveyed area. Burrows can serve owls and other wildlife, but colonies can conflict with levees and electrical infrastructure.

Design opening

Keep a designated burrow-compatible grassland area connected to owl habitat, but separated from structural levees, foundations and energized equipment. Use asset-level exclusion; do not invite colonies to vulnerable earthworks or release squirrels.

California ground squirrel · reference photograph.

Coast live oak Quercus agrifolia

What is known

Foundation protagonist · canopy, insects and cavities HMH records 15 coast live oaks. Tree #59 is the 51-inch-diameter specimen in the northwestern group; its location is shown here.

Design opening

Let existing trunks and root space organize paths, planting and the revised service edge. Keep oak crowns/root collars summer-dry; place wetter meadow outside established root zones. Retain safe deadwood where falling parts cannot harm people or equipment.

HMH Exhibit A · tree #59 and neighboring oaks, not a generic species photograph.

Crotch’s bumble bee Bombus crotchii

What is known

Sensitive focal pollinator · floral continuity Two peak-season surveys in 2023 detected none, but found potential foraging, nesting and overwintering habitat. The absence of native milkweed was noted in the study.

Design opening

Create connected, pesticide-free native bloom from early through late season, with undisturbed nesting ground. A flower bed is not proof that this bee will colonize it.

Crotch’s bumble bee · reference photograph.

Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus

What is known

Focal insect · host plant and nectar continuity A regional migratory species. Native milkweed supports larvae; diverse nectar plants support adults. A photograph or a planting list does not establish a breeding population on site.

Design opening

Use sunny patches of narrowleaf milkweed within a diverse native meadow, without systemic insecticides. Retain host plants through occupied stages and accommodate their winter dormancy.

Monarch butterfly · reference photograph.

Yellow-faced bumble bee Bombus vosnesenskii

What is known

Resident pollinator · usable forage The 2023 survey recorded yellow-faced-type bumble bees, mostly considered this species; the report notes similarity to B. caliginosus. These are direct pollinator-use observations, not only predicted habitat.

Design opening

Replace invasive forage with dense native flowers over the colony season. Retain nesting/overwintering ground and stagger mowing so all forage does not disappear at once.

On-site 2023 photograph: yellow-faced bumble bee using bristly oxtongue.

Yellow bumble bee Bombus fervidus

What is known

Resident pollinator · flower-rich meadow The 2023 survey recorded eight individuals. Its demonstrated use makes it a practical focal species alongside rarer bees that were not detected.

Design opening

Provide connected native flowering patches and undisturbed nest sites. Preserve a succession of flowers as invasive thistles/radish are controlled.

On-site 2023 photograph: yellow bumble bee using yellow starthistle. Replacement native forage should precede weed removal.

Northwestern pond turtle Actinemys marmorata

What is known

Focal reptile · aquatic–upland connection The river is a potential habitat context; Valley Water identifies pond turtle among the intended beneficiaries of nearby riparian mitigation. No occupied turtle habitat is established on the campus.

Design opening

Test on-parcel nesting/refuge habitat only if a safe route across intervening trail, levee and boundary can actually be secured. Avoid traffic and trap-like curbs/drains. Any wet refuge needs suitable water quality and hydroperiod; do not assume a campus–river corridor or release turtles.

Northwestern pond turtle · reference photograph.

California red-legged frog Rana draytonii

What is known

Regional reference · wetland and upland refuges This is a regional conservation species, not a confirmed SJC04 occupant. Persistent freshwater refuge, terrestrial shelter and freedom from introduced predators matter more than planting appearance.

Design opening

Only consider dedicated amphibian habitat where a suitable hydroperiod and connected refuge can actually be sustained. Ordinary underdrained bioretention should not be described as frog breeding habitat.

California red-legged frog · reference photograph.

Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus

What is known

Focal migratory fish · river connectivity A Guadalupe watershed species whose life cycle depends on connected river habitat, spawning gravels and fine-sediment larval areas. “Remove all fine sediment” would not describe its needs accurately.

Design opening

On parcel, reduce polluted runoff. Use lamprey to explain why river restoration needs both passage and diverse substrates; any channel intervention requires a separate river-manager scheme that retains larval habitat.

Pacific lamprey · reference photograph.

Southern coastal roach Hesperoleucus venustus subditus

What is known

Native fish · freshwater assemblage Local river studies describe roach near West Trimble Road. It tolerates variable conditions; its presence is not a stand-alone certificate of clean water.

Design opening

Use on-parcel pollutant control to benefit receiving waters. Connected river pools and low-velocity refuges are off-site restoration aims, not campus pond requirements. Interpret fish as an assemblage rather than using one tolerant species as the success measure.

Valley oak Quercus lobata

What is known

Foundation tree · long-lived valley-floor canopy A strong regional oak-savanna reference, but absent from the 2022 parcel tree inventory. It needs substantial rooting space and cannot fit every utility-constrained tree position.

Design opening

Use as new long-horizon canopy in broad deep soil where airspace and utilities allow. Pair with compatible native understory; avoid routinely wet root crowns.

Valley oak · reference photograph.

Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii

What is known

Foundation tree · moist riparian structure HMH inventories large multi-stem #23, rated Good for preservation, and smaller #24–25, rated Poor. All three are in the interior cluster shown on Exhibit A.

Design opening

Test retaining #23 against the developed footprint and grading before replacing it. Keep its functioning soil-water regime; locate new cottonwoods only in broad reliably moist ground away from structures and utilities.

Fremont cottonwood · reference photograph.

Arroyo willow Salix lasiolepis

What is known

Foundation trees · riparian shade and insects HMH identifies eight arroyo willows; the 2023 vegetation description identifies red willow. These reports do not settle the identity of every existing stem.

Design opening

Retain safe existing willow structure and resolve species in the field. Use locally appropriate material in reliably moist zones, with access and conveyance clear.

Arroyo willow · reference photograph.

White-tailed kite Elanus leucurus

What is known

Focal raptor · grassland prey Local riparian/open-land habitat supports foraging potential. The design value is an open prey-rich meadow beside secure nesting/perching trees, not an asserted nest on the parcel.

Design opening

Maintain open foraging patches and suitable existing trees; avoid rodenticides. Do not place new raptor attractions where they conflict with airport or electrical safety.

White-tailed kite · reference photograph.

Tricolored blackbird Agelaius tricolor

What is known

Regional marsh-bird reference Colonial nesting requires substantial dense cover and productive foraging habitat. A few ornamental rush clumps in a treatment cell are not equivalent to a breeding marsh.

Design opening

Keep as a regional habitat reference where a genuine wetland/meadow mosaic is possible; prioritize the directly recorded red-winged blackbird for on-parcel vegetation-management decisions.

Tricolored blackbird · reference photograph.

Yellow warbler Setophaga petechia

What is known

Riparian songbird · layered native foliage Project-corridor biology describes migration/foraging in willow, cottonwood and oak and potential breeding in the Guadalupe corridor. It is not a confirmed parcel nesting record.

Design opening

Build native canopy, shrub and herb layers in suitable campus ground, including inside the fence. Retain insect resources and direct light away from the river. Planting a parcel buffer does not authorize changing the riverbank.

Common merganser Mergus merganser

What is known

River forager · fish availability An aquatic bird associated with the river rather than campus planting. Fish prey, usable open water and relatively undisturbed resting margins support its use.

Design opening

Keep campus runoff clean and reduce disturbance/light spilling toward the river. Quiet river resting margins are an off-site conservation interest; do not clear or reshape an unowned bank to create campus views.

Common merganser · reference photograph.

Belted kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon

What is known

River forager · prey and perches Local corridor biology describes river foraging and use of trees as hunting perches. Nesting banks suitable for this species are not established at the campus.

Design opening

Retain compatible on-parcel trees and safe flight space; prevent glass/light hazards facing the river. Existing river perches and nesting banks are outside the campus landscape footprint unless covered by a separate agreement.

Belted kingfisher · reference photograph.

Nuttall’s woodpecker Dryobates nuttallii

What is known

Mature-tree indicator · cavities and insects Local biology identifies oak/riparian tree use. Old trees, bark insects and suitable cavities are resources that replacement saplings take time to provide.

Design opening

Keep veteran native trees and safe deadwood features where people and equipment are not exposed to falling branches. Maintain replacement canopy of different ages.

Pallid bat Antrozous pallidus

What is known

Nocturnal focal species · roost/foraging quality The Lower Guadalupe study identifies possible corridor movement, foraging and roost habitat. It often takes insect prey from the ground, giving low native vegetation an important foraging role.

Design opening

Keep dark connected foraging areas, native insect-rich ground vegetation and safe roost features. Survey potential roost trees/structures before disturbance; do not install bat boxes beside heavy lighting.

Red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus

What is known

Direct site-use indicator · seasonal nesting cover The 15 April 2025 survey recorded a nest with three eggs in mustard and other nest-building birds. This is direct evidence that tall herbaceous vegetation can be used, including in a disturbed parcel.

Design opening

Protect occupied cover through nesting, then replace invasive mustard progressively with appropriate native structure. Keep some taller cover alongside short meadow instead of uniform mowing.

Northern California black walnut Juglans hindsii

What is known

Existing canopy · food and cavities HMH records 14, including six rated Good. The report’s identification is a useful inventory baseline, not proof that all trees are genetically unhybridized local restoration stock.

Design opening

Retain viable existing walnuts where their roots and crowns fit. Treat new walnut planting as a provenance choice, not a default substitute for all other native canopy.

Northern California black walnut · reference photograph.

Coyote brush Baccharis pilularis

What is known

Foundation shrub · late-season insect resource Site studies describe substantial native stands within the annual grassland. It supplies an existing evergreen shrub layer rather than requiring every habitat feature to be newly installed.

Design opening

Retain selected patches and expand useful edge masses. Keep openings for sightlines and maintenance; avoid constant shearing that removes flowering structure.

Narrowleaf milkweed Asclepias fascicularis

What is known

Host plant · monarch and bee resource The 2023 study found it absent from the parcel and noted its use by Crotch’s bumble bee elsewhere. It is a proposed resource plant, not an existing-site claim.

Design opening

Plant sunny, pesticide-free patches with complementary nectar species. Make seasonal dormancy intentional and keep mowing/herbicides away while occupied.

California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum

What is known

Native shrub · sustained insect forage A dry-sun planting candidate in regional low-water guidance and the submitted landscape palette.

Design opening

Use in well-drained sunny ground with complementary flowering seasons. Avoid chronically wet clay pockets; do not infer local genetic provenance from garden observations.

Great Valley gumplant Grindelia camporum

What is known

Native forb · summer pollinator resource A regional heavy-soil meadow candidate. It is not documented as existing on the parcel in the reviewed inventory.

Design opening

Use in sunny meadow patches to add summer flowers and robust forb structure. Pair with native grasses and weed suppression; leave seed heads where they do not obstruct access.

Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia

What is known

Evergreen native · flowers and winter fruit A locally recommended wildlife-supporting shrub/small tree, not an identified existing parcel tree. Its mature bulk makes it more than a low bedding shrub.

Design opening

Use as layered evergreen screening away from security sightlines. Prune selectively so flowering and fruiting wood remain.

Toyon · reference photograph.

Purple needlegrass Stipa pulchra / Nassella pulchra

What is known

Foundation grass · perennial meadow recovery A regional native grassland reference for heavy soils, not proof of an intact native grassland currently on site. Successful establishment must compete with abundant annual weeds.

Design opening

Build a bunchgrass-and-forb mosaic with local seed and multi-year weed control. Keep some open interspaces; avoid converting the whole site to a uniformly tall grass stand.

Purple needlegrass seed heads photographed in Santa Clara; identification detail, not mature meadow form.

Clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis

What is known

Low meadow matrix · seasonal moisture A native candidate for damp soil and meadow margins. Its presence or growth would reflect the designed soil-moisture regime, not establish wetland jurisdiction.

Design opening

Use on broad seasonally moist benches where low cover is useful. Match irrigation and drainage to the soil, keeping it out of prolonged deep water.

Spreading rush Juncus patens

What is known

Basin matrix · wet–dry tolerance Included in both the applicant’s palette and regional wetland/bioretention guidance. It provides useful form without making every treatment cell a permanent marsh.

Design opening

Use in diverse underdrained planting, with clear inflow/outflow access and drier companion plants above the basin.

Spreading rush · reference photograph.

Hardstem bulrush / tule Schoenoplectus acutus

What is known

Emergent foundation plant · sustained wetness A tall freshwater wetland plant. Its habitat role requires sustained wet conditions; most summer-dry underdrained cells will not provide a true tule marsh.

Design opening

Reserve for a sufficiently large, reliably wet feature if one is justified by the water balance. Keep tall dense growth out of sightlines and constrained drainage structures.

Hardstem bulrush / tule · reference photograph.

Congdon’s tarplant Centromadia parryi subsp. congdonii

What is known

Sensitive plant · seasonal alkaline grassland The biological report identified potential habitat and surveyed in bloom in August 2020 and July 2022; none was found. It is an important survey/design consideration, not a plant to introduce casually.

Design opening

Protect suitable seasonal grassland and allow natural recruitment if seed is present. Do not introduce this sensitive taxon as an ornamental filler; any conservation propagation would be a separate, specifically authorized program.

California wild rose Rosa californica

What is known

Native thicket · nest cover and fruit Recorded in the parcel flora. Dense thorny growth provides a replacement structure when invasive blackberry is removed, where soil moisture is suitable.

Design opening

Use broad mesic thickets away from narrow paths, gates and equipment. Retain openings for access and allow the plant’s spreading form.

California wild rose · reference photograph.

Giant reed Arundo donax

What is known

Invasive watch · riparian displacement A regional riparian invader, not confirmed on this parcel by the reviewed site flora. Dense stands can replace native woody habitat and complicate channel management.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Detect and control early; prevent movement of rhizomes in soil or equipment. Replace removed stands with appropriate native cover rather than leaving bare reinvasion sites.

Himalayan blackberry Rubus armeniacus

What is known

Recorded invasive · dense moist-edge thickets The 2020/2022 parcel flora records it. Current patch extent is not mapped by that old species list. Distinguish it from native Rubus before removal.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Remove in phases with native replacement thickets ready. Address root crowns/resprouts and protect occupied bird nests; a one-time cut is not lasting control.

Water-primrose Ludwigia hexapetala

What is known

Invasive watch · aquatic mats A watch species for slow nutrient-rich freshwater, not an established parcel occurrence. It can form dense mats and spread through fragments.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Avoid stagnant nutrient-enriched water features; inspect water margins during the growing season. Use approved aquatic-weed methods that contain fragments rather than spreading them.

Blackwood acacia Acacia melanoxylon

What is known

Recorded invasive tree · native-edge competition HMH identifies self-seeded tree #21 among willows, rated Poor, and recommends removal. The current presence of suckers/seedlings needs field mapping.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Remove the invasive tree where still present and address regeneration. Restore native willow/shrub structure and avoid moving contaminated soil or seed.

Blackwood acacia · reference photograph.

Yellow starthistle Centaurea solstitialis

What is known

Recorded invasive · meadow establishment barrier The site flora and photographs document infestations in the annual grassland and near the levee. It is a direct restoration problem, not only a regional watch species.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Control before seed production and keep mowing/construction equipment clean. Establish native competition immediately and plan repeated follow-up for the seed bank.

Yellow starthistle · reference photograph.

Perennial pepperweed Lepidium latifolium

What is known

Recorded invasive · moist-ground colonies Recorded in the parcel flora, including the northwest grassland/levee setting. Persistent roots and soil movement can spread colonies.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Map before grading, avoid moving infested soil and use sustained control paired with dense appropriate native cover.

Harding grass Phalaris aquatica

What is known

Recorded invasive · dense tall-grass competition Recorded in the 2020/2022 flora. Dense growth can displace native meadow plants and reduce open short-grass structure.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Control before native seeding and prevent seed set. Maintain a mosaic rather than replacing one tall monoculture with another.

Stinkwort Dittrichia graveolens

What is known

Invasive watch · disturbed service edges A regional colonizer of compacted disturbed ground; no parcel occurrence is claimed here. Bare grading and vehicle movement create establishment opportunities.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Inspect new road edges and disturbed ground before late-season seed dispersal. Stabilize bare soil and clean equipment; treat small colonies promptly.

American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus

What is known

Invasive watch · native-amphibian predator Permanent warm ponds can favor bullfrogs over native amphibians. Its inclusion is precautionary; no parcel population is established here.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Avoid adding unmanaged warm permanent ponds. Inspect suitable water features and use agency-approved control where needed; never move captured animals to another waterbody.

Red-eared slider Trachemys scripta elegans

What is known

Invasive watch · pond-turtle competition Urban ponds are vulnerable to pet releases. Native pond-turtle habitat should not become a destination for released sliders.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Provide clear no-release interpretation at public water features and accessible monitoring points. Coordinate lawful removal; do not relocate pets into the river.

Red-eared slider · reference photograph.

Red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii

What is known

Invasive watch · aquatic food-web disruption A non-native predator and burrower in regional fresh waters. It can affect aquatic vegetation, small fauna and banks; no on-parcel population is asserted.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Prevent bait/pet releases and transfer in equipment or wet soil. Include it in water-feature inspection if permanent aquatic habitat is created.

Western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis

What is known

Invasive watch · larvae/invertebrate predation Stocking fish for mosquito control can conflict with amphibian and aquatic-invertebrate habitat goals. An attractive permanent pond can therefore create incompatible management demands.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Do not stock mosquitofish: the brief excludes animal introduction. Design cleanable inlets, suitable water movement/drawdown and a non-stocking vector-control strategy. A persistent refuge must reconcile mosquito control with native amphibian/invertebrate habitat.

Western mosquitofish · reference photograph.

Argentine ant Linepithema humile

What is known

Invasive watch · irrigated-edge food webs A widespread California invader that displaces native ants. The regional evidence does not establish its extent at SJC04. Persistent irrigation can favor its use of dry landscapes.

Design opening

DESIGN AGAINST · Prevent irrigation leaks, inspect nursery material and use targeted integrated pest management. Avoid broad insecticide treatment that undermines the native insect community.