LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Boggs Lake is an unusual example of an upland vernal pool that occurs on volcanic substrate and may be the largest vernal pool in California. It provides an environment for many unique plant species.
Vernal pools are temporary pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals, and most are typically much smaller in size than Boggs Lake.
As is typical of vernal pools, Boggs Lake is not fed by streams or springs, but rather acts as a catch basin for rainfall during the wet season, then gradually dries through the summer.
The natural community supports unique plant species adapted to this environment and provides habitat for a variety of waterfowl and marsh birds as well as a population of Western pond turtles.
Access to the Preserve is from Harrington Flat Road off of Bottle Rock Road near Mount Hannah.
In 2011, the Lake County Land Trust entered into a two year agreement to co-manage the Boggs Lake Preserve with The Nature Conservancy.
The Preserve is about 200 acres in size and the first 101 acres was acquired by TNC in 1973 from the Fibreboard Corp.
Acquisition of the Preserve was one of The Nature Conservancy’s earliest projects in California and resulted from concerns raised by the California Native Plant Society and botanists from UC California over proposed development adjacent to the Lake.
The Lake County Land Trust got involved in 2008, by inquiring if The Nature Conservancy would consider having the Land Trust take over as managers of the preserve.
We believed, due to our proximity to the preserve and connections to the local community, that the Land Trust could detect and respond to issues of concern in a more timely fashion than The Nature Conservancy.
After a few years of conversation, The Nature Conservancy agreed to a two-year trial period where it would provide some operational funding and the Lake County Land Trust would commit to accomplishing a number of management tasks including fund raising, community outreach, infrastructure upgrades, updating brochures, fence repairs, trail maintenance, etc.
During the two-year trial period we formed a Boggs Lake Committee comprised of local neighbors and Boards who met to determine goals over the trial period.
In August 2013, the trial period ended. The Land Trust now continues to manage the preserve, most recently with funding support from the local Cobb Geothermal Mitigation program, and is are discussing with The Nature Conservancy details behind a transfer of ownership to the Lake County Land Trust.
Jon Ambrose is president of the Lake County Land Trust, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. For more information about the Land Trust, or to become a member, please go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org or call 707-262-0707.