Vernal Pool

The vernal pools in the Stanford dish area are still a 'work in progress'.
Vernal Pool Site
Copyright © 2004, Magic, Inc.

What do the vernal pools in the Stanford foothills look like?

Not much, huh? Well, we're working on it! The picture you see is of a vernal pool that we are still working on making a good place for salamanders to live. In fact, if you come to help us out, this may be right where you working! Think of it as the frame of a new house. Before this will be recognizable and usable as a vernal pool, we need to plant a lot of plants that are common to the area and to vernal pools so that conditions will be 'just like home' to the salamanders. Once we have done that, all we have to do is wait for the rain and hope the salamanders will like the new 'house' we have built for them.

To build the vernal pool you see in the photo and several others like it, tractors dug out the pools in low-lying areas in the foothills. That way, the pools can collect water that runs off from the surrounding hills. Before the tractors could do their work, though, thousands of nativeNative Vegetation

Plants that have historically grown in a particular area and are therefore in balance with the local eco-system. Non-native plants often destroy native vegetation, causing imbalances in the eco-system. plants were salvaged from the area and saved in another place so that they can be re-planted later. This way, the native vegetation of the area is not lost.

Hopefully, the new vernal pools will help attract more native plant life back to the area. Land degradationLand Degradation

A number of processes, such as deforestation, devegetation and erosion that damage the environment. The spread of deserts into formerly fertile regions is an example of land degradation. and the removal of native plants in the past has caused the water tableWater Table

The level beneath the ground's surface where the ground is totally saturated with water. A falling water table can lead to desertification and salination of water supplies. to drop significantly making it difficult for these plants to survive. But with new vernal pools, seepage from these ponds should help raise the water table back to more acceptable levels for these plants.

previousWhat is a vernal pool?

Vernal pools are essential to the survival of the California Tiger Salamander and a number of other species  homeVernal Pools

Here you can find out what a vernal pool is and why vernal pools are vanishing. Also, you will find out what kind of creatures like vernal pools … and what kinds don't.  nextWhat kinds of animals can you find at vernal pools?

Find out what kind of neighbors the California Tiger Salamander has.