Students Lead Habitat Restoration at Russell Ranch

At Russell Ranch, just west of campus along Russell Boulevard, a transformation is underway. What was once grazed pasture and alfalfa field is becoming a thriving native habitat led by UC Davis students and funded by The Green Initiative Fund, or TGIF. 

The Russell Ranch Slough Restoration Project, designed and implemented by the Arboretum and Public Garden’s Learning by Leading™ Ecological Land Management, or ELM, team, is now at its midpoint. Site preparation is complete, invasive species have been cleared, and nearly 200 native trees and shrubs have been planted along the seasonal slough. 

“Projects like this show students that restoration isn’t theoretical. It’s something they can design and implement themselves,” said Miles DaPrato, environmental steward for the Arboretum and Public Garden and staff mentor for the ELM team. 

Turning Working Land into Wildlife Habitat 

The 2.5-acre site sits within the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, surrounded by agriculture and rural residences. Rather than separating nature from working landscapes, the project shows how the two can work together — creating habitat while improving the ecological function of the land. 

This past fall, students removed old livestock fencing that blocked wildlife movement, prepared the soil, and seeded the site with locally adapted native grasses and wildflowers timed to the first seasonal rains. 

Over the winter, the team planted nearly 200 native trees and shrubs, including valley oak, cottonwood, willow, elderberry and toyon. Temporary drip irrigation has been installed to help the young plants establish during their first critical summers. “You can study restoration in class, but being out here actually doing the work is completely different,” said Keira Folkers, Environmental Engineering, 2026, and Kayden Delvo, Environmental Science and Management, 2026.  “You start to understand the land, the timing of the seasons and the decisions that go into every step.” 

Student Leadership 

The Learning by Leading™ Ecological Land Management team actively stewards 158 acres across the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve. Each year, students take on a new restoration site: designing plans, coordinating installation days, managing irrigation, and monitoring survival rates. 

This project also partners with the Putah Creek Council’s OneCreek Internship Program, giving students opportunities to mentor peers and lead community planting days. 

“Students aren’t just planting trees,” said DaPrato. “They’re learning how to assess a site, select appropriate species, manage irrigation, and adapt when conditions change. Those are the exact skills restoration professionals use every day.” 

Students graduate with experience in ecological restoration, irrigation design, invasive species management, and long-term land stewardship. These skills directly transfer to careers in conservation and natural resource management. 

What’s next? 

This spring, students will install milkweed to expand pollinator habitat. Through summer, they’ll manage irrigation and continue weed control while monitoring plant survival and adjusting management as the site establishes. 

Over time, the young trees will form a canopy. Native grasses will stabilize soil and improve water infiltration. Shrubs will provide habitat for birds and pollinators. What began as a grazed pasture and former alfalfa field will gradually become a thriving wildlife corridor. 

Funded by TGIF and powered by student leadership, the Russell Ranch Slough Restoration Project reflects the Arboretum and Public Garden bringing the university’s land-grant roots to life by improving the land we steward so it can better serve our community, including the wildlife that depend on it.