The 252-acre Dolan Ranch Conservation Bank is located near the Sacramento River at Colusa, California. The site was approved as a conservation bank in December of 1998 and features a wide variety of habitats including vernal pools, alkali meadows, annual grasslands, seasonal wetlands, and perennial marshes. Vernal pools provide important habitat for migratory waterfowl and shorebirds and, in the case of Dolan Ranch, support the vernal pool tadpole shrimp, a species listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. The grassland and alkali meadow habitats support other special-status species such as burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), cackling Canada geese (Branta canadensis minima), and Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsonii); perennial marshes are potential habitat for the threatened giant garter snake (Thamnophis couchi gigas). The site also supports several rare plants.

Special-Status Species Habitats Present On-site

• Giant Garter Snake (Thamnophis gigas), federally and state-listed as threatened
• Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi), federally listed as threatened
• Vernal Pool Tadpole Shrimp (Lepidurus packardi), federally-listed as endangered
• Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsonii), state-listed as threatened
• Western Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia hypugea), a state species of special concern
• Heartscale (Atriplex cordulata), a California Native Plant Society (CNPS) 1B species
• Brittlescale (A. depressa), a CNPS 1B species
• Lesser saltbush (A. minusculata), a CNPS 1B species