SEASONAL WETLANDS

The primary seasonal wetlands at Stanford are Lagunita and Skippers Pond. Both of these bodies of water support large numbers of aquatic invertebrates and vegetation. Pacific treefrogs are found in abundance in both bodies of water, and western toads frequently reproduce in large numbers in Lagunita. California tiger salamanders have been documented to reproduce in Lagunita since the early part of the 1900s. Bullfrogs are abundant in Skippers Pond in some years, and particularly when periods of above average rainfall allow the pond to retain water through the summer. A few bullfrogs are encountered in Lagunita every year, but no bullfrog tadpoles have been encountered there in at least three decades. Fishes generally are not present in either Lagunita or Skippers Pond. Occasionally, mosquito fish, crayfish, and goldfish are found in low densities. Waterfowl are fairly abundant in Lagunita during the wet season. A number of reptile species occupy the Lagunita lakebed during the dry season, including western racer, kingsnake, gopher snake, and common gartersnake. Pocket gophers are also abundant in the Lagunita area (so much so that the University Facilities department must constantly take active measures to control the numbers of gophers residing in the earthen dam that forms two-thirds of Lagunita’s edge, as required by the California Division of Dams Safety). Skunks and raccoons also are commonly encountered in the seasonal wetlands.

Click here to view images of seasonal wetlands.