Soils affect the kind and amount of vegetation that is available to wildlife as food and cover. They also affect the construction of water impoundments. The kind and abundance of wildlife depend largely on the amount and distribution of food, cover, and water. Wildlife habitat can be created or improved by planting appropriate vegetation, by maintaining the existing plant cover, or by promoting the natural establishment of desirable plants.

Most of the native plants and habitat in the area have been replaced with non-native species and human created habitats. Almost all the original wildlife is gone because wildlife is dependent on habitat. A few species of wildlife survive on several isolated nature preserves and refuges in the area. Original plant communities included Riparian Forest, Tree Savanna, and Prairie that included vernal pool wetlands, saltbrush and marsh areas. In some small-unfarmed native areas along isolated fence lines, canals and rivers, a few native plant species are present. Wildlife in the present environment is very scarce. Like native plants, a few wild animals have found havens in and around towns. It is common in the very early morning to see skunks and opossums wandering the streets, and in the early evening bats are a common sight.

The animals and plants that occur in the area are increasingly introduced, non-native species due to changes brought about by irrigated agriculture and urbanization. Occasionally, away from the towns, one will see a coyote. Cow egrets are common in the fields, as are many minor species of birds. Approximately 300 species of birds may be found in the region. Constant pressure from agricultural pest control, urban pesticides, and domesticated animals has greatly decreased the numbers of birds observed in the area.

The existing refuges and preserves are too small to have any of the large mammals that once inhabited the area, such as grizzly and black bears, tule elk, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, grey wolf, mountain lion, beaver, river otter and mink. But these animals had a profound impact on the vegetation and soil development in the area. Currently small mammals still exist in isolated areas, such as coyotes, bobcats, gray foxes, kit foxes, raccoons, badgers, porcupines, skunks, weasels, gophers, and various species of hare and squirrel. Constant pressure from urban expansion, agricultural pest control, urban pesticides, and domesticated animals has greatly decreased the numbers of these animals commonly seen.

Wetlands once were a major topographical feature of Tulare County. Tulare Lake occupied about 20,000 acres of the county on its western edge, and it was once the largest body of fresh water west of the Great Lakes. It was a major part of the Pacific Flyway and as late as the early 1900’s there were incredible numbers of birds-duck, geese, swans, cranes, and many others. Today, reclaimed and farmed, the lake is essentially gone.

The large number of rivers and streams in the area once were habitat to many species of animals, birds and fish. Very little native habitat along these drainages exist today. Tulare County had large areas of vernal pool wetlands. These wetlands occurred on hummocky ground that was dotted with internally drained pools that filled with winter rains and then slowly dried as the summer heat began.

Figure 10. Vernal pools surrounded by rings of flowering plants are typical of native areas of Exeter soils.  Areas such as this once covered a large amount of Tulare County.

Figure 11. Another example of native vernal pools surrounded by rings of flowering plants in an area of Lewis soils.

 About 193,000 acres, or about 25 percent of the area, was, under native conditions, high quality vernal pool habitat (figures 10 and 11), and another 200,000 acres was marginal vernal pool habitat. Currently about 11,200 acres, or 1.4 percent of the area, is left in its native state as vernal pool habitat. Due to these widespread rivers and vernal pools, wildlife flourished in what otherwise would have been a semi-arid desert. Currently the native areas that have vernal pools are habitat to a surprising number of surviving native species of flowering plants and a few animals. Some of these plants and animals are rare because so little of this habitat remains.