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Project Titles:
- Rehabilitate Gravel Road (FFS #R8GY)
- Construct Headquarters Visitor Building (FFS #R8AF)
State: California
Project Description: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge has awarded American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funds to rehabilitate a gravel road and construct a new headquarters and visitor building at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge.
Rehabilitate Gravel Road
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided funding to apply gravel to two miles of roadway at the San Luis Unit of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in Merced County, California.
Effect on Wildlife Habitat and Species: This project will improve access to a water conveyance canal which will allow more efficient maintenance to be performed on the canal, providing greater water conservation and allowing greater efficiency in managing wetland units, benefitting the waterbirds which depend on them.
Effect on Deferred Maintenance Backlog: By improving a key service road, this project will reduce the station’s existing deferred maintenance backlog.
Scope: As directed by the Service, the Contractor will apply a minimum of 1,600 tons of ¾-AB road gravel to the “A-Canal Extension” road at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. This Refuge road is approximately two miles long and 12 feet wide. Gravel will be deposited along the entire length of road to a depth of 6 to 6 ½ inches un-compacted, which is roughly equal to four inches of compacted gravel.
The material will be ¾-AB road gravel comprised of a blend of fractured stone, sand, and fines with some clay content and no recycled asphalt content.
Areas identified as construction staging areas shall be returned to their original natural condition upon completion of the project.
The Contractor shall immediately stop work if paleontological, archaeological or historical remains (including burials or skeletal material) are encountered during performance of this Contract.
Project Status: The contract was awarded to Quick Sand Express of Hilmar, California, on September 3, 2009, in the amount of $24,985.60.
The project started September 3, 2009 and was completed and paid on September 23, 2009.
Construct Headquarters and Visitor Center
This project will construct a one-story standard design refuge headquarters and visitor center for the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex in Los Banos, Calif. The refuge complex is comprised of the Merced NWR, San Luis NWR, San Joaquin River NWR, and the Grasslands Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The San Luis NWR, Merced NWR, and Grasslands WMA are located in Merced County while the San Joaquin River NWR is in Stanislaus County. The building will be constructed to meet LEED Silver standards and will incorporate solar and other appropriate renewable energy sources as identified during the detailed design phase. The building will be constructed on existing refuge land on the San Luis Unit of the San Luis NWR, and will accommodate up to 30 permanent staff and 20 seasonal staff or volunteers. The refuge currently receives 120,000 visitors per year; but has no on-site facilities for visitors or refuge staff.
Project Benefits: The new refuge headquarters and visitor center will improve and expand environmental education, interpretation and outreach opportunities for the public while improving operating efficiencies and reducing costs for refuge staff. Current administrative offices are located in commercial leased space in a strip mall in the city of Los Banos. When completed, the refuge facility will eliminate annual building leasing costs, currently $179,000 per year. The on-refuge location will greatly reduce costs and time associated with travel to and from Los Banos and the refuge (currently 30 minutes each way). The building’s use of LEED green technology will reduce energy use and costs.
The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge
The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge encompasses over 26,600 acres of wetlands, riparian forests, native grasslands, and vernal pools. The refuge is host to significant assemblages of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and plants; some of which, such as the tiger salamander and San Joaquin kit fox, are endangered species.
In 1966, the first parcel of the refuge was purchased with Federal Duck Stamp funds to provide a sanctuary for migratory waterfowl. Over the years, the refuge has steadily grown in size. Today, it is comprised of six contiguous units: San Luis, East Bear Creek, West Bear Creek, Freitas, Blue Goose, and Kesterson. The San Joaquin River bisects the eastern portion of the Refuge.
The Refuge is a major wintering ground and migratory stopover point for large concentrations of waterfowl, shorebirds, and other waterbirds. Large flocks of northern shoveler, mallard, gadwall, wigeon, green-winged teal, cinnamon teal, northern pintail, ring-billed duck, canvasback, ruddy duck, as well as snow, Ross’s, and white-fronted geese swarm over the mosaic of seasonal and permanent wetlands that comprise a quarter of the refuge. Waterfowl generally remain until mid-April before beginning their journey north to breeding areas. Some mallard, gadwall, and cinnamon teal stay through the spring and summer and breed on the refuge.
Shorebirds, including sandpipers and plovers, can be found in the tens of thousands from autumn through spring. Large flocks of dunlin, long-billed dowitchers, least sandpipers, and western sandpipers can be found feeding in shallow seasonal wetlands, whereas flocks of long-billed curlews are found using both wetlands and grasslands. Over 25 species of shorebirds have been documented at the San Luis NWR.
The San Luis NWR has played a key role in the recovery of the tule elk, a non-migratory elk subspecies found only in California. Prior to the mid-1800s, an estimated 500,000 tule elk lived in California. Due to over-hunting and loss of natural habitat, they were nearly driven to extinction by the turn of the 20th Century. By some accounts, the population was down to ten to twenty at one point. In 1974, a herd of 18 animals was established in a large enclosure at the San Luis NWR and has since thrived. Elk from this herd are periodically relocated to establish new herds, or supplement existing tule elk herds throughout California. A true wildlife recovery success story, the statewide tule elk population has recovered to over 4,000 animals.
Less well known are the extensive upland habitats found on the refuge. Many of these habitats are characterized by saline or alkaline conditions, which are accentuated by the low rainfall and arid conditions that characterize the San Joaquin Valley. These habitats support a rich botanical community of native bunchgrasses, native and exotic annual grasses, forbs, and native shrubs. Trees, such as the valley oak, cottonwood, and willow, are found along riparian corridors. In these areas, visitors might encounter coyotes, desert cottontail rabbits, ground squirrels, western meadowlarks, yellow-billed magpies, loggerhead shrikes, as well as northern harriers and white-tailed kites coursing over the vegetation and other raptors. Stately great blue herons, great egrets, and white-faced ibis are frequently sighted throughout the refuge.
San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex
The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex – composed of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, Merced National Wildlife Refuge, San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, and the Grasslands Wildlife Management Area – consists of nearly 45,000 acres of wetlands, grasslands, and riparian habitats, as well as over 90,000 acres of conservation easements on private lands for the protection and benefit of wildlife. The refuge units are located in the northern San Joaquin Valley of California in Merced and Stanislaus Counties.
The Complex is located within the Pacific Flyway, a major route for migrating birds, including waterfowl. The extensive wetlands of the Complex and surrounding lands provide habitat for up to a million waterfowl that arrive here each winter. Of the 30 species of waterfowl using the Complex, the most common include Ross’ geese, Aleutian cackling geese, snow geese, green-winged teal, mallard, northern pintail, gadwall, American wigeon, northern shoveler, and white-fronted geese.
The Complex is an integral part of a mosaic of federal, state, and private lands in Merced County that together constitute the largest contiguous freshwater wetlands remaining in California. This area has been recognized as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, an Audubon Important Bird Area, and as a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site.
December 2011 Project Update: Visitors to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex will now be greeted by a life-sized tule elk statue and panoramic views as they enter a new state-of-the-art headquarters and visitor center which ceremoniously opened its doors to the public October 14. More than 300 visitors explored and experienced the new facility following the long-awaited grand opening, which involved several partner groups, local community leaders and refuge staff.
Long-standing refuge partners Ducks Unlimited, San Joaquin River Partnership, River Partners, University of California Davis, and California State University-Stanislaus assisted the refuge with the project and were involved in choosing themes for wildlife exhibits and other features.
“Projects like this give us the opportunity to have a presence in a community,” said Jim Kurth, Chief of the National Wildlife Refuge System. “It’s a place where citizens from the local area can bring their children to learn about nature and have a good time in the outdoors as a family. It makes a positive impression in the community of what the Service does, and that’s really important.”
The building is one of the largest refuge construction projects in the nation to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and also features the latest energy saving design and technology. The builder, West Coast Contractors of Reno, Nevada, estimates that the project created a minimum of 50 full time jobs. At least 300 people from more than 30 individual subcontracting companies worked on the project.
The innovative building was designed by Catalyst Architecture of Prescott, Ariz., an award winning firm and expert in energy efficient and sustainable design. Their “place based” design combined functionality with sustainability and beauty. Designers blended the structure with the ecology of the site to complement the surrounding environment and help tell the story of the refuge.
The refuge is in the process of obtaining the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification. In order to earn the Platinum level, the highest rating, the San Luis NWR building met a long list of standards for energy conservation, renewable energy production, water efficiency, use of recycled materials, and indoor environmental quality and control. The 16, 000 square foot building is also expected to be a less-than-zero structure-meaning the facility has been designed to produce more energy than it consumes.
The building also features administrative offices, an environmental education classroom, an exhibit hall filled with interactive displays, and a dramatic glass-enclosed lobby and visitor information area. Visitors may even see a tule elk wandering behind the building.
“There are all sorts of interactive exhibits to give the visitor something to do, and our goal was to make it not only educational, but to create a sense of discovery and a sense of wonder, “said Jack Sparks, outdoor recreation planner at the refuge.
Refuge staff believes the visitor center also creates an environment for learning about nature, and will soon become a resource for the local community members and school groups, and a destination for visitors traveling from other areas. The exhibit hall features over 20 displays depicting the various habitats on the refuge. Children (and adults) can touch, pull, and open drawers to find little treasures and fun facts about the many types of wildlife that live on the refuge.
Another benefit of the new building is that it allows refuge staff to actually be located on the Refuge. For the past 30 years, refuge offices were located inside leased space at a strip mall in nearby Los Banos, Calif., and provided no facilities for refuge visitors. Despite a lack of facilities, approximately 100,000 people visited the refuges in the San Luis NWR Complex, (San Luis, Merced, and San Joaquin River) last year, and refuge staff expects the new facility to attract twice as many visitors.
The visitor center is located at 7376 S. Wolfsen Road, off Highway 165, about six miles north of Highway 152 and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except holidays.
Photos:
 “A-Canal Extension” road before rehabilitation. |
 Canal road under construction. |
 Canal road after rehabilitation. |
 Tule elk roam at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. |
Tule elk roam at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge.To learn more:
- Fresno Bee “San Luis refuge plan takes flight – National wildlife area to get $10M visitor center in 2011″
- Merced Sun-Star “Visitors center could double tourism at San Luis wildlife refuge, officials say”
For more information, visit the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge website, or contact:
Karl Stromayer
Assistant Refuge Manager
San Luis National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
947 West Pacheco Blvd., Suite C
Los Banos, CA 93635
Phone: (209) 826-3508
Fax: (209) 826-1445
Karl_Stromayer@fws.gov
Mary Crist
Administrative Officer
San Luis NWR Complex
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 2176
947 West Pacheco Blvd., Suite C
Los Banos, CA 93635
Phone: (209) 826-3508, Ext. 12
Fax: (209) 826-1445
Mary_Crist@fws.gov
Kim Forrest
Refuge Manager
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex
P.O. Box 2176
Los Banos, California 93635
Phone: (209) 826-3508
Fax: (209) 826-1445
Kim_Forrest@fws.gov
Robert Parris
Deputy Refuge Manager
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex
P.O. Box 2176
Los Banos, California 93635
Phone: (209) 826-3508
Fax: (209) 826-1445
Bob_Parris@fws.gov
Quick Sand Express, Inc.
22063 American Avenue
Hilmar, CA 95324-9628
Phone: (209) 634-3478
Press Releases:
- Secretary Salazar Announces Contract Award for Design and Engineering of Administrative Headquarters and Visitor Center at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex
- New Jobs Created in $7.2 Million Recovery Act Project for San Luis National Wildlife Refuge; Construction of New Visitor Center and Administrative Headquarters Underway
Originally posted 07/01/2009
Updated 03/02/2010
Updated 05/03/2010
Updated 05/06/2010
Updated 05/27/2010
Updated 06/01/2010
Updated 08/12/2010
Page Completed 12/08/2011
