Amazing nature at Shollenberger Petaluma!

[decterlove]

C'mon, all you Waccobbians! Don't be afraid to use some fossil fuel to come down and check out Petaluma once in a while! I just had the most amazing experience with nature at the newly opened Ellis Creek Water Treatment Plant which is the second natural water treatment plant on the west coast, I believe but that might be old information.

I went out there with a friend late in the afternoon for just a short little walk and came upon 3 river otters running and frolicking out of water along side one of the large holding/filtering ponds now in operation down there. I've seen one otter at a time swimming in the channels at Shollenberger and also at the Turning Basin little park at the end of Hopper. But these were running around like dogs at the edge of the water!

Then they started diving back into the shallow space between the shore and the thick reeds and coming up with crawdads in their mouths! We walked alongside them as they were dining on at least 5 crunchy delicious crayfish for probably 10 mnutes till they finally edged into deeper recesses of the reeds and disappeared....(I got a few crappy videos of the action on my cell phone camera...)

Three minutes later as we were walking along and Eric stumbled over a red sided garter snake which I've never had the pleasure of examining before.
https://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/t.s.infernalis.html#description

Then when we got back to the truck and were busy telling a couple of gals just entering the park about our experience, the three otters suddenly bolted from one pond and galloped like dogs across a big open span of maybe 50 yards to the next channel!

It was a totally amazing sequence of live up close and personal interactions with the local wild kingdom!

[hales]

That sounds cool, Decter, can you access the water treatment plant, via the Shollenberger Park? I've walked around the loop at Shollenberger and saw some amazing birds out there. One had an amazing feather headdress.. I think I read an obituary about that particular bird.. it was kinda famous. it was some kind of Egret, but not one of the common kinds.

Scott.

Btw, there is a benefit for the park, coming up..

Save Shollenberger Park: Experience Shollenberger and Help the Community (https://www.saveshollenberger.com/2009/08/experience-shollenberger-and-help.html)


C'mon, all you Waccobbians! Don't be afraid to use some fossil fuel to come down and check out Petaluma once in a while! I just had the most amazing experience with nature at the newly opened Ellis Creek Water Treatment Plant which is the second natural water treatment plant on the west coast, I believe but that might be old information.

I went out there with a friend late in the afternoon for just a short little walk and came upon 3 river otters running and frolicking out of water along side one of the large holding/filtering ponds now in operation down there. I've seen one otter at a time swimming in the channels at Shollenberger and also at the Turning Basin little park at the end of Hopper. But these were running around like dogs at the edge of the water!

Then they started diving back into the shallow space between the shore and the thick reeds and coming up with crawdads in their mouths! We walked alongside them as they were dining on at least 5 crunchy delicious crayfish for probably 10 mnutes till they finally edged into deeper recesses of the reeds and disappeared....(I got a few crappy videos of the action on my cell phone camera...)

Three minutes later as we were walking along and Eric stumbled over a red sided garter snake which I've never had the pleasure of examining before.
Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis - California Red-sided Gartersnake (https://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/t.s.infernalis.html#description)

Then when we got back to the truck and were busy telling a couple of gals just entering the park about our experience, the three otters suddenly bolted from one pond and galloped like dogs across a big open span of maybe 50 yards to the next channel!

It was a totally amazing sequence of live up close and personal interactions with the local wild kingdom!

[DeadwoodPete]

It sounds wonderful, but where is it? I do not know Petaluma that well.

Thanks, Deadwood


C'mon, all you Waccobbians! Don't be afraid to use some fossil fuel to come down and check out Petaluma once in a while! I just had the most amazing experience with nature at the newly opened Ellis Creek Water Treatment Plant which is the second natural water treatment plant on the west coast, I believe but that might be old information.

I went out there with a friend late in the afternoon for just a short little walk and came upon 3 river otters running and frolicking out of water along side one of the large holding/filtering ponds now in operation down there. I've seen one otter at a time swimming in the channels at Shollenberger and also at the Turning Basin little park at the end of Hopper. But these were running around like dogs at the edge of the water!

Then they started diving back into the shallow space between the shore and the thick reeds and coming up with crawdads in their mouths! We walked alongside them as they were dining on at least 5 crunchy delicious crayfish for probably 10 mnutes till they finally edged into deeper recesses of the reeds and disappeared....(I got a few crappy videos of the action on my cell phone camera...)

Three minutes later as we were walking along and Eric stumbled over a red sided garter snake which I've never had the pleasure of examining before.
Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis - California Red-sided Gartersnake (https://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/pages/t.s.infernalis.html#description)

Then when we got back to the truck and were busy telling a couple of gals just entering the park about our experience, the three otters suddenly bolted from one pond and galloped like dogs across a big open span of maybe 50 yards to the next channel!

It was a totally amazing sequence of live up close and personal interactions with the local wild kingdom!

[hales]

Here's a map to Shollenberger Park, Pete.. ; )

shollenberger park petaluma map - Google Maps (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=shollenberger%20park%20petaluma%20map&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl)


It sounds wonderful, but where is it? I do not know Petaluma that well.

Thanks, Deadwood

[decterlove]

That sounds cool, Decter, can you access the water treatment plant, via the Shollenberger Park?

yes....all connected now but parts of Shollenberger may still be closed for a few weeks for the redredging of the central pond.....cheers! ds