Rewilding the place

One of the fun things to do when buying a new property is the first "haircut", and we performed it today. I think the original developer of this area was trying to do some sort of suburban resort theme. We've got a big barn with a caretaker apartment upstairs; the stables were converted to storage a few years ago; today, we took down the corral. It makes a huge difference; instead of white picket fences, we have a straight view to the national forest.

The river is much higher today than it was yesterday, as the snow from Mt. Whitney continues to melt. The flow is around 7000 cfs; two days ago it was more like 4000. A highly variable river this is! Monitor the flow at the Corps of Engineers; the last column is the one of interest.

This place is a nature paradise. Some figures from birder Bob Barnes' site:

Significant Floral and Faunal Facts

• Highest mammal diversity (115+ species) in North America north of southern Mexico
• Highest plant diversity (over 2000+ vascular plant species) in California
• Highest butterfly diversity (135 species) in California