Area: 190 acres
Location: City of Perris, Riverside County, California.
Date Acquired: 1999
Acquisition Type: The Center for Natural Lands Management owns the Four Seasons. We protect and manage species and habitats on the preserve in perpetuity.
Key Habitats: Coastal Scrub and California Annual and Perennial Grassland
Species of Special Interest to CNLM: Coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica), Bell’s sage sparrow (Amphispiza belli belli), Rufous-crowned sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps canescens) and Loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
Introduction
The Four Seasons Preserve consists of approximately 190 acres in the southern limits of the City of Perris, Riverside, California. The Preserve was established in 1999 to mitigate for development impacts to Riversidian sage scrub and the federally threatened coastal California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica). Together with the adjacent 640-acre Kabian County Park, the Preserve provides protection for plants and wildlife in the region. This 190-acre Preserve lies south of the San Jacinto River and has a varied topography, with steep slopes and high plateaus that offer views west to the Santa Ana Mountains and east to the San Jacinto Mountains.
Conservation Significance
This Preserve consists of approximately 150 acres of Riversidian sage scrub, 35 acres of annual grasslands (where a fire occurred in the late 1990s), and several small patches of disturbed areas. Notable species found at the Preserve include four to six pairs of coastal California gnatcatchers, rufous-crowned sparrows (Aimophila ruficeps), Bell’s sage sparrow (Amphispiza belli belli), loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), and a beautiful array of native annual flowers such as the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), and goldfields (Lasthenia gracilis).
Our Work
The primary management objective on the Preserve is to maintain and enhance the Riversidian sage scrub habitat that supports coastal California gnatcatcher. To achieve this, the focus of management is to control nonnative plant species, distribute native shrub seed into areas dominated by annual grasslands, and control illegal access by off-road vehicles. Ongoing monitoring activities include winter bird counts, focused surveys for breeding pairs of coastal California gnatcatcher, and vegetation sampling.
Public Access
Contact
For information about Four Seasons or the Center for Natural Land Management, please contact Kim Klementowski, Preserve Manager at kklementowski@cnlm.org or 760.731.7790 extension 208