From the air, California’s Great Central Valley looks like a work of art. It is, in fact, a vast mosaic of crops and natural habitats that sustain significant populations of native birds, fish and mammals. Staten Island Ranch has been part of this mosaic for nearly 100 years. Today, the property produces large amounts of grain for distribution all over the United States. And in the winter, after the harvest, Staten Island managers flood the fields to "grow" another very important crop— greater and lesser sandhill cranes. Up to 15 percent of the threatened greater sandhill crane population in the Central Valley winters on Staten Island, making the property one of the most important feeding and roosting sites for these ancient birds.

	Staten Island at harvest © Mike Eaton 2003

Location

Staten Island Ranch is located in San Joaquin County near the Cosumnes River Preserve within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Size

Staten Island is a 9,200-acre (14 square miles) farm, of which approximately 8,419 (13 square miles) are suitable for farming. The remaining land is composed of levees, roads, ditches, canals, buildings, and operational facilities.

Animals

Staten Island is located in the Northern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, near the Cosumnes River Preserve, which is graced by more than just greater and lesser sandhill cranes. Tens of thousands of Pacific flyway birds winter along the Cosumnes and in the North Delta, including:

‣	tundra swans
‣	Ross's white-fronted and Canada geese
‣	great blue herons
‣	egrests
‣	pintails
‣	mallards
‣	white-tailed kites

In the spring and summer, Staten Island and many of the surrounding farms also support the threatened Swainson’s hawk.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site

Agriculture is core to the economy of California’s Great Central Valley, and achieving a balance between farming and wildlife is crucial in order for all communities to flourish. To that end, Staten Island managers Jim & Sally Shanks established both a sustainable farming operation and a winter home for sandhill cranes. Largely due to the Shanks’ efforts, Staten Island now hosts one of the largest crane populations in the Delta. Realizing there is much to be learned from the Shanks, The Nature Conservancy has joined with them to understand their model for wildlife-friendly farming and its effects on the threatened sandhill crane. The operation could serve as a model for farmers throughout the Delta who are interested in conserving natural habitats while managing a successful farming operation.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing

Jim & Sally Shanks have managed Staten Island for nearly 50 years, and ultimately they plan to retire. The Conservancy would like not only to understand the successful farming model on Staten Island, but ultimately help find long-term owners who are invested in the wildlife values embodied by the Shanks. In December 2002, The Nature Conservancy established an affiliate organization, Conservation Farms & Ranches, to manage Staten Island while the Shanks continue day-to-day operations. In the fall of 2003, the Conservancy published two independent reports documenting farming operations on Staten Island and the significant benefits to crane populations. Going forward, the Conservancy will continue to work closely with the Shanks to meet our mutual goals of protecting these ancient birds, and learning new ways for agriculture to work in harmony with the environment.