The rest of the property will change a lot after the restoration. The role of a riparian corridor is critical to provide shelter for wildlife. She pointed to a concrete cascade on the distant river bluff near Woodward Park. The structure carries Fresno runoff during rainstorms. The waterway makes a straight run across the property to the river.
Officials hope to make the runoff channel meander so it has more of a natural appearance.
The meandering channel may help keep excess sediment from going into the river. Water movement across this property has been confined and removed for so long that the underground water level has dipped, making it hard for vegetation to survive. Survivors are mostly trees with deep roots. But, in the river, the wildlife diversity ranges widely among plants and animals, including fish and beaver. Hallowell said she once went on a moonlight canoe trip and discovered beaver all over the river.