The only state listed species found in vernal pools are plants. This spring, the 11 agencies that regulate or protect vernal pools are working on a framework agreement, the Interagency Vernal Pool Stewardship Initiative, to streamline overlapping regulatory functions of the permitting process and serve as the basis for a coordinated, cooperative, ecosystem-based approach to conserving and managing vernal pools. The agreement, like Governor Pete Wilson's 1993 Wetlands Conservation Policy, calls for fostering an ecosystem-based approach to protecting vernal pools that permits necessary economic development. Though time is running out, the framework agreement presents us with an opportunity to protect these habitats as part of California's rich natural heritage. Where Pools Are Found Thousands of vernal pools are scattered up and down the state, but primarily in the grasslands of the Central Valley, the Santa Rosa and Modoc plateaus, marine terraces above San Diego, and coastal range valleys.
Vernal pools are complex ecosystems that contribute to California's rich biodiversity.
Some are 10 acres or larger, while others are barely bigger than an average dining room table. They abound with aquatic life that feeds waterfowl and provide habitat for freshwater crustaceans and amphibians. Vernal pools sustain some 200 plant species, about half of which live only in California. Conflicting Views Vernal pools are a topic of conflict over how many and which ones should be preserved, and at what cost to developers. Conservationists tend to favor preserving as many as possible, particularly larger, vernal pool complexes with greater ecological value in areas most likely to sustain them.