Visitors can enjoy the area’s many nature preserves

By News-Sentinel staff

There’s a lot to see in the wide open spaces around Lodi beyond winegrape vineyards.

The Lodi area is also home to a wide range of wildlife and wetlands for those who enjoy spending their time viewing nature.

Among the better-known animal habitats of the area are those of the greater and lesser Sandhill cranes, which spend their winter in the San Joaquin Valley.

The majestic, prehistoric birds generally arrive in the Lodi area at the beginning of October and stay into March.

While the cranes are popular enough to have inspired the annual Sandhill Crane Festival, they are hardly the area’s only natural attraction. In fact, there are three large wildlife-viewing areas within a 30-minute drive of Lodi.

• Cosumnes River Preserve — The Cosumnes River Preserve is a 37,000-acre reserve, with land stretching from Howard Ranch near Rancho Seco to Staten Island in the San Joaquin Delta.

The preserve’s public services are focused on Franklin Road outside Galt, just south of Twin Cities Road.

The visitors center is located at 13501 Franklin Blvd., 1.7 miles south of Twin Cities road. The center is open weekends from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from April through June, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in July and August.

There are also two public trails, the 1-mile Lost Slough Trail and the 3.3-mile Willow South Trail, both located on Franklin Road just north of the visitors center.

The Willow Slough Trail is open during daylight hours, and the Lost Slough Trail is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guided tours are offered on certain weekends.

For more information, call (916) 684-2816, or visit the Web site.

• Woodbridge Ecological Reserve — The main site open to the public is a crane-viewing area on the south side of Woodbridge Road, about 2.5 miles west of Interstate 5.

The reserve also includes a viewing shelter in a riparian habitat area where visitors can watch cranes and other wetland wildlife flying up to roost for the evening. The shelter is accessible only during tours.

Six tours are staged monthly on Saturdays, Sundays and select Thursdays. All tours last about two hours, ending at sunset.

For more information, call (916) 358-2885.

• Stone Lakes Wildlife Refuge — Stone Lakes, part of the National Wildlife Refuge System, is located west of Interstate 5 at the end of Elk Grove Boulevard.

Rangers schedule a number of programs throughout the year. In March Stone Lakes celebrates the National Wildlife Refuge System’s birthday. Another big event is held each fall.

Wildlife and wetlands viewing areas are available, through both self-guided and docent-led tours. There is a viewing platform about three miles up the trail from the parking lot.

Last year’s National Audobon Society’s bird count yielded more than 150 different species of birds. Egrets and herons are popular birds.

For more information, call (916) 979-2086.