COMMISSION

Vegetation within the park is diverse due to the convergence of several California floristic
regions. Major vegetation communities include chaparral, pinyon juniper woodland,
grassland, riparian woodland, juniper shrubland, oak woodland, and mixed shrubland. The
60-acre Oak Woodland Natural Preserve in
the northwest area of Hungry Valley SVRA
protects a natural seep that provides water
for immense valley oaks with an understory
of native grasses. This is an extremely rare
and unique habitat and is, therefore, closed
to motorized recreation.
Hungry Valley SVRA has a contiguous
4,200-acre unique native valley grassland
plant community. During the formation
of the Hungry Valley SVRA,
Oak Woodland Natural Preserve - Hungry Valley SVRA
environmental scientists from State
Parks recognized a unique sixsquare-mile
area along the northern boundary of the park that contained the grasslands.
A management plan, formulated in 1981, recommended that the entire 4,200 acres be set
aside as the Hungry Valley Native Grasslands Management Area (NGMA). Park visitors can
travel through the area on OHVs only on clearly identified trails established by park staff to
protect this sensitive plant community.
An extensive vegetation and wildlife monitoring program was developed for Hungry Valley
SVRA in 1997. At that time, the Soil Ecology and Restoration Group from San Diego State
University (SDSU) conducted a vegetation and wildlife survey. Specific monitoring protocols
were established by SDSU in collaboration with the OHMVR Division. These protocols
were used during this survey to gather data on vegetation and wildlife at randomly selected
monitoring plots throughout the SVRA. Survey plots were located in both OHV and non-
OHV areas within each habitat type. These plots were paired with control plots in non-OHV
areas as well as riding areas. The system was created using SDSU protocols to establish
biotic inventory and monitoring methods and set up data analysis and interpretation
guidelines to determine long-term effects of OHV recreation on the habitats of Hungry
Valley SVRA. This early monitoring system developed into the prototype for the current
version of the HMS that is being implemented in all of the SVRAs.
Invasive Weed Management Program
Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica) was found in Hungry Valley SVRA in the spring of
2004. Since then, Hungry Valley SVRA has conducted a vigorous program every spring to
eradicate this invasive species within the boundaries of the SVRA. Originally, the infestation
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California State Parks, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Commission