TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Some might call them mud puddles. But drive through one of these "puddles" at Travis Air Force Base, California, and you could face state and federal penalties.

Between December 2015 and February 2016, 60th Civil Engineer Squadron members discovered that people had driven through some of these areas along Perimeter Road and near the hospital.

By law, the base will have to restore these areas, said Penn Craig, 60th CES natural and cultural resources manager. 

Not only does off-road driving damage the vernal pools and wetland areas, it also threatens the federally listed species that live in these habitats, Craig added.

"We're asking people to stay off the grassy areas during the wet season," he said.

According to Jaymee Marty, a contractor with the Center for Environmental Management of the Military and a member of the base's natural resources team, the wetlands and moist soils are particularly vulnerable to damage from November to May,

Off-road drivers should be reported to the 60th CES at 424-8354 during duty hours and to 60th Security Forces Squadron at 424-2800 during non-duty hours.

The natural resources team is made up of Marty, who has a doctorate in ecology, and biologists Craig and Deanne Weber. The team is responsible for making sure that the base complies with all local, state and federal environmental protection policies and laws while accomplishing its mission. 

It's not just off-roading vehicles that threaten the vernal pools and wetland habitats. Activities that disturb the ground, such as digging and grading, leaving trash and fill material in wetlands and the unauthorized use of herbicides are also threats, Marty said.  

"Some of these activities can occur as long as best management practices are in place and proper environmental review and documentation occurs," Marty added.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife describes vernal pools as depressions in areas with a hard underground layer that prevents rainwater from draining downward into the subsoils.  Rain fills the pools during the wet season and remains in the depressions until spring when the water gradually evaporates.

There are more than 800 areas with vernal pool and wetland features covering approximately 81 acres of Travis, Marty said.

These areas are protected under the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. The Acts also protect the federally listed species that live and breed in these habitats, like the California tiger salamander and vernal pool fairy shrimp. 
    
 
Additionally, military installations are required to have "an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan that provides a planning tool for reaching conservation goals for these species and the habitat they require to survive," Marty said. "When projects or activities may adversely affect these resources, the Air Force analyzes those effects and consults with regulatory agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers."            

The Contra Costa goldfields also occupy vernal pools on base.  The Delta green ground beetle is also listed as a threatened species but it has not yet been documented on base, Marty said. 

The vernal pool fairy shrimp is a freshwater crustacean that lives and breeds in vernal pools and other seasonal wetlands. The shrimp produces cysts or "resting eggs" that lay buried in the soil during the dry season and hatch when the rains come, according to USFWS. 

The goldfield is a spring annual that typically flourishes from March through June. The goldfield germinates with the first rains and remains underwater as a seedling while the vernal pools are inundated.  As the pools dry out, the goldfields resume growth, forming golden rings and patches around pools.

"During the spring, vernal pools are often spotted by the colorful flowers that bloom in their basins," Marty said. "They often look like puddles to those who aren't familiar with their unique features.Some pools never fill due to a lack of sufficient rainfall while others pond water for a shorter period. Vernal pool species in general are drought adapted since they have survived for hundreds of thousands of years and undergone extreme climatic changes, including droughts more severe than the one we're in now."

For more information about the location of wetland and vernal pool features on base, contact the natural resources team at 424-8354.