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SECTION 2.0 SITE DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS The 870-acre Buckeye Ranch is located in northwestern San Joaquin County along the Mokelumne River. Buckeye Ranch and the surrounding area is characterized by gently rolling terrain, with elevations ranging between 20 and 35 feet above mean sea level. The area is surrounded by vineyards and pasture lands. The Mokelumne River forms the southern boundary, Forest Lake Road the north. Dominant natural features of the site include Tracy Lakes, Jahant Slough, and the Mokelumne River. Notable habitats at the site include an oak-buckeye savanna, a densely wooded area locally known as Brovelli Woods, small areas of riparian vegetation along the Mokelumne River and Tracy Lakes, various kinds of seasonal wetlands, and upland grassland vegetation. 2.1 Topography Millions of years ago this portion of San Joaquin County lay at the bottom of a great inland sea. Today the ranch lies on the Mokelumne River about one mile upstream from tidal flow,just on the edge of the California Delta. The terrain immediately surrounding Buckeye Ranch is characterized by gently rolling plains, ranging from 20 to 35' in elevation. The plains are incised by drainages. Rivers run at elevations from sea level to 4 feet and are fed by secondary channels at 10-15 feet above sea level. Small, shallow depressions which retain rainwater for several months following precipitation, known variously as hog wallows or vernal pools, are quite common throughout the region. The steepest slopes on Buckeye Ranch are along the banks of the Mokelumne River, which defines the lower, southern border of the property, and along the northeast portion of the southern lakebed. The lakes, identified on maps as Tracy Lake,receive water from Jahant Slough watershed, which radiates east and northeast from the property. Because the margins of the two lakes are highly convoluted, a variety of slopes and aspects are found Buckeye Ranch Resource Plan (November, 1993) 21