The government shutdown has not had much effect on the human visitors at the Cosumnes River Preserve, but it may have a lasting impact on sandhill cranes and other birds that pass through this fall: Federal water bird counts in October were canceled.

“That is a critically important piece of data that gets entered usually twice a month,” said Sally Galiste, who volunteers as a naturalist at the preserve, just west of Galt. Dozens of volunteers participate and determine which species are present in what numbers. “That is not happening, and that is not good, because if we can’t monitor and figure out where the birds are, how many are here, where they’re hanging out at, and all that, it’s hard.”

Most of the preserve’s acres are owned by the Nature Conservancy, but some are owned by the federal Bureau of Land Management.

So far, the two water bird surveys planned for October have been canceled. That means the three sandhill cranes that landed in the managed wetland Sunday a little after noon were only counted informally this month; it also means that staff could have a harder time pinpointing when different migrating species arrived in the area.

The surveys help inform water management in the park. The lack of formal data could also affect the ongoing study of birds, including studies of how climate change influences migration.

The shutdown does not have a clear end in sight. Congressional Democrats have refused to agree to a budget that did not extend health insurance subsidies that support many of the 24 million Americans who have Affordable Care Act plans.

With Republicans saying that discussion can occur only after a budget deal, the federal government effectively closed up shop on Oct. 1. Much of the federal government has ceased operations, and workers who are considered essential are continuing to show up while generally not receiving pay.

Volunteer services at the Cosumnes River Preserve have also been affected. Galiste was by the entrance in an unofficial capacity on Sunday. She’s not allowed in the closed Visitor Center, where volunteers usually set up, but she thought it was important that a steward for the area be present to answer visitors’ bird questions and inform anyone who showed up with a dog that dogs and water birds do not mix.

She had copies of a list of dog-friendly parks in a 20-mile radius ready to go in her pocket just in case. A family stopped by, and she let them know that the giant flock chattering high in the air was likely a flock of white-fronted geese.

Visitor center, parking lots close at preserve

John Rogers, a birder, said he comes to the Cosumnes River Preserve almost every Sunday when it’s not raining, and even then, “it’d have to be pouring down pretty hard.” Some guided tours are still occurring, he said, but some have been canceled.

He thinks that in the parking lot that remains open, there are enough car spaces. But it’s uncertain what the effect of a shutdown might be if it stretched out into the winter months.

Galiste said that BLM staffers are still coming to the preserve to manipulate the water levels in the managed wetland areas because that work is “life-and-death” for waterfowl. Although the sandhill cranes with their flashy red crowns are the most iconic recurring residents of the park as they travel the Pacific Flyway, the area is an important habitat for more than 250 species of birds.

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