Near Bethel Island, at the mouth of False River, Little Franks Tract covers approximately 330 acres of what was once agricultural land. Today, it lies submerged within the Franks Tract State Recreation Area, managed by California State Parks and accessible only by boat.

Its transformation began after decades of subsidence and levee failures. Severe storms and high tides in the early 1980s breached the remaining levees, allowing water to reclaim land that had sunk below sea level. The state chose not to rebuild the levees, and the former farmland became shallow open water.

This history has created a distinctive restoration challenge. Little Franks Tract is now part of the Delta's complex network of waterways, yet its altered landscape and difficult access make habitat management unusually demanding. Understanding how the site reached its current condition is the first step toward addressing its ecological challenges.

Invasive vegetation is one of Little Franks Tract's most persistent challenges. Giant reed (Arundo donax), Himalayan blackberry, pampas grass and common reed (Phragmites) can spread aggressively, crowding out native plants and changing the structure of the habitat.

At Little Franks Tract, managing these species is complicated by waterlogged ground, submerged areas and the absence of roads or conventional access points. Crews cannot simply drive equipment into the site and work their way across it. Treatments must account for sensitive habitat, difficult footing and the practical limits of reaching isolated patches of vegetation.

CCRCD EcoStewards are helping tackle this challenge through a multi-year habitat management effort with California State Parks, supported by the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy. Their fieldwork focuses on identifying and treating invasive plants while testing methods suited to this unusual environment. The goal is to develop repeatable approaches that can guide continued management.

Removing invasive plants is only part of the restoration process. The next challenge is creating conditions where native Delta vegetation can recover and compete successfully.

EcoStewards target aggressive species that overtake the landscape, helping open space for native plants such as tules, California wild rose and willows. These species are valuable components of wetland and riparian habitat, contributing vegetation structure, shelter and resources for wildlife.

At Little Franks Tract, that work requires careful attention to where invasive plants occur and how treatments affect the surrounding environment. Because the land is submerged and access is limited, crews must adapt their methods to the conditions rather than rely on conventional land-based techniques.

Repeated management is also important. Invasive plants can return from surviving roots or established seed banks, so a single treatment may not be enough. By revisiting treated areas and recording results, EcoStewards help determine which approaches are most effective for this challenging Delta landscape.

Little Franks Tract's future depends on restoring more than plant diversity. The structure and variety of vegetation also influence which birds and other wildlife can find food, shelter and places to forage.

Dense stands of invasive blackberry and reed can dominate areas that could otherwise support a wider range of habitat. EcoStewards work to manage these growth patterns, helping create a more varied landscape with opportunities for native vegetation to establish. Thickets are not automatically undesirable—some provide useful cover—so management must consider habitat function rather than simply removing every dense patch.

A healthier mosaic of vegetation can benefit songbirds, wading birds and raptors that use the Delta. These improvements also support the broader ecological community on which native wildlife depends.

By documenting vegetation conditions and observing changes after treatment, EcoStewards help connect invasive plant management with the larger goal of improving habitat. Their work lays groundwork for future restoration while recognizing that ecological recovery takes time.

Little Franks Tract presents a logistical challenge unlike a typical restoration site. Much of the ground is submerged or unstable, and the area can only be reached by boat. Carrying tools, transporting crews and safely treating invasive plants requires careful planning.

To meet these conditions, CCRCD EcoStewards and project partners use watercraft and custom-built floating docks as mobile field bases. These platforms provide places to organize equipment and support work in areas that would otherwise be difficult to reach. Crews can move between treatment locations without depending on roads or firm ground.

The approach is part of a broader effort to develop practical methods for managing invasive vegetation in the Delta's subsided, waterlogged landscapes. Every field visit offers a chance to assess access, refine logistics and learn how equipment performs under real conditions.

By adapting restoration work to the site's unique geography, EcoStewards are helping establish methods that may prove useful in other challenging Delta environments.

Some invasive plant infestations are difficult to assess from the water. Dense vegetation, unstable ground and limited sightlines can conceal the true extent of a problem, making it harder to plan effective treatments.

To improve this picture, the Little Franks Tract project has used drone technology with support from Central UAS Technologies. High-resolution aerial imagery helps crews identify invasive plant patches, map their locations and plan targeted management. Project surveys have identified more than five acres of non-native vegetation for attention.

Aerial mapping is especially useful when conventional ground surveys are impractical or unsafe. Instead of treating an area without a clear picture of its condition, crews can use imagery to focus their efforts and document where vegetation occurs.

EcoStewards contribute field observations and treatment information that complement these aerial views. Combining on-the-ground experience with drone mapping helps the team build a clearer understanding of the site and develop a more organized, repeatable approach to invasive species management.

The work at Little Franks Tract is part of a longer effort to improve the Delta's ecological health. Although the site's submerged terrain and invasive vegetation make restoration difficult, addressing these problems now can help create better conditions for future habitat improvements.

CCRCD EcoStewards are helping test management methods, document field conditions and determine how crews and equipment can work effectively in challenging environments. That practical knowledge can inform broader planning efforts, including the Franks Tract Futures initiative, as agencies consider the area's long-term future.

The immediate goal is to prevent invasive plants from overwhelming the landscape and give native vegetation a better chance to establish. Over time, this work can contribute to more diverse habitat and provide valuable lessons for restoration elsewhere in the Delta.

Little Franks Tract shows that conservation does not always begin with a large construction project. Sometimes, progress starts with careful observation, persistent fieldwork and finding workable solutions to a difficult problem.