1992 and 2002 views of the river below the Bluffs

1992 : the riparian forest along the river is a thin strip.  This was 40 years after Isabella Dam and vegetation dependent on seasonal flooding were hard hit.  However, some trees with good tap roots survived, e.g. cottonwoods when the water table was 30 feet down.

2002:  The Kern River Corridor Endowment had purchased this land in the late 1990s from ARCO but no significant revegetation efforts had yet begun as of 2002.  Owning the land was the important thing;  the Endowment was formed on the principle that this area would never be developed.  The in-holding now known as River Ranches (the square in the upper right) was not part of ARCO's property and so not part of the Endowment's purchase;  however, the formation of the Endowment and establishment of the preserve predates development of River Ranches.