Folsom Lake State Recreation Area lies at the base of the Sierra Nevada foothills and is home to a wide
variety of ecosystems and unique habitats, including Chamise Chaparral, Interior Live Oak Woodland,
Blue Oak Savanna, California Annual Grassland, Cottonwood/Willow Riparian, Freshwater Marsh and
Vernal Pools. Dredger piles, remnants of the California Gold Rush, are slowly being reclaimed by nature
and wetlands can be found in several locations in the park. The lakes themselves (Folsom and Natoma)
provide wetland and aquatic habitat as well as extensive shorelines that fluctuate with the season and
with water management practices.