Alison Berry | Out of the Blue Commission

Out of the Blue

A project commissioned by UC Davis Health Care, Surgical Center, Sacramento, CA.

About the project:

Out of the blue Pacific Ocean, water evaporates into clouds, floating over the land, and showering it with fresh water. This land has also risen from beneath the sea, pushed up by mighty forces within the earth, crumpling into mountains and valleys over millions of years. The great good fortune of California's Central Valley is more valuable than gold - abundant fresh water and topsoil flowing in from the Coastal Ranges and the Sierra Nevada. But long before the valley formed, there was another precious gift from the sea. Tiny aquatic bacteria began to absorb sunlight, using the energy to build carbohydrates from water and carbon dioxide. These blue-green engines transformed the planet, filling the atmosphere with oxygen and creating a verdant biosphere from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. The land now feeds a vast array of plants and animals, united in a web of interdependence.

In the valley, fields form a vibrant patchwork, growing grain, fruit, nuts, and vegetables. This is some of the most fertile farmland in the world, but the crops also need animal pollinators to reproduce. Bats, bees, and hummingbirds sip nectar while performing the vital task. Migratory birds fly between Alaska and Patagonia along a route known as The Pacific Flyway, and stop near the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area to feed and rest during winter months. Here you can see the white-faced ibis, sandhill cranes, snow geese, the great white egret and blue heron, mallards, and other ducks. Mammal opportunists such as river otters, gray foxes, and coyotes may hunt fish, frogs, and unwary birds.

The Deep Sea Channel joins the Sacramento River near the city center, providing access for ocean-bound ships and bringing sea lions, pelicans, and gulls to the river junction.

Following The American River Parkway east, you'll find Bushy Lake. This designated Nature Study Area provides habitat for the western pond turtle, North American river otters, red shouldered hawks, wood ducks, great blue herons, and other birds. Elderberry, coyote brush and sandbar willow are some native plant species growing here.

Proceeding east, River Bend Park is known for black-tailed deer and turkeys. Quail, kingfishers, and grebes visit the riverbank, where largemouth bass and rainbow trout can be found. Larger raptors such as Osprey and Bald Eagle may harvest chinook salmon and steelhead trout during spawning season.

Further up the American River toward Lake Natoma and Folsom Lake, mountain lions, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, mule deer, and bears roam woodland trails, while great horned owls, hawks and kestrels hunt from the air. Foothill pine, live oak, and blue oak trees are distinctive species. Willow Creek is home to river otters, racoons, cormorants, and other water birds, attracted by abundant fish. Great Blue Herons breed on the south shore of Lake Natoma and are abundant here.

Throughout these environments, from farmland and city to rocky peaks and woodland glades, the ribbon of blue water movies from sea to sky, to river and lake, connecting and sustaining life

– Alison Berry, June 2025