WCB 5/2012: State wildlife land buys for May 2012...

Over 17,000 acres to be saved for Critters this Month

NOTICE OF MEETING

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD

May 31, 2012, 10:00 AM

State Capitol, Room 112, Sacramento, California 95814

preliminary agenda:
http://www.nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=46452

MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=54666

SUMMARY:

SISKIYOU COUNTY: 3104 ACRES

HUMBOLDT COUNTY: 8461 ACRES

BUTTE COUNTY: 918 ACRES

FRESNO COUNTY: 11 ACRES

MONTEREY COUNTY: 113 ACRES

RIVERSIDE COUNTY: 1372 ACRES
SOLANO COUNTY: 2910 ACRES

SAN DIEGO COUNTY: 139 ACRES
LOS ANGELES COUNTY: 1030 ACRES

Little Shasta Conservation Easement (Townley) $1,327,900, Siskiyou County

grant to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to acquire a conservation easement over 3,104± acres of land for protection of critical winter range for elk and other regional California wildlife and protection of grasslands that sustain working landscapes, located east of the City of Yreka and the town of Montague in Siskiyou County.

Charles Mountain Ranch Conservation Easement, $1,200,000, Phase II Humboldt County

grant to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to acquire a working forest conservation easement over 4,437± acres located eight miles southeast of Bridgeville in Humboldt County

Chalk Mountain phase 2--4024 acre forest conservation easement in Humboldt county---$2 million

Little Chico Creek Oak Woodland Conservation Easement $315,000 Butte County

To consider the allocation for a grant to Northern California Regional Land Trust to acquire a conservation easement over 239± acres of land to protect and preserve oak woodland habitat located seven miles northeast of Chico in Butte County. WITHDRAWN FROM AGENDA-POSTPONED TO 3/2013 MEETING

679 acres in Daugherty Hill wildlife area-expansion 13, in Butte County, $2.7 million
WITHDRAWN FROM AGENDA-POSTPONED TO 8/2012 MEETING

San Joaquin River Parkway, $245,000 Camp Pashayan #2, Fresno County

acquisition of 11± acres of land by the San Joaquin River Conservancy for the protection of riparian and oak woodland habitats and provide future public use opportunities, located along the San Joaquin River, just east of State Highway 99 in the City of Fresno, in Fresno County.

Marks Ranch $552,076 Phase II, Monterey County

grant to the Monterey County Parks Department to acquire 113± acres to protect native grasslands, oak woodlands, riparian woodlands and seasonal wetlands that serve as an import wildlife corridor, located west of Salinas, adjacent to the Toro County Park, along Highway 68, in Monterey County.

Santa Margarita River Ecological Reserve, $25,000 Expansion 4, Riverside County

acquisition of 21± acres of land, southwest of the City of Temecula, in Riverside County.

Santa Rosa Mountains (Blixeth 1), $10,000 Expansion 16, Riverside County

acquire 1,342± acres of land for the protection of Peninsular bighorn sheep habitat, and to provide future wildlife oriented public use opportunities.

Upper Mission Creek / Big Morongo Canyon $5,000 Conservation Area, Expansion 5, Riverside County

acquire 9± acres of land for the protection of core habitat linkages, fluvial and aeolian sand transport corridor, alluvial fan habitat, and mountainous habitat important for the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, Peninsular bighorn sheep, and other species addressed in the Coachella Valley Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan and provide future wildlife oriented public use opportunities, located north of the City of Palm Springs in Riverside County.


47 acres in San Diego County-El Cajon
92 acres in San Diego County--Michelson

763 acres in Suisun Marsh in Solano County, $1.5 million
982 acres in Suisun Marsh--Grizzly Ranch in Solano County, $2 million

1165 acres in Rockville Trail Estates in Solano County, $2.8 million


1030 acres in Soledad Canyon in Los Angeles County, Nominn property, $2.48 million

dammit--Tejon ranch resort passes court test...

Crummy Court Ruling for California Condors

It appears that Tejon ranch has won the first big court battle over their plans to build 30,000 homes along the San Andreas fault at the extremely fragile wildlife migration pinchpoint between southern and Central California.

This shows the weakness of our state's main environmental law which requires revelation of impacts but then lets the government choose to ignore them (see story of our battle to save more of the Ballona wetlands where this law failed us: http://ballona-news.blogspot.com/2012/04/some-sad-news-yet-we-count-our.html )

Anyway, this battle for Tejon is far from over. This is because the federal government (headed by that pesky liberal Barack Obama) has yet to approve Tejon's permits to locate 3400 homes right in the middle of endangered species habitat, that of the huge and prehistoric-looking California Condor. The issuance of this permit, called a "take permit", because it would allow Tejon to kill wildlife by bulldozing their homes, has been sitting in limbo despite the issuance of massive reports by the developer three years ago.

In 2011, federal officials reported that the condor is all over and expanding its use of Tejon's dreamed-of mountain resort. So unless Obama caves in to the developers, the victory in state court is just one in a long war.

http://mountainenterprise.com/atf.php?sid=10191&current_edition=2012-04-20

MORE INFO:

http://mountainenterprise.com/atf.php?sid=9873¤t_edition=2012-02-10 
2/10/2012: FWS’ Root said no change has been made to the development footprint of Tejon Mountain Village. Radio telemetry and GPS mapping by the U.S. Geologic Survey confirmed last year that wild California condor are recolonizing the areas on which TRC and partner DMB Associates plan to build over 3,400 Tejon Mountain Village resort homes, condominiums, 700 hotel rooms, two golf courses and a commercial zone.

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2/2/2012 http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/02/tejon_ranch_project_could_affect_27_plants_and_animals.php
 Tejon ranch—changes to alternatives in HCP

http://scvnews.com/?p=25770 http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/59286/

The public will be able to comment on the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement and the Draft Tehachapi Uplands Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan until May 3, 2012

http://mountainenterprise.com/atf.php?sid=9861¤t_edition=2012-01-27

The documents address critical habitat concerns for the endangered California condor, which has been shown with radio telemetry to be repopulating sections of Tejon Ranch which had previously been intended by the developers to be included in the Tejon Mountain Village resort community, hotels and commercial sectors. A draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the 23,000 home Centennial project is also expected to be issued this year. http://www.fws.gov/ventura/newsroom/release.cfm?id=77

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/02/03/2012-2294/tehachapi-uplands-multiple-species-habitat-conservation-plan-kern-county-ca

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LAWSUIT STORIES:

http://turtletalk.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/california-appeals-court-declines-to-halt-tejon-ranch-development-cultural-resources/

http://tejonranch.com/press-release/appellate-court-upholds-tejon-mountain-village/

http://www.kget.com/mostpopular/story/Massive-Tejon-development-clears-legal-hurdle/6ocAO8LOBEur58KE0rzfbw.cspx

http://www.kget.com/news/local/story/Massive-Tejon-development-clears-legal-hurdle/6ocAO8LOBEur58KE0rzfbw.cspx

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x768326129/Court-upholds-study-of-Tejon-development

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FEDS DECLINE TO PROTECT A TEJON LIZARD:

10/7/11 Tehachapi slender salamander denied endangered species protection http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/10/tehachapi-slender-salamander-denied-endangered-species-protection.html On Friday, the service rendered its final conclusion: Batrachoseps stebbinsi does not warrant a spot on the endangered species list. An analysis determined that cattle grazing, road construction, flood control projects, disease, severe wildfires, prolonged drought and construction of Tejon Ranch’s proposed 7,860-acre residential and commercial development, the Tejon Mountain Village project, would not impact the species in the foreseeable future. The salamander resides in two canyons about 13 miles apart and separated by a freeway 60 miles north of Los Angeles.

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http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/52336/

The species consists of two populations, the Tehachapi Mountains population and the Caliente Canyon population, which are separated from each other by dry, rugged, mountainous terrain. The range of the Tehachapi Mountains population is about 13 miles southwest of the Caliente Canyon population on property owned by Tejon Ranch and the California Department of Parks and Recreation at Fort Tejon State Historic Park. The Caliente Canyon population is located at the northeastern end of the Tehachapi Mountains, near the small community of Loraine. …Construction of the Tejon Ranch's proposed 7,860-acre residential and commercial development, the Tejon Mountain Village project, is not expected to be a substantial threat to the Tehachapi Mountains population of the salamander. The project does not overlap with areas where the species has been found or the areas that the Service considers to be occupied by the salamander. …An advance copy of the 12-month finding can be viewed online today at the Federal Register Public Inspection Page: http://go.usa.gov/924 . When the finding publishes in the Federal Register on October 11, it will be available at http://www.fws.gov/ventura or at http://www.regulations.gov. ----------------------------------