WCB 11/2015: State Owned Wilderness to Grow by 4300 Acres

State Taxes Fund 4300 Acres of Additions to Wildlife Preserves

INCLUDES KEY LINK IN VENTURA COUNTY WILDLIFE MIGRATION AND TRAIL CORRIDOR

SUMMARY OF PURCHASES:

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA: 646 ACRES

CENTRAL VALLEY/SIERRA NEVADAS: 144 ACRES

CENTRAL COAST: 322 ACRES

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: 3131 ACRES

MAPS OF PURCHASES: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=111882

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CALIFORNIA WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD

November 19, 2015 , 10:00 AM

1/ State Capitol, Room 3191

Sacramento, California 95814

PRELIMINARY AGENDA ITEMS

http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=110338

ABOVE: proposed Alamos Canyon park purchase north of the 118 Freeway in Ventura County

CENTRAL COAST:

Big Sky Natural Area CAPP - Alamos Canyon, Ventura County $1,852,126

acquire in fee ±326 acres of wildlife habitat, including large areas of riparian and aquatic habitat, grasslands and oak woodlands, located near Simi Valley in Ventura County. 

http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2014-07-11/Front_Page/Open_space_planned_for_Alamos_Canyon.html

http://www.rsrpd.org/bodmeetings/011515/01151517815a.pdf

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA:

East Contra Costa County NCCP/HCP (Nunn), Contra Costa County $2,742,400

Acquire in fee ±646 acres of land for the protection of habitat in the northeastern region of the East

Contra Costa County Natural Community Conservation Plan/Habitat Conservation Plan, in and near the community of Knightsen, in Contra Costa County.

http://www.times-standard.com/general-news/20160225/big-delta-project-to-turn-farmland-into-public-park-refuge-for-wildlife-and-fish

http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_29563020/

CENTRAL VALLEY AND SIERRA NEVADAS:

Cameron Meadows Phase II, El Dorado County $10,000

acquire in fee ±22 acres of land for the protection of mixed chaparral habitat that supports six special status plant species and provides important, breeding, foraging, and migration corridors for terrestrial wildlife species, song birds and raptors, adjacent to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Cameron Park Unit of the Pine Hill Ecological Preserve in western El Dorado County.

San Joaquin River Parkway, Ball Ranch (Quarry Site), Fresno County $4,030,000

acquisition in fee of ±122 acres of land within the San Joaquin River Parkway located along the west side of Friant Road in Fresno County.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:

Upper Mission Creek/Big Morongo Canyon Conservation Area, Expansion 7, Riverside County

$43,500. Acquire in fee ±20 acres of land for the protection of habitat essential for the recovery of federal and state endangered species within the Coachella Valley Multi-Species Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan area, located in the city of Thousand Palms in Riverside County

Western Riverside MSHCP (2012) - Caramello, Riverside County $50,000

acquire in fee ±10 acres of land located in the Community of Teneja in western Riverside County.

Western Riverside MSHCP (2014/2015) - Bautista, Riverside County $846,200

acquire in fee ±2,838 acres of land located in the City of Hemet in western Riverside County.

Willow Hole Conservation Area, Expansion 2, Riverside County $31,250

acquire in fee ±29 acres of land for the protection habitat essential for recovery of threatened and endangered species the Coachella Valley Multi-Species Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan area, located in the city of Desert Hot Springs in Riverside County.

San Diego County Multiple Species Conservation Plan (Skyline 244), San Diego County $10,000

acquire in fee ±244 acres of land for the protection of core habitat and linkage areas in the South County Subarea of the San Diego Multiple Species Conservation Program, located near the town of Jamul in San Diego County.

 

WCB 11/2014 to 3/2015: More Critter Parks...

CA Wildlife Board Funds Purchase of 18,175 acres of Habitat and Buys 13,333 Acres of Development Rights

Taken from the Agendas for the California Wildlife Conservation Board for November 2014 to March 2015.... http://wcb.ca.gov

MAPS OF PURCHASES:
11/2014: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=91387

2/2015: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=98345

ON THE NORTH COAST:

Blue Creek, Humboldt/Del Norte County $5,035,000

--grant to Western Rivers Forestry for a cooperative project with the State Coastal Conservancy, Wyss Foundation, the Yurok Tribe and the New Market Tax Credit Program to acquire 6,479± acres of land near the town of Klamath, and traversing both Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. WCB 11/20/2014 and 3/12/2015

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SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA:

East Contra Costa County NCCP/HCP (Viera/Perley) $882,500

--acquire 260± acres located in the Diablo Mountain Range, about 6 miles southeast of the Town of Clayton in Contra Costa County. WCB 2/25/2015

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CENTRAL VALLEY AND SIERRAS:

Granite Chief Wilderness--American River Headwaters, Placer County $3,500,000

--grant to American River Conservancy for a cooperative project with the California Natural Resources Agency and private donations to acquire 9,955± acres of land to help preserve alpine forests on the headwaters of the Middle and North Forks of the American River in Placer County. WCB 2/25/2015

INFO: http://www.arconservancy.org/atf/cf/%7B297DAEBE-1FFA-413C-8866-6AA8965863F7%7D/Granite%20Chief_7_30_Press.pdf

Mt. Shasta Headwaters Forest, Hancock Phase I (Town Block), Siskiyou/Shasta County

$9,090,000

--grant to the Pacific Forest Trust for a cooperative project with the California Department of Transportation to acquire a forest conservation easement over 12,644± acres of land covering a

significant portion of the upper watershed of the McCloud River, located near the town of McCloud and transversing both Siskiyou and Shasta Counties. WCB 11/20/2014

https://www.pacificforest.org/press-release-conservation-partnership-expands-watershed-protection/

MAP: https://www.pacificforest.org/conservation-project/mccloud-dogwood-butte/

Little Shasta Valley Conservation Easement, Fogg Gulch, Siskiyou County, $53,000

--grant to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to acquire a conservation easement over 645± acres of land. WCB 11/20/2014

Allensworth Ecological Reserve, Expansion 50-56, Tulare County, $0.00

--acquisition of 8 separate parcels of land totaling 12.98+/- acres. The funding source is being

provided by the California Department of Corrections Statewide Electric Fence Project mitigation fund. WCB 11/20/2014

Allensworth Ecological Reserve, Expansion 57, Tulare County $0.00

--acquisition of two separate parcels totaling four± acres of land. WCB 2/25/2015

Barry Point Fire Forest Restoration, Modoc County $2,500,000

--grant to the Pacific Forest Trust for a cooperative project with the landowner to restore forest habitat within the privately-owned Collins Timber Company’s 32,686-acre Lakeview Tract, located just west of Goose Lake, approximately 30 miles north of the city of Alturas in Modoc County. WCB 11/20/2014

San Joaquin Wetlands Associates Settlement (MID Eminent Domain) Stanislaus County $0.00

--accept a perpetual conservation easement over 44± acres of natural and managed wetlands, upland

habitats, and riparian areas on 12 privately-owned parcels in western Stanislaus County as part of a Settlement Agreement related to the Modesto Irrigation District’s Westley to Rosemore Transmission Line Project. WCB 2/25/2015

East Sacramento County Blue Oak Legacy Area, Expansion 3 (Graves) $810,000

--grant to the Sacramento Valley Conservancy to acquire 100± acres approximately six miles south of the city of Folsom and three miles north of the community of Rancho Murrieta. WCB 2/25/2015

San Joaquin River Parkway, Jenco Farms , Fresno County, $911,400

--acquisition of 23± acres, WCB 2/25/2015

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CENTRAL COAST:

Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve, SLC Lease Amendment, Santa Barbara County, $0.00

-- adding 175± acres of land currently under the jurisdiction of the California State Lands Commission. WCB 2/25/2015

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LOS ANGELES COUNTY:

Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing, Los Angeles County $650,000

--grant to the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains for a cooperative project with Caltrans, Los Angeles County, a private landowner, and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority to enhance an existing undercrossing to allow wildlife to cross Highway

101, located approximately nine miles east of Thousand Oaks in Los Angeles County.

WCB 11/20/2014

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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:

Western Riverside - Monte Cristo, $60,800

--acquire 21± acres of land near the community of Murrieta. WCB 11/20/2014

Western Riverside - Oldar, $95,000

--acquire 157± acres of land near the community of Temecula. WCB 11/20/2014

Western Riverside, Evandel – Wilson, $146,200

--acquire 80± acres of land near the community of Murrieta. WCB 2/25/2015

Western Riverside, Evandel – Bergstein, $218,565

--acquire 108± acres near the community of Murrieta. WCB 2/25/2015

Metcalf Meadow, Recovery Land Acquisition Grant (2013), San Bernardino County $570,000

--grant to the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust to acquire14± acres located within the city of Big Bear. WCB 11/20/2014

Puma Canyon, Expansion 5 (Saylor) San Bernardino County $44,000

--grant to Transition Habitat Conservancy to acquire six± acres of land, to conserve lower montane chaparral and woodland habitat for the benefit of deer, mountain lion and other wildlife species, located in Puma Canyon on the lower northern slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains, near the community of Pinon Hills in San Bernardino County. WCB 2/25/2015

County of San Diego (PWRG) San Diego County, $227,090

--grant to the Endangered Habitat Conservancy (EHC) to acquire fee title to 79± acres and then transfer the property to the State CDFW, located near El Cajon. WCB 2/25/2015

County of San Diego, $1,625,295

--grant to the Endangered Habitats Conservancy to acquire a total of 634± acres from three separate landowners near the city of El Cajon.WCB 2/25/2015

City of Carlsbad (Cielo del Norte, Phase ll) San Diego County, $10,000

--grant to The Escondido Creek Conservancy to acquire fee title to 242+/- acres of land

for the protection of California gnatcatcher habitat in San Diego County. WCB 2/25/2015

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

WCB 12/2011: more CA land saved...

State $$ to Save over 20,000 acres in December

from the agenda of the 12/8/2011 meeting of the California Wildlife Conservation Board

The WCB is buying conservation easements on 16,033 acres and full ownership of 4218 acres of California wildlife habitat.

SUMMARY:

LASSEN COUNTY: 535 ACRES

TEHAMA COUNTY: 2910 ACRES

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY: 436 ACRES

RIVERSIDE COUNTY: 188 ACRES

SISKIYOU AND SHASTA COUNTIES: 8230 ACRES

PLUMAS COUNTY: 2946 ACRES

SIERRA AND NEVADA COUNTIES: 2995 ACRES

FRESNO COUNTY: 2011 ACRES

FOR THE MEETING AGENDA:

http://www.nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=39028

FOR MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=40356

SPECIFICS:

Bass Hill/Lassen Creek Conservation Easement (Hulsman) in Lassen County

acquire a conservation easement over 535± acres located adjacent to the Department of Fish and Game’s Bass Hill Wildlife Area

grant to The Nature Conservancy for a conservation easement over 2,311± acres, Lassen Foothills expansion 7, (Kerstiens Ranch) in Tehama county

Lassen Foothills, Expansion 8 (Lower Deer Creek Falls, Tehama County

a grant to the Northern California Regional Land Trust for a cooperative project with Western Rivers Conservancy and the Department of Fish and Game to acquire fee title to 599± acres of land for the expansion of the Lassen Foothills Conservation Area, located northeast of Chico along a State Highway 32 in Tehama County. The project will protect approximately 1.4 miles of riparian corridor along Deer Creek

San Joaquin Multi-Species Conservation Plan 2008 Vaquero Farm Central  in Contra Costa County, acquire 320± acres

San Joaquin Multi-Species Conservation Plan 2008 (Affinito) in Contra Costa County

acquire 116± acres  in the City of Pittsburg.

Santa Rosa Mountains, Expansions 11—13 in Riverside County

acquisition in fee of 50± acres of land

Western Riverside County MSHCP, Expansion 6 

Grant to the Jurupa Area Recreation and Park District, for a cooperative project with the Redevelopment Agency of the County of Riverside and the Riverside Land Conservancy, to acquire in fee 138± acres

Bear Creek Working Forest in Siskiyou and Shasta Counties

a grant to the Pacific Forest Trust to acquire a conservation easement over 8,230± acres of working forest lands allowing for continued forest management, passive public use and enhancing the protection of forest, meadow, riparian, fisheries and water resources. The property is located north and south of Highway 89 in a rural area of the southern Cascade Mountain Range in Shasta and Siskiyou Counties near the communities of McCloud, Pondosa and Bartle.

Goodwin Sierra Valley Ranch Conservation Easement in Plumas County

a grant to the California Rangeland Trust to acquire a conservation easement over 2,946± acres of working ranch land allowing for continued livestock grazing and other permitted agricultural uses while enhancing the protection of meadow, watershed, riparian, fisheries and wetland resources. The property is located north and south of Highway 70, just east of the town of Beckworth in Sierra Valley.

Webber Lake/Lacey Meadows in Sierra and Nevada Counties

a grant to the Truckee Donner Land Trust to acquire 2,995± acres of land for the protection of significant alpine and wet-meadow habitat, north of the town of Truckee.

Black Mountain Preserve, Expansion 4 (Kimbler) in Fresno County

a grant to the Sierra Foothill Conservancy to acquire conservation easements over 2,011± acres of land for the protection of grazing lands, grasslands, and blue oak woodlands located between Prather and Tollhouse in Fresno County.

WCB 2/2011 to 6/2011

Big Purchases of Land and Development Rights at Important Calif. Wildlife Linkages coming up in June

Includes outright purchase of 2342 acres and purchase of “conservation easements” on another 25,173 acres

http://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2011/06/page/7/

HIGHLIGHTS:

Mono County—108 acres
Santa Cruz—8.5 acres
Fresno--.15 acres
Palm Springs—70 acres
Western Riverside co—715 acres
San Diego--250 acres
Lassen Foothills—8455 acres
Sierra Crest—2683 acres
Mendocino co—Willits—8544 acres
Sonoma co—4046 acres
Contra Costa co—1159 acres
Half Moon Bay/San Mateo co—140 acres
San Luis Obispo—1337 acres

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NOTICE OF MEETING--WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD--June 2, 2011

FOR FULL AGENDA:

http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=29798

FOR MAPS OF ALL PURCHASES: https://goo.gl/photos/4sCAiQdbBKFFu3si9

Wheeler Ridge Wildlife Area, $550,000 Expansion 3, Mono County
--grant to Eastern Sierra Land Trust to acquire a conservation easement over 108± acres located south of the town of Mammoth Lakes and north of the town of Bishop in Mono County.

Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander, $60,000 Larkin Valley Santa Cruz County
--acquisition in fee of 8.5± acres at the northwest corner of Larkin Valley Road and Metiver's Way in Santa Cruz County.

San Joaquin Fish Hatchery (Hovannisian Property) $28,500 Fresno County
-- acquire a fee title to 0.15± acres of land for future public access to the San Joaquin River Parkway and the San Joaquin Fish Hatchery.

Thousand Palms Conservation Area (Gabison) $705,000 Riverside County
-- acquiring 70± acres of land located west of the City of Thousand Palms

Western Riverside County MSHCP (2006), $1,704,650 Expansions 6—9 --to acquire four properties totaling 715± acres. .

San Diego County MSCP/HCPLA 2009 (Gibson) $885,000 -- to acquire in fee 250± acres located south of Interstate 8 and northwest of Harbison Canyon Road in San Diego County.

Lassen Foothills, Expansion 6 (Gaumer Ranch) $2,545,000 Tehama County
-- a grant to The Nature Conservancy to acquire a conservation easement over 8,455± acres of land for protection of deer and mountain lion habitat, and native oak woodlands, located within the Deer Creek watershed in southeast Tehama County and approximately six miles east of Highway 99.

Sierra Crest Conservation Easement, Phase III $2,420,000 Sierra County
-- a grant to the Truckee Donner Land Trust to acquire a conservation easement over 2,683± acres located approximately 16 miles northwest of the town of Truckee, in close proximity to Webber Lake, in Sierra County.

Eel River Peninsula $8,559,000 Mendocino County
-- a grant to Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to acquire a conservation easement over 8,544± acres of threatened and endangered species habitat, deer range habitat, oak woodlands and old growth forests, wildlife corridors, riparian areas and to provide future wildlife oriented public use opportunities, located east of the town of Willits in Mendocino County.

Baxter Ranch $2,360,242 Sonoma County
--to acquire a conservation easement over 4,046± acres within the Coastal Range, in close proximity to the Lake Sonoma Recreational Area, 10 miles west of the City of Cloverdale, in Sonoma County.

San Joaquin Multi-Species Conservation Plan $1,847,966 (Thomas) Contra Costa County
-- to acquire 1,159± acres in the Diablo range within the City of Pittsburg east of the town of Clayton.

Pillar Point Bluff Complex $3,010,000 San Mateo County
--to acquire in fee 140± acres along the Pacific Ocean immediately to the west of the Half Moon Bay Airport near the town of Half Moon Bay.

Nick Ranch Conservation Easement $2,375,000 San Luis Obispo County
--a grant to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to acquire a conservation easement over 1,337± acres of land for the protection of rangeland, grazing land and grassland areas, located approximately 20 miles east of the City of San Luis Obispo, near the small rural community of Pozo, within the Salinas River watershed and next to the federally designated Machesna Mountain Wilderness and the Los Padres National Forest, within San Luis Obispo County.

Gualala River--discussion of 14,000 acre conservation easement purchase; approved at 9/2011 meeting

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2/2011: WHAT’S BEING SAVED:

Siskiyou County—5929 acre conservation easement at Little Shasta River

Humboldt County---2903 acre conservation easement at Charles Mountain Ranch in southeast Humboldt county

Mendocino County

—13,913 acre conservation easement at Gualala River

--45,576 acre conservation easement at the Usal Forest

--disburse up to $3,000,000 to Save-the-Redwoods League to acquire approximately 957 acres known as the Shady Dell Creek Tract, as part of the 50,635-acre Usal Redwood Forest Conservation Project in northern Mendocino County. http://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/1101bb/20110120Board05_Shady_Dell_Creek_Acquisition.pdf

(NOTE: the Usal forest was purchased from the Hawthorne Timber Company in 2007 by the Redwood Forests Foundation in order to preserve it as a sustainably logged forest. The funds from the State will help pay off the loans which were used to buy the land.)

--disburse up to $2,500,000 to The Conservation Fund to acquire the approximately 464-acre Smith Tract portion of the Ten Mile Ranch, located adjacent to the Ten Mile River, Mendocino County.

http://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/1101bb/20110120Board06_Ten_Mile_River_Acquisition.pdf

Yuba County—833 acre conservation easement in the Yuba Highlands

Contra Costa County—798 acres—Barron property south of Pittsburg

Ventura County:

disburse up to $500,000 to the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy to acquire and prepare a stewardship plan for 70 acres of the Hollingsworth Ranch property along the Ventura River in unincorporated Ventura County.

http://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/1101bb/20110120Board11_Hollingsworth_Ranch.pdf

Los Angeles County

118 acres at Cold Creek in Malibu

151 acres in Claremont

8 acres in Rubio Canyon in Altadena

Riverside County

92 acre conservation easement at Mystic Lake (Ramona)

40 acres at Big Morongo canyon

71 acres near Hemet, Western Riverside exp 5

San Diego County

132 acres in Potrero

89 acres in East Elliot and Otay Mesa

1081 acres at Jacumba Peak

278 acre conservation easement in Mendenhall Valley—Palomar Mountain

385 acres in San Felipe Valley north of Julian

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To read the full agendas,

Wildlife Conservation Board, February 24, 2011
https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=31265&inline=1

FOR MAPS OF WCB PURCHASES: https://goo.gl/photos/9akMd2P2oLy1mTzV8

Developer threatens San Joaquin River Park

Act now to protect the San Joaquin River Parkway

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
from http://riverparkway.org

Dear Parkway Supporter,

On Tuesday, February 1, 2011, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors will vote on the Friant Ranch Development Project. This project, located across Friant Road from Lost Lake Park, will develop 2500 homes along with associated streets and utilities. This project will dramatically impact Lost Lake Park by concentrating a large group of users directly across from the park entrance. The project will also impact the park with the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant in the riverbottom adjacent to Lost Lake Park.


Please contact the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to voice your concerns about the threat the Friant Ranch Development poses to the San Joaquin River Parkway. You can contact Board Chairman Supervisor Phil Larson by clicking here to send your email:  jbarlow@co.fresno.ca.us

The River Parkway Trust has two primary concerns with the Friant Ranch Project:

The Wastewater Treatment Plant will be in the Riverbottom and Blights Lost Lake Park: Friant Ranch proposes to build a waste water treatment plant in the riverbottom and immediately adjacent to Lost Lake Park. The plant would have a 20,000 square foot industrial processing plant, plus it will empty its waste water into huge gravel pits surrounding Lost Lake Park. We find the combination of the potential water quality impacts, not to mention the offensive scenic impacts, to be unacceptable. The plant will be BIG, big enough to handle the waste from the 2,500 homes of Friant Ranch, plus the whole Friant community, including any future expansion. The location brings the possibility of contaminants from pharmaceuticals and other chemicals leaching their way to the river, affecting fish and families alike. The developers have other options for locating the plant. Why take the risk of locating it in the riverbottom?

Nothing's In Place to Help Parks-The Friant Ranch development is designed for new home buyers that want to take advantage of its location adjacent to Lost Lake Park, the San Joaquin River Parkway, and Millerton State Park. Yet the Friant Ranch project did not study what impacts its 6,000 new residents will have on these public resources nor is there anything in place to help pay for Park impacts. Why should our public parks bear the extra burden?


For these reasons, the Trust's Board of Directors asks for your help to let the Board of Supervisors know that the Friant Ranch Project is a bad idea. We join with many other civic groups and agencies including, Revive the San Joaquin, League of Women Voters, Sierra Club, Fresno County Democratic Party, Central Valley Water and the Consortium and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.

Here's what you can do:
1. Email the Fresno County Board of Supervisors today. Click here to email Board Chairman Supervisor Phil Larson.
2. Come to the public hearing, Tuesday, February 1 at 2:00pm. The meeting will be held at the Fresno County Hall of Records, 2281 Tulare St, Room 301.

With good planning, we can have vibrant communities and a healthy San Joaquin River Parkway. Write to your County Supervisors today!

On behalf of our Board of Directors,


Dave Koehler, Executive Director

http://twitter.com/SJRPCT

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Act-now-to-protect-the-San-Joaquin-River-Parkway.html?soid=1101218182244&aid=-9L7Q-97U-E

http://www.riverparkway.org

For 22 years, the Trust has been working to create a 22-mile Parkway along the San Joaquin River. Support from our members and volunteers, and grants from public agencies, have enabled us to protect over 3,500 acres of open land for people living in the Fresno/Madera area and restore hundreds of acres for the plants and animals that live in and along the river.

http://www.facebook.com/SJRPCT


http://parkwayview.wordpress.com/ THEIR NEW BLOG

Since our founding in 1988, we've been working, with support from friends like you, to create a 22-mile Parkway along the San Joaquin River. We want to leave a legacy of open space for the rapidly urbanizing Fresno/Madera region.

Water-less farms may go solar instead....

-

FRESNO'S WESTLANDS WATER DISTRICT GOES SOLAR

Excerpted from PCL's Insider for 3/19/2010

Earlier this week, a private investment group with land in the Westlands Water District announced its intention to farm a new crop in California 's Central Valley : the sun's energy. The proposed Westlands Solar Park would take 30,000 acres of fallow land and provide 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy - enough to power between 2.5 million and 4 million homes in California .

As an agricultural district with junior water rights, the Westlands Water District has frequently been the center of controversy. Most recently, it attempted to overturn California 's Endangered Species Act in a desperate water grab that would have maximized the profits of the agribusiness tycoons that Westlands serves, but risked driving California 's salmon to extinction.

However, the new proposal for solar in the district has drawn a broad base of support from nontraditional allies, including the Sierra Club and the Planning and Conservation League, who are hopeful that the proposed project will make California a leader in carbon-free energy generation and create solar installation, operations, and maintenance jobs in an area with high historic levels of structural unemployment.

anything for a buck--Nucular in Fresno?

-
Nuclear plant near Fresno planned

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-nuke30-2009dec30,0,493029.story

12/30/2009

A French company and a group of Central Valley investors announced Tuesday that they had signed a letter of intent to build one or two nuclear power plants near Fresno....

Environmentalists were skeptical that the agreement would go anywhere. They point out that California has a 3-decade-old law that bans the construction of nuclear power plants unless the state can certify that the federal government has come up with a plan for the permanent storage of spent nuclear fuel, which is highly radioactive. No such facility exists in the country, and plans to open one at Yucca Mountain in Nevada have been put on hold by the Obama administration.

The California ban doesn't trouble the California investors.

"The law is archaic and will fall by the wayside on its own, in our opinion," Hutson said....

"I would not invest or bet money on nuclear plants being permitted and having a source of financing two years from now," said Jim Metropulos, a senior advocate in Sacramento with the Sierra Club.

San Joaquin River Parkway

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Drawing a Northerly Limit to the Sprawl of Fresno

http://www.sjrc.ca.gov/ --State Agency buying up land

http://www.riverparkway.org/ --a private group helping out...

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A Look at 4 Preserves in East Fresno County's Sierra Foothills

http://www.sierrafoothill.org/preserves.htm

list of preserves owned by the Sierra Foothills Conservancy

At this moment in its history, the Sierra Foothill Conservancy is the proud owner of four nature preserves: the Mary Elizabeth Miller Preserve at Black Mountain the McKenzie Table Mountain Preserve, the Tivy Mountain Preserve and the Austin & Mary Ewell Memorial Preserve at Fine Gold Creek. Although they are all located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Fresno County, they are remarkably diverse in their history, their topography, and their plant and animal life. In fact, they stand as splendid examples of the rich diversity of different habitat types in this region. SFC offers guided hikes on all three preserves.

http://www.sierrafoothill.org/fine_gold_06.htm

on 719 acres Ewell preserve

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Fresno: To Urbanize or Not: That is the Question

excerpted from http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/2009/02/to_urbanize_or.html

By Alan Kandel, 2/18/2009

In the “Modern Farmland Conservation Program For Fresno County,” a “Report to the Council of Fresno County Governments by American Farmland Trust, December 2008,” reveals that “One-sixth of Fresno’s most strategic farmland is located inside or within one-half mile of city spheres of influence, highlighting the central challenge of minimizing the loss of this land by increasing the efficiency of urban development.”...

“Based on computerized mapping of these characteristics, 559,000 acres of Fresno’s 2.2 million acres of agricultural land were identified as the most strategic, i.e., the land that should receive the highest priority for conservation, and the lowest priority for non-farm development as part of a broad strategy to sustain Fresno County agriculture.”...

“Between 1990 and 2004, about 21,500 acres of Fresno County land were developed, one-fifth of all the land developed since the City of Fresno was founded more than 130 years ago. Because most development took place on the edges of existing cities, 69 percent of all the land developed was prime or unique farmland, or farmland of statewide importance.

An acre of land was developed for every 9.4 new residents, which was somewhat more efficient than the 8.1 people per acre in the San Joaquin Valley as a whole. But it was far less efficient than development in other regions of the state, even those that are more suburban than urban, demonstrating that developing less land per capita is entirely possible and that much of the farmland being lost in Fresno County is unnecessary,” according to information in the report.

Here’s the kicker. “If no change in current development patterns occurs, another 97,600 acres of land will be urbanized in Fresno County by 2050, roughly doubling the current urbanized area. Of this, 67,350 acres (105 square miles) is likely to be prime, unique or statewide important farmland and most, if not all of that will be ‘strategic’ farmland.

Moreover, if rural residential development, which now occupies roughly one-quarter of all developed land in the county, continues apace, another 55,000 acres could be removed from agriculture.” If this isn’t telling and doesn’t paint a foreboding picture of possible things to come, honestly, I don’t know what does.

That definitive answer I referred to above? That seems obvious. In case there is still a question, does smart growth developmental patterns mean anything?

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San Joaquin Valley Ag-Drainage Polluters Get 90 Day Deadline for Action

From the PCL Insider, 11/7/2008

Fifty years after the Westlands Water District began irrigating drainage-impaired lands in the San Joaquin Valley, causing massive accumulation of toxic selenium and other salts in the soils and drainage water, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Board) has taken action to address the ongoing pollution problem. In a letter last week, http://www.pcl.org/files/CVLetterToWWD.pdf, the Board gave the water district 90 days to file for a waste discharge permit and present a plan for cleaning up the soils that have been building up salts and toxins for decades.

While federal officials knew that providing water to Westlands from the Delta and Northern California would aggravate the naturally occurring salt-loading problems on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation pushed forward with the irrigation project. As a result, the Westlands area is one of the largest, most heavily subsidized, and profitable agribusiness regions in the world as well as one of California's worst environmental legacies.

The hard clay soils on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley are naturally impermeable, preventing water and salts from seeping into the earth. In many places in the area, the water table is no more than five feet from the surface of the ground. Toxics and salts from the imported irrigation water mix with the groundwater, compromising crop root systems - a problem people in the business refer to as "drainage impairment."

The Board's letter reminds Westlands that discharging toxic laden water is a violation of laws protecting the state's surface and groundwater. We're pleased to see the Board treating the drainage situation as a serious problem and hope their actions mark a turning point in efforts to clean up the area.

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The Latest News on New Parks in the Southern San Joaquin Valley;

And Some Loose scraps on Tejon Ranch

State eyes 2,300 acres in Exeter for new park; public meeting Wednesday; also studying 60,000 acre park at Tejon Ranch; 11/17/2008

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20081117/NEWS01/81117011/1002

11/15/2008: To the surprise of local officials, California State Parks is holding a public workshop in Visalia on Wednesday to discuss the creation of three new parks in the Tulare basin:

A 2,300-acre park at Rocky Hill in Exeter that would celebrate Native American culture.

A 1,000-acre park at Deer Creek south of Porterville.

A 500-acre water trail park on the Kings River in Fresno County.

http://www.fresnobee.com/columnists/griswold/story/1015782.html

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Pictures of Tejon Ranch from a travel blog:

http://www.california-travel-blog.com/california-travel-blog/2008/10/12/tejon-ranch-ca.html

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Water agency strikes deal with Tejon Ranch

9/25/2008: PALMDALE - Drought conditions and other circumstances have forced water purveyors in Southern California to wheel and deal everywhere imaginable to service their customers.

In response to this year's water shortage, Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency board members on Tuesday night unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding with Tejon Ranch Corp. for the transfer of 8,393 acre-feet of supplemental water that Tejon Ranch had purchased as backup but does not need anytime soon.

http://www.sfvbj.com/article.asp?aID=04356825.1467909.1686100.390602.7152601.051&aID2=129691

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The latest Tejon Ranch propaganda:

http://www.tejonranch.com/conservation/cons_partnership.asp

http://www.tejonranch.com/index.asp

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Tejon Ranch’s stock is trading at close to half its price when the April 2008 enviro-deal was announced; today it’s around $25; when the deal was announced it was $45

http://quote.morningstar.com/Quote/Quote.aspx?ticker=TRC

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Halfway isn't Enough...for the San Joaquin River Parkway

Since the inception of the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust 20 years ago, 3,500 acres of land along the San Joaquin River have been acquired and are protected under public ownership.

But the River Parkway is only halfway complete...

We need your help to ensure that all 6,000 acres of precious land planned for the Parkway are available to the public so that everyone can experience the natural wonders of our Valley. We need your help to create more safe outdoor places for families, with new trails, picnic areas and river access points.

Join in the effort to complete the Parkway.

http://riverparkway.org/

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Fresno Loses Environmental Law Suits at High Rate

Developer-Friendly Interpretation of State Law by City Leads to Numerous Losses in Court

http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local-news/story/899308.html

excerpted from the Fresno Bee, Sept. 28. 2008

Since the start of 2005, 10 CEQA actions against Fresno have been decided, and the city won just once. Fresno settled six cases and lost three -- the losses coming in appellate court decisions made during a 14-month period ending in May....


Fresno finds that projects are likely to produce significant effects far less often than other similar-sized cities in California, The Fresno Bee found in an analysis of CEQA records sent to the state.

In a 10-year period ending in July, Fresno required a full environmental review for nine out of 73 projects, or 12% of the time, according to the CEQA database.

By comparison, California's 20 biggest cities, except Los Angeles and San Diego, required a full environmental review for 26% of projects.
The results seem to indicate that Fresno is reluctant to require a full review, said McCoy of the Information Center for the Environment, which maintains the database....

The city erred by allowing developer DeWayne Zinkin to pay just $44,000 for the traffic the shopping center would add to Highway 41, when Caltrans estimated the fee at $307,000, the court said. Fresno's decision would leave the public "holding the financial bag," the court said...

As a result, the city failed to make a reasonable effort to offset the effects of development, a key CEQA requirement, the court said.

The city violated the other key part of CEQA by failing to inform the public about the likely effects of the shopping center, the court found.

The court said the city's reviews were "deeply flawed": Instead of comparing the project's expected effects against existing conditions, the city wrongly based its review on a comparison with a "massive hypothetical office park," creating a "misleading report." The city staff misrepresented findings to the City Council, which received them at the last minute, the court said...

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Victory for Sierra Club and the Giant Sequoias!

June 23, 2008—Just two weeks ago we saw the end to the Sierra Club’s three year long battle with the timber industry, preventing them—once and for all—from logging in the Giant Sequoia National Monument.

The win came at the 11th hour, as the Sierra Club legal team prepared to appear in the Ninth Circuit court to argue the last case standing, a last-ditch appeal by the timber industry, regarding commercial logging in the Monument. But on the eve of the hearing, they abandoned and withdrew their appeal—putting the final nail in the coffin of this very drawn out case—and putting an end to the pillage of these iconic trees.

Beginning in 1901, when John Muir lobbied for the expansion of Sequoia National Park to encompass the entire range of the giant sequoia, the Sierra Club has advocated for the protection of giant sequoia ecosystems in their entirety. And, after years of fighting to keep our towering Sequoia trees safe from the timber industry's saws, we have finally won. Thanks to this hard-earned victory, our children and grandchildren will be able to stand in awe of these noble giants for generations to come.

A Guide to Giant Sequoia Groves of California

to see full table: http://www.natureali.org/SQF/sequoia_groves.html

This list is intended to serve as a guide to where to find Giant Sequoias in California. Some groves are easily accessed via the Kern River Valley while most are accessed via the westside of the Sierra Nevada off of Highways 99 or 65. There are approximately 35,000-38,000 acres of giant sequoias in the Sierra Nevada; most of these are in Tulare County. Many groves are accessible via paved road, although most are subject to winter road closures. Contact the agency listed to learn of current conditions. Bold type means the grove is open year-round. Italicized type means groves are accessible via paved road.

Grove	County	Forest	Highway #	Roads	Hike
Agnew	Fresno	Sequoia NF	180	14S11 to 13S11	cross country
Alder Creek	Tulare	Sequoia NF	190	Road 216 to Sequoia Crest
Atwell	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Mineral King Road	South on Atwell Mill Trail
Bearskin	Fresno	Sequoia NF	180	Tenmile Creek Rd 13S09 to 13S02
Big Stump	Tulare	Kings Canyon	180	on highway
Black Mountain	Tulare	Sequoia NF	190	Coy Flat at Camp Nelson to south 21S94
Board Camp	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	South Fork Road	South Fork Trail then cross-country
Boulder Creek	Fresno	Sequoia NF	198	14S02 to 13S23
Burro Creek	Tulare	Sequoia NF	190	Wishon Dr. to River Road	Griswold trail then cross-country
Cahoon Creek	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Mineral King Road	Atwell Mill Trail then cross-country
Case Mountain	Tulare	BLM	198	No public access	trail
Castle Creek	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	at Giant Forest	Middle Fork Trail then cross-country
Cherry Gap	Fresno	Sequoia NF	180	13S97 to 13S58
Coffee Pot Canyon	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Mineral King Road to Lookout Point	cross-country
Cunningham	Tulare	Sequoia NF	Western Divide Hwy	SM107 to 22S08
Dennison	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Road 296 to Road 276	cross country
Devils Canyon	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Road 296 to Road 276	cross country
Dillonwood	Tulare	Sequoia NF	190	private
East Fork	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Mineral King Road	South on Atwell Mill Trail
Eden Creek	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Mineral King Road	Atwell Mill then cross-country
Evans	Fresno	Sierra	180	Tenmile Creek Rd 13S09 to 13S05	hike
Freeman Creek	Tulare	Sequoia NF	Mtn 50	22S82 to 20S78	Freeman Creek Trail
Garfield	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	South Fork Road	trail
Giant Forest	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Crescent Meadow- Moro Rock Road
Grant	Fresno	Kings Canyon	180	short paved road
Homers Nose	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	South Fork Road	South Fork Trail then cross-country
Horse Creek	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Mineral King Road	Atwell Mill then cross-country
Indian Basin	Fresno	Sequoia NF	180	on highway
Kennedy	Fresno	Sequoia NF	180	14S02 to 13S53	dirt road 13S53
Landslide	Fresno	Sequoia NF	198	Tenmile Creek Road 13S09	closed road 13S33
Little Boulder Creek	Fresno	Sequoia NF	198	14S02	dirt road 13S53
Lockwood	Fresno	Sequoia NF	180	Tenmile Creek Road 13S09 to 13S05
Long Meadow	Tulare	Sequoia NF	Western Divide Hwy SM107	on highway	Trail of 100 Giants parking costs $5
Lost	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	on highway
Maggie Mountain	Tulare	Sequoia NF	190	Road 220 to River Road	Griswold trail then cross-country
Mariposa	Mariposa	Yosemite	41	paved road
McIntyre	Tulare	Sequoia NF	190	Belknap Campground
McKinley	Fresno	Sierra	168	McKinley Grove Road
North Calaveras	Calaveras	Stanislaus	4	State Park Rd.
North Cold Spring	Tulare	Tule River IR		no public access
Oriole	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Mineral King Road	Squirrel Creek Road then cross-country
Oriole	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Mineral King Road	Squirrel Creek Road then cross-country
Packsaddle	Tulare	Sequoia NF	Mtn. 50	22S82 to 23S64
Parker Peak	Tulare	Tule River IR		no public access
Peyrone	Tulare	Sequoia NF	190	Coy Flat turnoff to Camp Nelson
Pine Ridge	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Dorst Campground	Trail to Muir Grove then cross-country
Placer County	Placer	Eldorado NF	80	Forest Hill Rd. to 96 Rd.
Red Hill	Tulare	Sequoia NF	190	Coy Flat turnoff at Camp Nelson to 21S94	closed dirt road
Redwood Meadow	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198		Middle Fork trail & Cliff Creek trail
Redwood Mountain	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	dirt road	Redwood Saddle trail
Sequoia Creek	Tulare	Kings Canyon	180		trail
Silver Creek	Tulare	Mountain Home SF	190	Road 220 to River Road	Silver Creek to trail then cross-country
Skagway	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	Dorst Campground	Cross-country
South Calaveras	Tuolumne	Stanislaus	4	State Park Rd.	trail
South Fork	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	South Fork Road	South-fork trail then cross-country
South Peyrone	Tulare	Sequoia NF	190	Coy Flat turnoff to 21S94
Starvation Creek	Tulare	Sequoia NF	Mtn 50	SM107 to SM50 to 23S64
Surprise	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198	South Fork Road	South Fork trail near Clough Cave then cross-country
Suwanee	Tulare	Sequoia NP	198		cross country
Tuolumne	Tuolumne	Yosemite	120		closed paved road
Wishon	Tulare	Mountain Home SF	190	Wishon Dr. to River Road	trail Wishon Fork Tule River

All information copyright Nature Ali 2007. All rights reserved.