WCB 8/2017: more land saved for wildlife

August: Several Small Land Purchases Ok'd by State Wildlife Conservation Board

http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=148414&inline%20Final%20Agenda
MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=149021&inline

40 acres at Roddy Home Ranch in Contra Costa County

320 acres in East Contra Costa County

39 acres in the Coachella Valley area of Riverside County

40 acres at Rancho Jamul in San Diego County

12 acres at San Vicente Highlands in San Diego County

6 acres at Wheeler Ridge near Mammoth Lakes in Mono County

9 acres at Taylor Yard along the Los Angeles River

0.4 acres in Hope Valley in Alpine County transferred to a private owner for $20,000 to resolve some encroachments into the State's land

WCB 9/2011: Less Sprawl, more trails...

State’s Wildlife Board saved 19,952 acres in September 2011 meeting

HIGHLIGHTS:

Mono County: 56 acres

Riverside County: 169 acres

San Diego County: 1284 acres

Tulare County: 0.5 acre

Humboldt County: 114 acres

Stanislaus County: 1603 acres

Kern County: 14,945 acres

Lassen County: 1781 acres

FOR AGENDA:
http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=36843

FOR PHOTOS AND MORE INFO:

http://cdfgnews.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/wildlife-conservation-board/  

FOR MAPS; https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=37853

MORE DETAILS:

Wheeler Ridge, Expansion 4, $730,000 Mono County

a grant to the Eastern Sierra Land Trust for a cooperative project to acquire fee title in 56± acres of land. 9/13/11 WCB

Allensworth Ecological Reserve, Expansion 26, $2,900 Tulare County

To consider the fee acquisition of 0.5± acres of land for expansion of the Department of Fish and Game's Allensworth Ecological Reserve, to increase protection of grassland areas that benefit special status species, including the San Joaquin kit fox, located approximately 30 miles south of Visalia in southern Tulare County. 9/13/11 WCB

Western Riverside County MSHCP, $1,042,500 Expansions 10 and 11

acquire in fee two separate properties totaling 169± acres. 9/13/11 WCB

Carlsbad/Northwest San Diego County MHCP $1,256,250 HCPLA/NCCP 2010 (Perkins)

acquire in fee 156± acres at the northern terminus of Lone Jack Road and west of Rancho Summit Road. 9/13/11 WCB

City of Carlsbad $3,214,000 Habitat Management Plan/NW HCPLA 2009 (Bridges)

San Diego County

acquire in fee 97± acres. 9/13/11 WCB

Hollenbeck Canyon Wildlife Area, $708,000 Expansion 4, San Diego County

acquisition in fee of 563± acres. 9/13/11 WCB

Long Potrero East $1,498,000 San Diego County

grant to the Back Country Land Trust to acquire in fee 468± acres. 9/13/11 WCB

Arcata Community Forest Expansion $1,956,000 (Morris) Humboldt County

acquire in fee a total of 114± acres. 9/13/11 WCB

(Arcata Community Forest expansion)

Leavitt Lake Conservation Easement $1,705,000 Lassen County

acquire a conservation easement over 1,781 ± acres on the north shore of Leavitt Lake, 5 miles southeast of the City of Susanville. 9/13/11 WCB

(Bass Hill Wildlife Area north of Susanville, in Lassen County. John Ranlett/Ducks Unlimited photo.)

Gualala River Forest Conservation Easement $19,030,000 Mendocino County (reconsideration—same as on 6/2/11 agenda))

grant to The Conservation Fund to acquire a conservation easement over 13,913± acres. 9/13/11 WCB

Gualala River Forest, west of Cloverdale in Mendocino County.

Dos Rios Ranch $5,410,000 Stanislaus County

acquire in fee 1,603± acres of valley floodplain and riverine habitat. 9/13/11 WCB (WITHDRAWN FROM AGENDA)

Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, $5,010,000 Rudnik Ranch, Kern County

grant to The Nature Conservancy for a cooperative project with the Department of Fish and Game, Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Caltrans and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to acquire fee interest in 14,945± acres. 9/13/11 WCB

Rudnick Ranch

More New Parks to Explore....

In the Eastern Sierras:

INYO COUNTY:

2323 acres donated by National Audubon Society to feds
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2011/471xtra_wild_adds.html


MONO COUNTY:
135 acre conservation easement in Mono Basin-Simis Ranch—ESLT, on DeChambeau creek
http://easternsierralandlines.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/mono-basin-traditions-preserved/
http://www.easternsierralandtrust.org/Pages/documents/DeChambeauConservationEasement.pdf

60 acre Conservation easement--Nappe family
http://easternsierralandlines.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/willow-flat-easement-critical-wildlife-habitat-preserved/

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

WCB 8/2010: Calif. Wildlife Board to save 11,159 acres in August...

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Critters Will Be Safe in 13 new State Land Preservation Deals

SUMMARY: The State will buy 2440 acres outright and will also purchase development rights on another 8719 acres in Napa, Mono, Riverside, Plumas, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Orange Counties

NOTICE OF MEETING
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD

http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=22554

August 26, 2010


MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=25150

AGENDA ITEMS

Quail Ridge Preserve--$310,000--Napa County
--grant to the Regents of the University of California (UC) to acquire approximately 120± acres at the south end of Lake Berryessa, 14 miles west of the City of Winters, in Napa County.

Wheeler Ridge, Expansion 2--$2,000--Mono County
--a private donation of land to the Department of Fish and Game, of 2± acres of fee title property near Crowley Lake, approximately 20 miles northwest of the City of Bishop in Mono County.

Western Riverside County MSHCP (2006)--$35,000 Expansion 2-6 --Riverside County
--acquisition of five properties, totaling 820± acres, south of the City of Murrieta, in Riverside County.

Whitewater Floodplain, Expansion 1--$5,000 Riverside County
--acquire a total of 142± acres located west of the City of Palm Springs, in Riverside County.

Goodwin Red Clover Valley Ranches--$1,993,500 Plumas County
--acquire a conservation easement over 3,904± acres of rangeland for the protection of rangeland, riparian and wet meadow habitat, and conservation of critical wildlife migration corridors. The property is located approximately 45 miles north of the Town of Truckee in the Red Clover Valley area of Plumas County.

Wildlake Ranch Conservation Easement--$6,020,000--Napa County
--acquire a conservation easement over 3,029± acres of land to protect oak woodland, conifer forest, chaparral, and riparian habitats located 20 miles northeast of the City of Napa, in Napa County.

Marks Ranch--$2,195,000--Monterey County
--acquire 624± acres of coastal range habitat with native grasslands, oak woodlands, riparian habitat and seasonal wetlands which serve as an important wildlife corridor, located adjacent to the Toro Regional Park, near the City of Salinas, in Monterey County.

Alamo Creek Conservation Easement--$2,220,000--San Luis Obispo County
--acquire a conservation easement over 1,767± acres for the protection of oak woodlands, riparian habitat, and conservation of critical wildlife migration corridors, located approximately 10 miles northeast of the City of Santa Maria in San Luis Obispo County.

Los Cerritos Wetlands--$5,180,000--Orange County
--acquire 100± acres of land in the City of Seal Beach

Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve,--$145,000.00 Tenaja Corridor, Expansions 1 -10 in Riverside County
--accept a donation of fee title to seven properties totaling 73± acres, conservation easements over two properties totaling 19± acres, and the acceptance of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Habitat Conservation Planning Land Acquisition grant to acquire 39± acres

Vail Lake--$965,000--Riverside County
--acquire 520± acres of native upland and wetland habitat to support threatened and endangered species, 20 miles east of the City of Temecula, in the unincorporated area of Aguanga, in Riverside County.

West Mono Basin--135 acres saved...

ESLT Receives conservation Easement near Mono Lake

5/5/2010--Mono County landowner, Jan Simis, has permanently preserved her 135 acres for future generations. Her land, which sits at the very western edge of the Mono Basin, has now been preserved with a conservation easement, a voluntary binding land protection agreement between the landowner and Eastern Sierra Land Trust (ESLT).

http://easternsierralandlines.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/mono-basin-traditions-preserved/

one land trust's view of Eastern Sierra solar power

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L.A. should agree to conservation easement on their Owen's Valley land empire in exchange for rights to build solar power "farms"

--says the Eastern Sierra Land Trust

Large-Scale Solar Development Plans Bring Potential Far-reaching Opportunities - If Done Right!

http://easternsierralandlines.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/dwps-solar-plans-for-owens-valley/

1/14/2010--Although ESLT has a focus of working only with willing landowners who want to preserve their land, when it comes to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) lands in the Eastern Sierra, we have always been vocal advocates for permanent conservation of their important lands. These lands - over 300,000 acres in Inyo and Mono Counties - are not only important as the pure water source for much of Los Angeles, but really represent the lifeblood of our region. Beautiful and productive farms and ranches that are also important to wildlife, clean water and wetlands, unique opens spaces that frame views of the high Sierra and majestic White Mountains - these lands are an unparalleled treasure to many residents and visitors.

Managed primarily for water export, these lands are also the heart of many ranching operations. Ranchers move the water and maintain the green valleys as they raise cattle, creating our beautiful rural landscapes and contributing to the local economy and way of life. By permanently preserving these lands, Los Angeles would provide security to the ranching community and to future generations of LA residents who depend on clean and cheap water.

As LADWP proposes large-scale solar development in the southern Owens Valley, we believe they should pursue a dual track of creating environmentally responsible renewable energy while permanently preserving the 95% of their lands that are not suitable for solar development. Through a binding but flexible land conservation agreement, LADWP could protect the interests of their constituents while allowing for modest growth around existing communities in the Eastern Sierra, in addition to the continuation of existing uses. If local ranchers and leaders can be at the table to design this landmark protection agreement, the benefits would extend far and wide, to future generations who would then have the chance to know the awe-inspiring Eastern Sierra as we do.

David Freeman, LADWP interim General Manager, said at the public meeting in Bishop the other night that there was a giant "not-for-sale" sign on LA's lands in the Eastern Sierra and that they would never be opened for development. Let's ask him to make that a real promise rather than a sound byte - let's create a binding, flexible, and permanent land conservation agreement!

Thank you all for your interest and support as we work to make this vision a reality. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas.

Karen

More ranchland saved north of Mono Lake...

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Centennial Ranch Easement Addition funded by State

http://www.easternsierralandtrust.org/

5/13/2009--We are thrilled to announce that we just received a grant from the California Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program! This grant program awarded $522,000 toward our efforts to purchase a conservation easement permanently preserving 720 acres of beautiful grazing lands and wetlands adjacent to Scenic Highway 395. Stay tuned to hear more about this exciting project!

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A New News-source for Saving Land in the Eastern Sierras

http://easternsierralandlines.wordpress.com/

Happy Birthday to the Eastern Sierra Land Trust community! This is a slightly belated birthday wish, as the ESLT was officially incorporated on January 29, 2001. It has been quite an eight-year journey that has taken us to some of the most beautiful places in the incredible Eastern Sierra, introduced us to amazing landowners, and given us the thrill of being integral to the permanent preservation of over 6000 acres in our region. Through this new blog, LandLines, I want to invite you to ride shotgun with us as our exciting journey continues. We’ll share our vision of a thriving and productive Eastern Sierra, with its beautiful working ranches, teeming wildlife areas, and the unmatched scenic vistas found in this “outback” of California. As we go, we’ll share news, interesting facts, epiphanies, and other tidbits from the daily life of a small-town nonprofit trying to make a difference.

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New Map of Preserved Land in the Eastern Sierra Region

http://www.easternsierralandtrust.org/Pages/ComplProjects.htm

(click on map to enlarge)

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Eastern Sierra Land Trust: Lots of Local “Victories”

http://mammothlakesvillage.com/blog/?p=530

7/8/2008

There have been lots of local “victories” for the Eastern Sierra Land Trust, and most recently the innovative non-profit organization secured a couple of conservation “landmarks.”

Adding to its list of accomplishments are the beautiful ranching and grazing lands of Bill Bramlette, a fourth generation landowner near Benton Hot Springs. The 900-acre ranch is now in a permanent conservation easement, forever keeping those grand landscape values protected. Bramlette will continue ranching, just like his family has for decades.

Along with the Bramlette success story are two properties in the Mono Basin. The Yednock and Crystol properties are now a part of the permanently gorgeous landscapes surrounding Mono Lake. The Yednock property (480 acres) was a real challenge, as it had really been let go for a long time, and once the 20 vehicles and other debris were removed-the property looks like a place where people will find wildlife habitat. The Crystol land (80 acres) was “purchased by the Wilderness Land Trust and donated to the BLM to be managed for the protection of its natural resources including undisturbed alkali dune scrub and scattered pine trees,” according to the ESLT’s Spring newsletter.

Total land recently put in trust for our collective heritage and enjoyment= 1,460 acres.

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ESLT has been gaining momentum since its inception about seven years ago.

http://www.easternsierralandtrust.org/Pages/ComplProjects.htm

Crowley Hilltop Preserve — 33 Acres

Benton Hot Springs Valley Conservation Easement — 900 Acres

Yednock Conservation Easement — 480 acres

Cedar Hills Conservation Project— 3,748 acres

Montgomery Creek Ranch Conservation Easement — 818 acres

Big Hot Springs Ranch Conservation Easement — 75 acres

Lowery Conservation Easement — 37 acres

McAfee Conservation Easements — 15 acres

Ingram Conservation Easement — 20 acres

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Map below shows Crowley Hilltop Preserve

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Eastern Sierra Land trust adds 480 acres to list of protected parcels

Tuesday, 29 January 2008

A 480-acre tract is now protected from development by a conservation easement granted to the Eastern Sierra Land Trust. The new owner, Ted Yednock, recently purchased the property (above) as the site for a family retreat. The location is adjacent to the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area.

http://easternsierralandtrust.org/

By Ken Koerner --Register Staff

Longtime residents of the Eastern Sierra recall Mono Lake’s level dropping ever-lower, its water siphoned off to quench Southern California’s rapacious thirst. Turning that tide required an unrelenting effort spearheaded by the Friends of Mono Lake, whose commitment protected nature. Now a new friend has committed to protecting nature in the Mono Basin. New landowner Ted Yednock recently helped ensure open spaces in the hills to the north and east above Mono Lake will remain undeveloped by working with the Eastern Sierra Land Trust to secure a conservation easement. “It was an interesting project for us,” ESLT Lands Director Karen Ferrell-Ingram said, “as the prior landowners came to us asking if we knew someone that might buy their property, and preserve the property in its natural state.” When the land trust’s director first inspected the property it wasn’t exactly in a totally “natural” state. “There were junked vehicles parked out there that had been accumulating over the previous five to six years,” said Ferrell-Ingram. “Plus, there were quite a few other discarded things laying around that were going to have to be removed, too.” Despite the need for some significant clean-up and restoration efforts on the property, it was clear to the ESLT that this 480-acre tract represented an excellent chance to preserve a key parcel of Mono Basin land in perpetuity. All the conservation agency had to do was find a buyer wishing to purchase such a large piece of very valuable land, accept the costs of its clean-up – and enter into a forever-agreement to protect it from extensive development. No problem.“The ESLT began going through our usual process,” Ferrell-Ingram said, “ensuring that a conservation easement in this case fit entirely within our guidelines – and it clearly did.” At that point, the ESLT’s board, its members and friends of members “began asking around” in the hopes of locating that perfect buyer. “One of our members,” said Ferrell-Ingram, “was speaking with a friend in the San Francisco Bay area – a person they knew loved this region – and this gentleman expressed his interest in that first conversation.”A life-long fondness for hiking, rock-hunting and camping had brought Yednock and his family on numerous outings to the open areas of Western Nevada and Eastern California. Yednock had also been wanting to find an unspoiled spot that could become the location for future family retreats. When he learned from his ESLT friend of the opportunity to acquire this large parcel of open land overlooking the Mono Lake Basin, it seemed a perfect fit for the Yednock family’s plans.The 480 acres Yednock purchased is accessible from State Route 167 and is situated approximately one mile from the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area and is adjacent to the recently preserved, 3,700-acre Cedar Hills property. Surrounded on three sides by Bureau of Land Management property, the Yednock tract consists of undisturbed alkali dune scrub and scattered juniper trees, which, according to the ESLT, are habitat for many species of wildlife.“In addition to acquiring a beautiful place to enjoy time spent with family,” Ferrell-Ingram said, “Mr. Yednock will also enjoy significant federal tax breaks in exchange for his willingness to enter into this conservation easement.” According to the ESLT, each conservation easement requires a very individual approach to reach a common goal. “While every easement we oversee will have some distinct aspect,” said Ferrell-Ingram, “each of them is created to protect the land from significant development and the conservation mandate remains with the deed to that land, so it lasts forever.”Work has already been undertaken by the new owner to get those old vehicles and the other eye-sores removed from the property, so that the family’s dream of their cabin in the wilderness may some day come true.

Ferrell-Ingram encourages anyone with an interest in the conservation and preservation of Eastern Sierra lands to contact the Eastern Sierra Land Trust and learn more about how to become a member or simply volunteer in support of its mission. Naturally, property owners are also encouraged to learn more about how conservation easements can create advantages for them personally, as well as protecting land in its natural state for everyone. The ESLT can be reached at (760) 873-4554.

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BLM Opens Donated Land Near Granite Mountain, Near Mono Lake

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2008/january/CCNews0822_granitemtn_donation.html
1/18/2008

An 80-acre parcel in the eastern Sierras is open for public access following a donation to the Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office. The parcel is located in the Granite Mountain Wilderness Study Area, east of Mono Lake. The Wilderness Land Trust recently acquired the land from a willing seller and donated it to the BLM to be managed as public lands.

Located in one of the most rugged and remote regions of California, the pinyon-juniper studded parcel is eight miles northwest of 8,800-foot Granite Mountain and accessible only on foot or horseback. These new public lands will be managed under the same guidelines as the surrounding BLM lands with an emphasis on conserving the natural values of the property.

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Former Island in Mono Lake Now Public Land

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2007/july/CCNews0758_cedarhi lls_acquisition.html

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR/BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
California News Release: July 27, 2007 Contact: David Christy (916) 985-4474 CA-CC-07-58

Cedar Hill Is Now Public Land

Through a generous donation, the Bureau of Land Management has acquired nearly 4,000 acres in Mono County. Portions of these new public lands may be accessed from State Highway 167 via existing, primitive roads and on foot or horseback. Long ago an island in prehistoric Mono Lake, Cedar Hill is located northeast of Lee Vining and borders BLM-managed lands and wilderness study areas in the Bodie Hills and eastern Mono Basin. The west side of the property adjoins the Toiyabe National Forest. The Wilderness Land Trust acquired the 3,748-acre property from Mel Arthur in 2006 and recently donated it to the BLM, said Bill Dunkelberger, BLM Bishop Field Office manager. While Arthur had originally planned to develop the property, he was excited to find a solution to create a lasting legacy of conservation. “Cedar Hill is an integral part of a unique mountain range that contains important sagebrush steppe, riparian, and meadow habitats, supporting sage grouse, mule deer, pronghorn, waterfowl and other wildlife; and it is a critical part of the visual backdrop to the Mono Basin scenic area” Dunkelberger said. The entire area contains other high quality resources, including nationally significant historic and prehistoric cultural resources, and opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation opportunities. BLM’s management theme for the area, which now includes Cedar Hill, prescribes protecting and enhancing wildlife habitat and scenic values and providing opportunities for dispersed recreation. A public celebration of the acquisition will take place September 8, at the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center in Lee Vining.

WCB 8/2007: Wildlife Board saves more land

Land Conservation Purchases Financed by the WCB on August, 23, 2007

MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=14445

NORTH COAST:

Humboldt Bay Coastal Reserve, Expansion 1, Humboldt County, 23 acres in fee for $175,000

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA:

Lower Pitkin Marsh, Sonoma County, 27 acres in fee for $970,000

CENTRAL VALLEY AND SIERRA NEVADA'S:

Portuguese Ridge Conservation Area, Mariposa County, 80 acre conservation easement for $200,000

Merced River, Expansion 1, Merced County, 78 acre conservation easement for $1.395 million

Bass Hill Lassen Creek, 265 acre Conservation Easement, Lassen County for $400,000

CENTRAL COAST:

Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve (Augmentation and Change of Scope), Expansions 9 through 12, Monterey County

Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve, Expansion 13 through 15, Monterey County, 67 acres in fee for $3.01 million

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:

Burcham and Wheeler Flat Wildlife Area, Mono County, 1160 acres in fee for $1.94 million

Ramona Grasslands, Expansion 1, San Diego County, 1350 acres in fee for $11 million

Staff Report – Utility Easement Transfer (at Goodan Ranch Preserve), 0.089 acres to SDG&E

San Diego County

Triple Creeks Conservation Area, Expansion 1, 6.24 acres in fee, Riverside County; cost: $335,000