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Showing posts with label Santa Cruz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Santa Cruz. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

SCC 12/2016 to 2/2017: CA Coastal Land preserves grow

Land Preserves Funded by the CA Coastal Conservancy in Late 2016-Early 2017
ON VENTURA COUNTY'S SANTA CLARA RIVER: Augmentation of the Conservancy’s October 21, 2010 authorization to include the acquisition of 50.17 acres of property commonly known as “A.C. Growers” to implement the Santa Clara River Parkway project in Ventura County. Coastal Conservancy 2/2/2017


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IN CARMEL: disburse up to $2 million to the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District for acquisition of approximately 170 acres of the Rancho CaƱada Golf Club along the Carmel River and dedication of instream water rights in Carmel, Monterey County. Coastal Conservancy 12/1/2016


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IN SANTA CRUZ: disburse up to $200,000 to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County to acquire fee title to a portion of the170-acre Marywood Property in Scotts Valley and to acquire a conservation easement over the remainder of the property, to protect a wildlife corridor, to enable future establishment of a wildlife undercrossing of Highway 17, and to preserve and enhance the natural resources of the property, Santa Cruz County. Coastal Conservancy 12/1/2016

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

2016 Central Coast Land Deals

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY:

6/2/2016
Santa Cruz County Land Trust protects 124 acres of farmland, the Amesti apple orchard with a conservation easement.
price of easement: $400,000
Amesti was protected with $200,000 from the Department of Conservation’s california
Farmland Conservancy Program and $200,000 from the Land Trust

12/22/2014-LT of Santa Cruz buys 280 acres next to Hwy 17 tunnel project


MONTEREY COUNTY:

Clint Eastwood donated 79 acres along Carmel River to Big Sur Land Trust. He had given another 49 acres to the BSLT along the river in 1997

1290 acre Cross Creek ranch bought with federal $ by Ag Land Trust of Monterey County



 
SLO COUNTY:

3255 acres between Atascadero and SLO land saved with CE
The ranch area is 36 separate parcels making up the 3,255 acres. It is filled with streams, cattle range land, agriculture, and the man-made Eagle Lake. CE Donation was by Eagle Ranch LLC, owned by Greg and Jeff Smith
@lagunagreenbelt Mar 25, 2016

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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY:

21 acres at Carpinteria bluffs; groups still raising $$

10/22/2015: Santa Barbara LT receives 100 acre donation of Big Ben Ranch, southeast of Lompoc

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VENTURA COUNTY:

860 acre donation by Lloyd Properties to Rancho San Buenaventura Conservation Trust

CA Natural Resources Agency awards $1 mil to Ventura Hillsides Conservancy to buy 300 acres out of 2123 acre Walker-Hearne ranch east of the Lloyd Ranch 

Monday, October 31, 2016

WCB 11/2016: Big Land Deal in Napa, and others by State Wildlife Board

Several Thousand Acres of Wildlife homes are to be Saved by CA in November

Notice of Meeting
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD
November 16, 2016 10:00 a.m. State Capitol, Room 112 Sacramento, California 95814
Preliminary Agenda Items 

DETAILS:

NORTH COAST:

State Route 36, Buck Mountain Mitigation, Humboldt County $0.00
acceptance of 155± acres to compensate for impacts due to State Route 36 Road Improvement project undertaken in 2013. The property is located near Dinsmore.


SIERRA NEVADAS:

Smithneck Creek Wildlife Area Land Exchange, Sierra County $7,000
exchange of 4± acres owned by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for 9± acres, owned by Sierra County to serve as an expansion to CDFW’s Smithneck Creek Wildlife Area located near the town of Loyalton in Sierra County.


SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA:

Montesol Ranch, Lake and Napa Counties $3,760,000
acquire a Conservation Easement over 7,266± acres of land near the City of Calistoga

American Canyon, Napa County $0.00
acceptance of 307± acres to compensate for the construction of the American Canyon High School and Middle School located in American Canyon in Napa County.


CENTRAL COAST:

Marywood- Hwy 17 Wildlife Crossing, Santa Cruz County $415,000
acquire a conservation easement over 133± acres of land located near Scotts Valley

Irish Hills, Waddell Ranch, San Luis Obispo County $505,000
acquire in fee 154± acres


L.A.COUNTY:

Chesebro Meadow, Los Angeles County $2,555,000
acquire 71± acres to enhance wildlife linkages, located near the City of Agoura.


SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:

Cheyenne property, San Diego County $567,825
acquire in fee 118± acres in the City of Santee.

Capralis property, San Diego County $108,015
acquire in fee 20± acres in the City of Santee

University Heights, San Diego $1,281,750
acquisition of 258± acres near the City of Escondido


Wednesday, January 27, 2016

WCB 2/2016: More land for critters....

About 20,000 Acres to be Saved by CA Wildlife Board in February

Notice of Meeting
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD
February 24, 2016 10:00 a.m.
Resources Building 1416 9th Street, First Floor Auditorium Sacramento, California 95814

FULL AGENDA: http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=115311
MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=131695

NORTH COAST:

Eel River Peninsula, Phase II (Foster Mountain), (Garcia Creek), (Summer Camp) Mendocino County $3,530,000
To consider the acquisition of three separate conservation easements by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection totaling 15,620± acres; near the City of Willits


CENTRAL COAST:

Santa Cruz Sandhills, Zayante, (Bias) Santa Cruz County: $10,000 to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County to acquire in fee 11± acres of land located adjacent to the community of Felton
http://www.landtrustsantacruz.org/


CENTRAL VALLEY:

Mouth of Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area, (Manner) Shasta County $350,000
To reconsider the acquisition in fee of 13± acres of land by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife near the community of Cottonwood

Willow Bend, Colusa County $430,000 to River Partners to acquire in fee 24± acres near the City of Colusa
http://www.riverpartners.org/

Epperson Place Ranch Conservation Easement Colusa County $407,000 to the California Rangeland Trust to acquire a conservation easement over 1,547± acres located in Bear Valley
http://rangelandtrust.org/

Keegan Ranch Conservation Easement Colusa County $332,500 to the California Rangeland Trust to acquire a conservation easement over 2,507± acres in Bear Valley



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:

Upper Mission Creek/Big Morongo Canyon Conservation Area Expansion 7, Riverside County: $66,250 to the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission (CVCC)to acquire 39± acres located in the City of Desert Hot Springs

Sycuan Peak Ecological Reserve, Expansion 6 San Diego County $25,530
acquisition in fee of 2± acres of land by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife located in the community of Jamul

Hollenbeck Canyon Wildlife Area Expansion 6 San Diego County $282,720
acquisition in fee of 185± acres of land by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife located near the community of Jamul

San Diego Mountain Ranch San Diego County: $10,000 to Back Country Land Trust to acquire a total of 982± acres located in Campo Valley


Thursday, September 11, 2014

SCC 6/2013 to 8/2014

Round-up of Coastal Land Purchases Funded by the State from June 2013 to August 2014


(NOTE: some of the links in the staff reports do not work in the Firefox web browser, but do work in Internet Explorer)

6/2013 meeting—no purchases
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10/2013 Meeting:

HUMBOLDT COUNTY-McKay Forest: accept $1,000,000 in grant funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and disburse up to $950,000 to Humboldt County to acquire 1,005 acres in the Ryan Creek watershed, tributary to Humboldt Bay, for public access, habitat protection, and sustainable timber production. Coastal Conservancy 10/2013

SONOMA COUNTY: disburse up to $353,711 to the Sonoma Land Trust for the acquisition of the Haire Ranch, a 1,091-acre hay farm located on Skaggs Island within the Napa-Sonoma Marsh Complex. Coastal Conservancy 10/2013
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY: disburse: 1) up to $1,900,000 to the Save the Redwoods League to acquire a conservation and public access easement over the 8,532-acre Cemex Redwoods property near the town of Davenport, and 2) up to $100,000 to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County to develop a public access plan for the property. Coastal Conservancy 10/2013
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12/2013 Meeting:

LOS ANGELES COUNTY-Ramirez Canyon: disburse up to $200,000 to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority for acquisition of approximately 104 acres of undeveloped land in Ramirez Canyon for open space, habitat and resource preservation and public access, Santa Monica Mountains. Coastal Conservancy 12/2013

MONTEREY COUNTY-Big Sur: accept high bids ($75,000 and $50,000) for the purchase of two Kasler Point Transfer of Development Credits (TDCs), request that the Department of General Services assist in the conveyance of the two TDCs, and authorization for the Executive Officer to negotiate and enter into agreement for and to complete the sale of the Conservancy’s property at Victorine Ranch and to retain the services of a real estate broker to assist in the marketing and sale of the Victorine Ranch property. Coastal Conservancy 12/2013
SONOMA COUNTY: disburse up to $350,000 to the Sonoma Land Trust for the acquisition of the approximately 238-acre Pole Mountain property in western Sonoma County. Coastal Conservancy 12/2013

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January, February and March 2014 meetings—no purchases

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5/2014 Meeting:

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY: disburse up to $4,000,000 to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County for the acquisition of the Pismo Preserve property located adjacent to the City of Pismo Beach. Coastal Conservancy 5/2014
SANTA CLARA COUNTY: disburse up to $1,000,000 to the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority to acquire the 1,831-acre UTC Coyote Ridge Property, Santa Clara County. Coastal Conservancy 5/2014
STAFF REPORT: http://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/2014/1405/20140529Board08_UTC_Coyote_Ridge.pdf
SAN MATEO COUNTY: disburse up to $500,000 to San Mateo County Department of Parks to acquire the 174-acre Loma Mar property adjacent to Memorial County Park, for open space, habitat and resource preservation, and public access in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Coastal Conservancy 5/2014
VENTURA COUNTY: disburse up to $843,000 to the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy to acquire and complete a stewardship plan for the 29.38 acre Hatton property along the Ventura River. Coastal Conservancy 5/2014
LOS ANGELES COUNTY: disburse up to $297,000 to Community Conservation Solutions for the Green Solution Project: Upper LA River Watershed, Phase IV to evaluate the storm water capture and water quality improvement projects identified in previous phases of the Project by quantifying and incorporating these projects’ water supply, energy savings, and greenhouse gas emission reduction benefits in Los Angeles County. Coastal Conservancy 5/2014

LOS ANGELES COUNTY-Malibu: authorization to disburse up to $1,500,000 to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority to acquire 703 acres of undeveloped land in Puerco Canyon, for open space, habitat and resource preservation, and public access in the Santa Monica Mountains. Coastal Conservancy 5/2014

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7/2014 meeting no purchases

Saturday, November 17, 2012

WCB 11/2012: State to Save amost 7700 acres from bulldozing this month

State to buy more wildlife preserves in November

SUMMARY:
3468 ACRES PURCHASED IN FULL
2200 ACRES OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHT PURCHASED (conservation easements)


NOTICE OF MEETING--WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD
November 29, 2012, 10:00 AM, State Capitol, Room 11, Sacramento, California 95814

FINAL AGENDA:


CENTRAL VALLEY:

Shanghai Bend River Access $10,000 -- Sutter County
acquisition of 13± acres by Quitclaim Deed from Sutter County-- west bank of the Feather River in southeast Sutter County.


Conaway Ranch Conservation Easement (Change of Scope) $0.00 --Yolo County
acquisition of four friendly agricultural conservation easements (three outside and one within the Yolo Bypass) by the Department of Fish and Game (DFG), located east of the cities of Davis and Woodland. This change of scope proposes to redirect a portion of the funding and authorize a grant to the California Waterfowl Association to acquire the easement inside the Yolo Bypass in-lieu of the DFG. Same project as approved by WCB 8/30/2012


East Sacramento County Blue Oaks Legacy Area, $2,713,514 --Expansion 2 -- Sacramento County
grant to the Mother Lode Land Trust to acquire 375± acres located on Scott Road approximately three miles north of Rancho Murieta in southeast Sacramento County.


Campstool Ranch $2,761,055 --Calaveras County
acquire a working forest conservation easement on 2,175± acres of mixed conifer forest lands, located near the community of Railroad Flat in Calaveras County.


SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA:

Napa Sonoma Marsh, Napa River Unit (Giovannoni) $35,000 --Napa County
acquisition of 12± acres located south of Highway 12 off Buchli Station in Napa County.


Quail Ridge UC Davis Natural Reserve System $70,000 --Napa County
grant to the University of California to acquire 10± acres for expansion of the UC Davis Natural Reserve System approximately 14 miles west of the City of Winters


East Contra Costa NCCP/HCP (Alaimo) $88,250 --Contra Costa County
acquire 2± acres located in the Diablo Mountain Range between the town of Clayton and the City of Pittsburg, in unincorporated Contra Costa County.WITHDRAWN FROM AGENDA

San Antonio Valley Ecological Reserve Expansion $868,000 -- Santa Clara County
acquisition of 339± acres of land as an addition to the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) San Antonio Valley Ecological Reserve located approximately 20 miles east of San Jose in eastern Santa Clara County.


CENTRAL COAST:

Santa Cruz Sandhills, Zayante (Zolezzi) $87,921 -- Santa Cruz County
acquire a conservation easement over 25± acres, located in the City of Ben Lomond


Star Creek Ranch $2,510,000 --Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties
acquire 1,210± acres of land for the protection of habitat linkages and working forest property, located in Pajaro Hills in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.



SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:

Joshua Tree North Linkage - Section 33, $685,000 --San Bernardino County
acquire 624± acres of land for the protection of desert habitat corridors leading south to the Joshua Tree National Park, located west of the community of Joshua Tree, in San Bernardino County


Upper Mission Creek / Big Morongo Canyon $2,012,000 --Conservation Area, Expansion 6 (Palmwood) Riverside County
acquire 883± acres located near Desert Hot Springs in Riverside County.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

8532 acres of Santa Cruz Mountains are saved!

Huge property in Santa Cruz Mountains to be preserved


http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_19492730

By Paul Rogers
progers@mercurynews.com
Posted: 12/08/2011 12:00:00 AM PST

For 105 years, the towering Davenport cement plant on Santa Cruz County's rural north coast produced the cement that built Northern California, including such varied and prodigious projects as the Golden Gate Bridge, BART, Oakland City Hall, Folsom Dam, Candlestick Park and the Stanford University Medical Center.But now the plant, shuttered last year, is leaving a different kind of landmark. In one of the largest land preservation deals in the Bay Area in a generation, five conservation groups have signed an agreement to buy 8,532 acres around the plant for $30 million.
The property, which is 8 miles long and the largest piece of privately owned land in Santa Cruz County, stretches from the remote ridges of Bonny Doon almost to the Pacific Ocean. The broad expanse of redwood and oak forests is home to mountain lions, peregrine falcons and endangered coho salmon.
When the deal, funded with donations from Silicon Valley foundations and nonprofits, closes Dec. 16, it will help link 26,000 acres of protected open space from Big Basin Redwoods State Park to Wilder Ranch State Park -- an area about the size of San Francisco.


"This is a huge opportunity," said Walter Moore, president of the Peninsula Open Space Trust in Palo Alto, one of the buyers. "The inspiring, magical thing is that we've come together with a common vision to do something bigger and grander than we could have otherwise."
While the deal will eventually open the scenic land to hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, one provision will allow timber companies to continue to do some logging on the property -- which some of Santa Cruz County's most ardent environmentalists could oppose. But if the property had been sold to developers, its zoning and land use rules would have allowed up to 69 luxury homes. Although the property has been logged fairly regularly over the past 50 years, it does not contain a single house.
"It's really close to the 7.5 million people who live in the Bay Area," said Ruskin Hartley, executive director of Save the Redwoods League in San Francisco. "But it feels wild and remote."

A who's who

Under the purchase, the environmental groups will pay Cemex, a Mexican building materials company that owns the land, for nearly all of its property, including a large dormant quarry. However, Cemex's hulking cement plant, visible for miles along Highway 1, is not included in the deal. Closed in January 2010 amid a lack of demand for construction materials, the plant remains for sale, along with a few hundred other acres and a second quarry.

Bankrolling the deal is a "who's who" of Bay Area land preservation groups. The Peninsula Open Space Trust will contribute $16 million. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in Palo Alto, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation in Los Altos will give a combined $8 million. The Sempervirens Fund, in Los Altos, will contribute $5 million and the Nature Conservancy in San Francisco, an additional $500,000.
Unlike previous open space deals in the Bay Area, the environmental groups do not plan to sell or donate the property to the California state parks department. Because of state budget cuts, Gov. Jerry Brown plans to close about one-quarter of California's 279 state parks by July and the state parks department is refusing nearly all new lands, even when they are donated.

Instead, the groups plan to spend the next two years conducting detailed biological surveys of the forests, streams and wildlife on the property. Then, they'll place a conservation easement over it, which will limit development, logging and other uses. That easement will be held by the Save the Redwoods League and the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County.Finally, the groups plan to sell the lands to a new owner, probably a timber company, and allow limited logging. The sale will not only help reimburse their purchase costs, they say, but it also will provide jobs and tax revenue to the county from the property, which is so big that it makes up 12 percent of all the land in Santa Cruz County zoned for timber harvesting.

A new model

Cemex and the previous owner, RMC Lonestar, logged nearly all of the land on a rotation of every 14 years, removing about 35 percent of the redwood and Douglas fir each time. Hartley said the environmental groups will put the several hundred old-growth trees off-limits, along with areas near streams where coho salmon and steelhead trout live."Our assumption is that when the dust settles, the protections in place will be stricter than those in the rest of Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties," he said.
Plans also include public access. There are about 70 miles of unpaved roads on the property, and the environmental groups hope to use the land to link Big Basin Redwoods with other parks and open space preserves stretching down the coast.
"I'd like to hope it would be in two or three years, but we have to do the management plan first," said Terry Corwin, executive director of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County.
Politically, the wider plan will probably attract controversy in Santa Cruz County, known for its tenacious environmental activism. In 1998, working with money from the Packard Foundation, the Trust for Public Land in San Francisco bought the other huge property near the cement plant, the 7,000-acre Coast Dairies and Land Ranch, for about $40 million from several Swiss families whose descendants had purchased it a century before.
Although the land trust transferred six major beaches on the ranch to state park ownership in 2006, it has been thwarted from giving the bulk of the land to the federal Bureau of Land Management. Several local environmental groups, concerned about BLM ownership, sued to block the transfer, asserting that permission was needed from the California Coastal Commission to divide the parcels. The groups lost last year, but they have appealed the case.
Corwin said that in an era when state parks are not accepting new property, the Cemex redwoods deal offers a new model.
"We believe this is a newer and smarter way to do conservation," she said, "and in the end won't cost as much."

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12/8/2011--The Santa Cruz County Land Trust and its partners have protected the 8,500 acres of redwood forest above Davenport formerly owned by CEMEX. Read the story in today's Sentinel.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/nationalbreaking/ci_19492730

See photos, a video, and learn more about the biggest conservation deal in county history on our website: http://LandTrustSantaCruz.org.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC6wzx7-9L0

11/16/2011--The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County has launched a campaign to protect 10,000 acres in the next two years. The first major project, the protection of the 1,200 acre Star Creek Ranch, will begin the protection of the Pajaro Hills. The Pajaro Hills are a 24,000 acre slice of old California that can become a future greenbelt between Santa Cruz County and the Highway 101 growth corridor.

The Land Trust has raised $11 million locally as part of this campaign – and needs just $2.5 million more to protect 10,000 acres.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

More New Parks to Explore....

On the Central Coast:

IN SANTA CRUZ COUNTY:

107 acre Castle Rock—Sempervirens fund
http://www.sempervirens.org/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sempervirens-Fund/140155342671005?v=wall
http://www.sempervirens.org/hike.php#featuredhike

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535 acres in Little Basin transferred to State ownership
http://www.sempervirens.org/news.php
http://uccr.org/LittleBasin.htm

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MONTEREY COUNTY:

317 acres bought by Big Sur LT—Whisler-Wilson ranch
http://www.bigsurlandtrust.org/news/show/17-big-sur-land-trust-acquires-historic-whisler-wilson-ranch-for-public-benefit-and-wildlife-values

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SRL gives 60 acres to USFS
http://www.savetheredwoods.org/newsroom/news_detail.php?id=115

http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72DTUE8TAwjQL8h2VAQAMtzFUw!!/?ss=110507&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=STELPRDB5213688&navid=091000000000000&position=Feature*&ttype=detailfull&pname=Los%20Padres%20National%20Forest-%20Home

http://www.savetheredwoods.org/protecting/acquisitions_current.shtml

http://www.savetheredwoods.org/protecting/acquisitions_current.shtml#padres

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Big Sur Land Trust buys 3 acres and 10 acre conservation easement
http://www.bigsurlandtrust.org/news/show/8-big-sur-land-trust-acquires-and-protects-carmel-river-lands-secures-critical-link-in-carmel-river-parkway

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Wilderness LT buys 160 acres in Ventana Wilderness
http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/news/2007/ca-ventana.html

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IN SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY

189 acre O’Connor ranch conservation easement, near the city of SLO in the Morros (Cerro Romualdo)
http://www.lcslo.org/o_connor_ranch_project.html

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IN SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

633 acre conservation easement at Lyons ranch (Los Flores Hunt Property)
http://www.sblandtrust.org/ageasements.html
http://www.sblandtrust.org/ageasements.html#Los%20Flores
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69 acres in Sierra Madre Mts—
The Trust with the help of The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County purchased the land for transfer to the U.S. Forest Service and to create the future opportunity to add Cox Canyon to the San Rafael Wilderness.
http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/top_priorities.html
http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/news/acres_protected_in_the_los_padres_national_forest/

Friday, May 20, 2011

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.
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.
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

----------------------------
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

Monday, August 9, 2010

Santa Cruz marsh property is saved...

45 Acres Added to Santa Cruz County protected marshlands


http://www.landtrustsantacruz.org/press/100804_protecting-slough-land.htm

aerial photo: http://www.landtrustsantacruz.org/press/100804_Bryant-map.pdf

8/4/2010--The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County has purchased a key property that drains the Watsonville Slough system. The Land Trust plans to restore wetlands and lease farmland on the 45 acre property. The property is located west of Highway 1 and adjoins 440 acres of slough land the Land Trust acquired at the end of 2009.

Much of the property floods and 18 acres is already in the process of returning to wetlands, according to the Land Trust. The Land Trust plans to restore these wetlands and lease a third of the land as farmland. Land Trust Executive Director Terry Corwin said the wetland restoration will benefit wildlife, water quality, and help reduce upstream flooding. The property drains four of the five tributaries of the slough system, which flows into the Pajaro River and Monterey Bay.

Funding for the acquisition came from a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant secured by and awarded through the California Coastal Conservancy. The $860,000 grant will cover the purchase of the 45 acres, which cost $546,000, with the remaining funds to be spent on future slough acquisitions and restoration projects. The Nature Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Board were also key partners in supporting other acquisitions in the sloughs.

The Watsonville Slough system is the only large freshwater coastal wetland in Santa Cruz County. The sloughs are important habitat for migrating birds and for at least 12 species of birds considered of “special concern” to the state, including the California brown pelican.

...Corwin points out that the latest acquisition follows years of actions by others that have protected over a thousand acres in and around the Watsonville Slough. The California Department of Fish and Game protects 350 acres and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protects 109 acres.
Corwin said the Land Trust will host a dedication of their Watsonville Slough Farms on September 19th.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Santa Cruz buys 32 miles of Railroad tracks...

State releases funds so Santa Cruz County can buy 32 mile beach rail line, between Pajaro and Davenport

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/ci_15417059

7/1/2010--Future possibilities include hiking and biking path, although State officials are insisting that rail service continue, too

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

SCC 9/2009 to 5/2010: Coastal land buys

May 2010 Purchases by Coastal Conservancy Will Save 1428 Acres in Santa Cruz, Del Norte, Humboldt and Marin Counties

Meeting date: Thursday, May 27, 2010

3.9 acres—Santa Cruz County--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to augment the Conservancy’s November 6, 2008 authorization to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County to include an additional acquisition parcel and restoration planning for Watsonville Slough, Santa Cruz County.


160 Acres—Del Norte County--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $70,000 to the Northcoast Regional Land Trust to conduct pre-acquisition planning for a conservation easement on the 160-acre Wetherell Dairy in Fort Dick, Del Norte County


fee title to the 40-acre Senestraro property in Eureka, Humboldt County,


Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $1,000,000 to the Marin Agricultural Land Trust to acquire an agricultural conservation easement over the 1214-acre J. Corda Ranch five miles west of Novato, Marin County.

------------------------------------------

Why No Posts on this since 12/2008?

Due to the State’s budget crisis, virtually no land was purchased by the Coastal Conservancy in 2009 and early 2010.
There were no land purchases at the 2/4/10, 12/3/09. 10/29/09, 6/4/09, 4/2/09, or 2/26/09 meetings

Here are the two that occurred in 2009:

Meeting date: Thursday, September 24, 2009

Consideration and possible Conservancy modification of the prior Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $5,500,000 to the City of Rancho Palos Verdes to acquire 160.5 acres of the Upper Filiorum Property to help implement the City’s Natural Communities Conservation Plan, Los Angeles County.


Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to accept $5.85 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States Department of Commerce and disburse up to $13.85 million towards the acquisition of interests in the 5,630 acre Jenner Headlands property in western Sonoma County.
http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/0909bb/20090924Board06_Jenner_Headlands.pdf


------------------------------------

Here are two that occurred in the April 1, 2010 meeting:

http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/1004bb/index.htm


Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse  up to $1.2 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States Department of Commerce and $1,136,000 to the County of Santa Barbara for the acquisition of the Paradise Beach property, Point Sal, northern Santa Barbara County.

Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $1,000,000 to the Muir Heritage Land Trust for: 1) the acquisition of the approximately 483-acre Franklin Canyon property, Contra Costa County, for open space, public access, watershed protection, wildlife and habitat protection, and limited agricultural use; and 2)  planning and resource assessment activities necessary to protect the property.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

450 acres saved in Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz Land Trust E-update 2-22-2010
In December the Land Trust protected 450 acres of farmland in the Pajaro Valley--bringing the total amount of land we have protected to almost 1,400 acres. Get the details at: http://landtrustsantacruz.org.

The Land Trust will host four community forums this spring to help guide the development of a 20-Year Conservation Blueprint for Santa Cruz County--and we want your input! Please refer to the Land Trust website (above) for forum dates and locations.

The Conservation Blueprint website has been updated! Stay informed on how the Blueprint will combine comprehensive scientific analysis with extensive community input to identify the highest priorities for conservation in our County. Recent updates include a Linkages Map, Habitat Quality for Steelhead Rearing, and several others. Please see: http://conservesantacruz.org

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Oct. 2009 Nat-Geo Walks the Redwood Coast...

-
National Geographic Explores California's Redwoods


http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/10/redwoods/bourne-text

The article also features info on the threat of more redwood destruction by Green Diamond in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.

What the maps show is that 18% of the historic range of the Coast Redwoods is protected in public or privately preserved lands.

That means that 82% of the historic range of the trees is open for logging.

However, 80% of the ancient or "second growth" redwoods are preserved.

CLICK ON MAPS TO ENLARGE!!

ABOVE: SANTA CRUZ TO THE OREGON BORDER

ABOVE: THE BIG SUR COAST TO MUIR WOODS (OVERLAPS WITH THE TOP MAP)

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Another 40 Acres saved in Santa Cruz Mountains

-
Santa Cruz Wildlife Corridor Gains more protection



http://www.sempervirens.org/gazos40acres.htm

4/9/2009--Sempervirens Fund, California’s oldest land trust, announced this week its latest victory in land conservation: the acquisition of a 40 acre parcel of land in the Gazos Creek watershed just north of Big Basin State Park. This purchase puts Sempervirens one step closer to its current campaign goal of linking Big Basin with Butano State Park, approximately two miles to the Northwest. This link will establish a strip of permanently protected land and create a vital wildlife corridor in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Big Basin and Butano are currently separated by a subdivision of rural, privately owned land-- land subject to the threats of both development and logging. Sempervirens Fund seeks to protect this land, its trees and wildlife, with the ultimate goal turning it into public parkland. With this latest purchase, they now have 158 acres toward the completion of this corridor.

Defined as a “link of natural space which joins two or more larger areas of similar wildlife habitat,” a wildlife corridor is critical for ecological processes. Corridors allow for the movement of animals, the promotion of species biodiversity, and the protection of threatened species. MORE about the Gazos Wildlife Corridor

http://www.sempervirens.org/GazosWildlifeCorridor.pdf

http://www.sempervirens.org/SVF-CompletedProjects.pdf



Thursday, April 2, 2009

-
Santa Cruz Land Trust Gets $500,000 to Create "Conservation Blueprint" for the county

3/18/2009--The Santa Cruz Land Trust has received $500,000 in grants to develop a 20-year blueprint for conservation in Santa Cruz County. The 18-month process will combine a comprehensive scientific analysis with extensive community input -with the goal of creating a community supported vision of land protection for our county. To direct this exciting project we have hired Andrea Mackenzie, the former General Manager of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. Under Andrea's leadership the past eight years, the District protected 50,000 acres of land; (Since 1992, the Sonoma O.S. District has protected more than 75,000 acres of land, including 33,000 acres of farmland). Corwin said that two-thirds of Santa Cruz County has no permanent protection, noting that 11% of the county is already developed and 22% is park land, leaving the remainder without permanent protection.


The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County protects working lands, like farms and timberland, and natural lands with high conservation values – thus protecting water supplies, wildlife habitats, and open space. The Land Trust has protected 2,200 acres of land and worked with partners to protect another 10,000 acres. It expects to protect another 1,000 acres this year.

Details are on the homepage of our website: www.LandTrustSantaCruz.org, http://landtrustsantacruz.org/press/ConservationPlanGrant_PR_3-09.pdf

Friday, November 7, 2008

SCC 11/2008

-
3016 Acres on Coastline Purchased at November 6 Coastal Conservancy Meeting

Properties include: Ventura River, Irish Hills in SLO, Watsonville Slough and Redwood Creek


http://www.scc.ca.gov/index.php?title=upcoming_meeting_notice_coastal_conserva&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
D. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $96,000 to the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy to acquire and prepare a stewardship plan for the 53-acre Drapeau property on the Ventura River in Ventura County. http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/0811bb/0811Board03D_Drapeau_Property_Acquisition.pdf

5. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $7,180,000 to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County for the 486 acre Watsonville Slough Acquisitions to protect and restore natural resources, and to provide public access in southern Santa Cruz County. http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/0811bb/0811Board05_Watsonville_Slough_Acquisitions.pdf

(parcels in blue are the latest 486 acre acquisition)

6. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $5,000,000 to the American Land Conservancy for the acquisition of approximately 2,400 acres known as Wild Cherry Canyon in San Luis Obispo County for the protection and restoration of natural resources and for public access consistent with those purposes. http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/0811bb/0811Board06_Wild_Cherry_Canyon.pdf


7. Consideration and possible Conservancy reauthorization to disburse up to $770,000 to the Northcoast Regional Land Trust to acquire the 77-acre McNamara Dairy, in Orick, California. This is a reduction in size of the original land purchase which was to be 108 acres. http://www.scc.ca.gov/webmaster/ftp/pdf/sccbb/0811bb/0811Board07_McNamara_Dairy.pdf

------------------------------------------------------
MORE NEWS ON THE WATSONVILLE WETLANDS PURCHASE:
Land Trust E Update 11/11/08

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County just announced plans to acquire 500 acres of wetland and farmland just outside Watsonville. The land links two already protected wetlands to create a 900 acre block of protected land at the heart of the Watsonville Slough system - the county's largest freshwater wetland.

See photos and learn more at our website:
http://www.LandTrustSantaCruz.org.

Also see stories in the San Jose Mercury news:
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_10950756?nclick_check=1

and the Santa Cruz Sentinel:
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_10954279

and Good Times:
http://www.gtweekly.com/20081110280161/news/environment/beating-developers-to-the-punch

We need your help to complete this transaction - and to protect other land.
Make a donation today online:

https://www.landtrustsantacruz.org/wslough/wslough_donation.htm

Monday, October 27, 2008

WCB 11/2008

-
Another 9511 Acres of Wildlife Habitat Will be Purchased With State Funds

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD
November 20, 2008
10:00 A.M.
1/ State Capitol, Room 112
Sacramento, California 95814

http://www.wcb.ca.gov/

MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=14456

*8. South Fork American River, Lower Canyon Unit, $410,000.00 Expansion 3, El Dorado County
a grant to the American River Conservancy for a cooperative project with the California Resources Agency to acquire 45± acres to protect riparian and upland habitat located near Folsom Lake, in El Dorado County. (Proposition 40)

*12. Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve, Expansion 1, $469,000.00 Santa Barbara County
To consider the acquisition of 20± acres to protect rare and threatened species in the community of Lompoc (Proposition 117)

*13. Western Riverside County MSHCP, $177,000.00 Expansions 4 and 5, Riverside County
To consider the allocation for two grants to the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority to acquire two properties totaling 80+ acres to protect threatened and endangered species and wildlife corridors and to further implement Natural Community Conservation Planning efforts, located near the City of Lake Elsinore (Proposition 12)

*14. Whitewater Canyon, MacKenzie Ranch, $410,000.00 Riverside County
To consider the allocation for a grant to Friends of the Desert Mountains (Friends) for a cooperative project with the Coachella Valley Mountains Conservancy, the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to acquire 260± acres to protect endangered species and wildlife corridors (Proposition 12)

*15. Crestridge Preserve, South Crest, Expansion 3, $250,000.00 San Diego County
To consider the allocation for a grant to the Endangered Habitats League (League) Inc., to acquire 29± acres to protect threatened and endangered species and wildlife corridors, located west of the community of Crest (Proposition 84)

*16. The Environmental Trust Bankruptcy, $30,000.00 San Diego, Kern, Imperial, Riverside, San Bernardino Counties.
TET acquired most of the 3600 acres of Conserved Property (mostly in San Diego County) in connection with mitigation obligations of private third parties under federal, State or local requirements.

To consider the acceptance of properties as agreed to in negotiations surrounding the bankruptcy and reorganization of The Environmental Trust (TET). The Department of Fish and Game, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the City of San Diego and the County of San Diego are working cooperatively to transfer the properties previously held by TET to non-profits, State and local government entities to ensure protection of the habitat and open space on the lands. (Proposition 84)

19. Daugherty Hill Wildlife Area, Expansion 11, $610,000.00 Butte County
To consider the acquisition of a conservation easement over 582± acres to protect deer winter range for the Bucks Mountain/Mooretown deer herd located near the Sierra foothill communities of Bangor and Rackersby (Proposition 117)

20. Daugherty Hill Wildlife Area, Expansion 12 $935,000.00 Yuba County
To consider a cooperative project to acquire of 529± acres with the Trust for Public Land and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to protect oak woodlands habitat and deer winter range located near Collins Lake, in the Sierra foothills(Proposition 117)

21. Truckee Basin (Perazzo Meadows), $765,000.00, Sierra County
To consider the allocation for a grant to the Truckee Donner Land Trust for a cooperative project with the Department of Fish and Game, Trust for Public Land, the Resources Agency, and the California Transportation Commission to acquire 982± acres to protect critical fawning areas and summer range for mule deer of the Loyalton-Truckee deer herd and winter migration corridors west of Highway 89, near Webber Lake (Proposition 117). For more information:


22. Elkhorn Basin Ranch, $3,780,000.00 Yolo County
To consider the allocation for a grant to the Yolo Land Trust for a cooperative project with the Sacramento Valley Conservancy, the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency and the Packard Foundation to acquire three properties totaling 685± acres to protect riparian habitat and agriculture land and to connect large tracts of land located between the Sacramento River and the Yolo Bypass, southeast of Woodland (Proposition 40)

24. Watsonville Slough Conservation Area, $5,510,500.00 and Expansion 1, Santa Cruz County
To consider an allocation for two grants to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County for cooperative projects with the Department of Fish and Game, State Coastal Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy to acquire two properties totaling 441± acres to protect coastal wetland and upland habitats, provide sustainable habitat for sensitive species, and reduce adverse impacts to the water quality and supply in the slough system located west of Highway 1 in the City of Watsonville (Proposition 84)

25. East Merced Vernal Pool Grassland Preserve, $4,400,000.00 Expansion 6, Merced County
To consider the allocation for a grant to the California Rangeland Trust to acquire a conservation easement over 2,912± acres to protect rolling grasslands with a high density of vernal pools and associated rare and endangered species located northeast of the City of Merced (Proposition 40)

26. Midland School Oak Woodlands Conservation Easement, $4,155,000.00 Santa Barbara County;
To consider the allocation for a grant to the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County for a cooperative project with the Trust for Public Land and the California Transportation Commission to acquire a conservation easement over 2,725± acres to protect and preserve oak woodland habitat in Los Olivos (Proposition 84)

27. Palo Verde Ecological Reserve, $2,585,000.00 Expansions 1 and 2, Riverside County
To consider a cooperative project with the Trust for Public Land to acquire two properties totaling 422± acres to protect desert wash and riparian habitat along the Colorado River located north of Blythe (Proposition 50)

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