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:

http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=132915

MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=134733

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

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.

Even More New Parks to Explore....

In the Sierra Nevadas and Central Valley:

IN SHASTA COUNTY:

Hathaway ranch 6630 acre conservation easement
http://www.pclfoundation.org/publications/sierranevada/shasta.html
http://www.shastalandtrust.org/content/view/19/1/

JS ranch 5940 ac conservation easement
http://www.alcnet.org/PR_JS_Ranch

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IN TEHAMA COUNTY:

(NOT FINALIZED) 5545 ac Pine Creek CE—Rose Ranch, seeking $1 million of total $1.5 mil cost of CE from SNC
http://grants.sierranevada.ca.gov/Easygrants_WS_SNC/applicationpdf.aspx?id=385

80 acres—near Lassen NP—saved 4/2011
http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/news/eighty-acre-added-to-the-lassen-volcanic-wilderness/

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IN PLUMAS COUNTY:

BY THE FEATHER RIVER LAND TRUST:

Heart-K ranch 884 acres
http://www.frlt.org/docs/hk_directions.pdf
http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Come-Celebrate--Heart-K---Signed--Sealed--Delivered-.html?soid=1102283092745&aid=3XGHZYiLLRU

Maddalena ranch—575 acres
http://frlt.org/oursuccesses.html
http://www.frlt.org/docs/madd-directions.pdf

Leonhardt Learning Landscape—42 acres,
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs092/1102283092745/archive/1105007767955.html

318 acre conservation easement at Pierce Family ranch, completed 12/2010
http://www.flickr.com/photos/frlt/sets/72157625403168342/

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IN SIERRA COUNTY:

Sierra County Land Trust Protects Volcano and Young America Lakes
5/19/11 from High Sierra Rural Alliance
http://sierracountylandtrust.org/index.shtml
http://www.sierrafund.org/news/495-sclt

Thanks to the herculean efforts of Laurie Oberholtzer of the Sierra County Land Trust and Carl Somers of The Trust for Public Land, three more parcels totaling 835 acres surrounding the Sierra Buttes will be kept in trust for the public. One parcel contains Young America Lake. Another parcel includes Volcano Lake. The acquisition also includes a large portion of the craggy face of the Sierra Buttes.
Previous purchases by the SCLT have included two parcels bordering the eastern edges of Volcano Lake and four parcels on Upper and Lower Sardine Lakes. Their land holdings now total over 1500 acres. The public will now be able to enjoy un-gated access to these jewels in the Lakes Basin area which will be managed by SCLT for hiking and back country camping.
The most recent 835 acre purchase was made possible by a grant funded through Prop 50 in 2007 to the High Sierra Rural Alliance as sponsor for SCLT from the Sierra Nevada-Cascade Grant Program. HSRA is thrilled to have played a part in the acquisition of this unparalleled landscape for public use. We wish to thank everyone who helped make the purchase possible and wish the SCLT much good luck and further successes in protecting the treasures of Sierra County.

MAP OF Young America lake
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=39.59960,-120.65091&z=15&t=T

map of Volcano lake
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=39.60668,-120.62521&z=15&t=T

http://sierracountylandtrust.org/whatwedo.shtml
While much of the Lakes Basin is in the Tahoe National Forest, almost 3,000 acres are still privately owned, mostly old mining claims.

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IN NEVADA COUNTY:

Sugarloaf Mtn-- 30 acres bought by city of Nevada City, 12/10/10
http://www.nevadacityadvocate.com/nevada-city/3498.html
http://sierrafoothillsreport.com/2011/01/31/nevada-city-gains-title-to-sugarloaf/

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IN PLACER COUNTY:

1800 acre Bruin ranch, (WCB 11/2010 gave half the purchase price)
http://www.tpl.org/what-we-do/where-we-work/california/northern-sierra-nevada/harvego-bear-river.html
http://auburnjournal.com/detail/144340.html

MAP: http://geocommons.com/overlays/68765

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TDLT buys 122 ac in Martis Valley,

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/12/3623207/preservation-trust-buys-martis.html#ixzz1MoxyPCwl
Approx. location: http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=39.29957,-120.10657&z=14&t=T

52 acre Big Gun preserve
http://www.placerlandtrust.org/news-detail.aspx?title=Big+Gun+Preserve+Protects+Endangered+Species&newsID=49

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IN EL DORADO COUNTY:

1/18/2011
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/01/18/3330966/talks-begin-on-public-uses-for.html
The Bureau of Land Management acquired the 695-acre property near Rescue just beyond Folsom Lake in 2010.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/folsom/kanaka_valley.html

land ownership map: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ca/pdf/folsom/kanaka_valley.Par.75978.File.dat/ownership.pdf

topo map: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ca/pdf/folsom/kanaka_valley.Par.29358.File.dat/topo.pdf

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IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

IN ALPINE COUNTY:

20 acres from Wilderness Land Trust to USFS
http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/news/ilderness_land_trust_acquires_20_acres_to_add_to_the_mokelumne_wilderness/

http://www.wildernesslandtrust.org/news/wilderness-land-trust-permanently-protects-20-acre-private-inholding-as-part-of-the-mokelumne-wilderness/

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IN MADERA COUNTY:

Topping ranch conservation easement—1362 acres
http://yubanet.com/regional/Sierra-Nevada-Conservancy-Board-Approves-10-Million-in-Bond-Funded-Watershed-Protection-Projects-in-the-Sierra.php

2990 acre conservation easement, by Sierra Foothill Conservancy
http://www.californiaoaks.org/html/current_issues.html

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IN TULARE COUNTY:

152 acre Dry Creek and 1819 acre Homer ranch preserves,
http://www.thesungazette.com/articles/2011/05/18/news/news04.txt
http://www.sequoiariverlands.org/map/nature-preserve-map.html

50 acres added to US BLM's Atwell Island preserve in 2010
http://www.alcnet.org/projects/overview/california/atwell_1
Atwell Island Land Retirement Demonstration Project,

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IN KERN COUNTY:

434 acres donated by National Audubon Society to feds, 3/10/11
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsbytes/2011/471xtra_wild_adds.html

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

Loggers to Sell development rights by Mt. Shasta...

Shasta Slopes Saved

2/2/2011--Today the Roseburg Resources Company and Pacific Forest Trust (PFT) announced they will establish a working forest conservation easement to conserve the significant natural resources of the company’s 8,230-acre Bear Creek tract, located on the slopes of Mt. Shasta in the northern California counties of Siskiyou and Shasta. This effort will complete the permanent conservation of the upper Bear Creek watershed, spawning grounds for the world-famous Fall River rainbow trout.

(click on map to enlarge)

The Bear Creek Working Forest Project is located in the PFT's Mt. Shasta Headwaters Conservation Area within the Klamath-Cascade region, source of the majority of California’s drinking water, heart of the state’s timber industry and home to one of the world’s most biodiverse conifer forests.

Together Roseburg Resources and PFT are applying to the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, the National Scenic Byways Program and private foundations for grants to fund the $7.8 million appraised value of the conservation easement. Roseburg has committed to sell the easement to PFT if sufficient funding commitments can be secured this year.

Family-owned Roseburg Resources Company, http://roseburg.com, headquartered in Dillard, Oregon, owns 175,000 acres in northern California....

FULL PRESS RELEASE:
http://www.forestsworkwonders.org/2011/02/pft-and-roseburg-resources-company-join.html

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OTHER PACIFIC FOREST TRUST NEWS:


12/2010--We have some great news to share as 2010 comes to a close. This month California's Sierra Nevada Conservancy delivered the funds to complete our conservation easement on the 245-acre Calpine Meadow Ranch in Sierra Valley, CA, located at the southern tip of our Klamath-Cascade focal area.

Finalizing this conservation easement brings the total lands PFT has safeguarded this year to more than 3,000 acres - a cause for celebration!

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=emptq8bab&v=001HMt6LRUvA5islRFztcpzIlGHAsOlHJ8xSbcaxe--gKVVcS5Kve0pavUsav9B4KTe77GLzLV96uprkqG4YjrE5HYZQRNieZcHw2bf0w8hEjYPly5OhEw0xdNBloodgFDIAUZ9zYd-cbsTPgqA0hpmVWXXtZnIGTSamL1-uvQMYEBCjw0Jz3eAcw%3D%3D
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https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0Bzo64sMxUUP8NDA3MWY2YTMtY2UwNy00MzYyLWI2MDMtNzUzMjg4NDJjMWVh&hl=en

PFT is working with local ranchers to create a conservation corridor across southern Sierra Valley, the largest alpine valley in North America. Located north of Lake Tahoe and a stone’s throw from Reno, Sierra Valley is the headwaters of the middle fork of the Feather River, where the snowmelt from the northern Sierra creates the largest wetland ecosystem in the Sierra Nevada. To date, in partnership
with five families, we have conserved 4,500 acres along the important transition between the upland forests and valley meadowlands. More conservation easement projects are underway.

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Mt. Shasta

PFT is working closely with the owners of large, well-managed commercial forestlands that surround this majestic peak, interspersed with the National Forest and Mt. Shasta Wilderness Area. The goal of these partnerships is to secure key properties that anchor the forest products industry of the area, while assuring the ongoing sustainable management of these uniquely diverse forests. The glaciers and snow pack of Mt. Shasta form the headwaters of the Sacramento River and several of its key tributaries, including the McCloud and Fall Rivers, which provide much of the water for thirsty Californians. To date, PFT has conserved more than 9,000 acres here, with several major conservation projects in development.

Independence Lake north of Tahoe bought for public from power company

2325 acres of Land around and including lake ten miles north of Truckee is saved by NC

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/california/features/independence.html

On May 11, 2010, The Nature Conservancy announced that Independence Lake, one of the most pristine alpine lakes west of the Rockies, and the majestic wilderness that surrounds it will remain protected from development following the sale of the lake and the land to The Nature Conservancy by longtime owner NV Energy. (The property lies on both sides of the Sierra and Nevada County lines)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/20/SP5F1DG9ES.DTL#ixzz0oTibY9NH

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Land buy around Calif. lake to ease Truckee Meadows droughts, Reno-Gazette Journal
http://www.rgj.com/article/20100510/NEWS/100511001/-1/CARSON/Land-buy-around-Calif.-lake-to-ease-Truckee-Meadows-droughts


May 10 2010--The purchase announced Tuesday of thousands of acres around Independence Lake by The Nature Conservancy will protect a critical source of water for Reno and Sparks in times of drought, states a member of the organization .The Nature Conservancy’s $15 million purchase of 2,325 acres of forest land in the Sierra Nevada from NV Energy will also preserve one of only two lakes in the world with indigenous populations of the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout, said Chris Fichtel, Independence Lake project manger for The Nature Conservancy.



http://www.rgj.com/article/20100518/TT/5180302/1047


May 18 2010--Last week the Nature Conservancy purchased 2,325 acres of land around Independence Lake north of Truckee for $15 million. The Conservancy called the 2.4-mile-long lake one of the most pristine alpine lakes west of the Rockies and home to one of the world's last two wild lake populations of the Lahontan cutthroat trout and other wildlife species. The acquisition was billed as a move that would "protect a critical source of water for Reno and Sparks in times of drought," but the rights to the 17,000-acre-feet of water in the lake were never threatened, and the acquisition did nothing to change ownership of the water itself. The Conservancy purchased the land from NV Energy, the utility that has owned the property since 1937, but the water in the lake remains in the hands of the Truckee Meadows Water Authority, which uses the lake as a reserve for times of severe drought.

4000 acre conservation easement bought from timber giant north of Tahoe

Sierra Pacific Industries stops some clearcutting for $8 million 

http://www.theunion.com/article/20100628/NEWS/100629756/1001&parentprofile=1053

MAP: https://picasaweb.google.com/rexfrankel/CentralValleyAndSierraNevadaMountainsNewParks#5659392895524414002

6/28/2010--Most recently, working with the Trust for Public Land, the group scooped up more than 4,000 acres (with plans for 7,000 acres) in conservation easements on Sierra Pacific Industries' land north of Truckee, the first-such conservation deal ever brokered with the lumber company.

“This is not just the conservation and protection of over 7,500 acres in the Little Truckee Watershed — we have consummated a conservation transaction with the largest private land owner in California,” said Perry Norris, executive director of the Truckee Donner Land Trust. “That's precedent setting.”

The private property runs in a checker pattern of public (U.S. Forest Service) and private land along the historic Henness Pass Road, running from west of Highway 89 north to the hills around Jackson Meadows Reservoir.

The easements prevent clear-cutting and the use of herbicides, still allows some timber harvest and opens the Sierra Pacific Industry land to the public and allow trail building, said John Svahn, stewardship director with the land trust.

And it was possible with $1.83 million from the Northern Sierra Partnership and $6.42 million from the Wildlife Conservation Board, Norris said.

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/SS/20100625/NEWS/100629952/0/NEWS&parentprofile=
for story and map
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NOTE: this map is very fuzzy even when enlarged. The lake on the left is Jackson Meadows Reservoir. The lake on the right side is Webber Lake.
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more:
excerpted from

Thousands of Sierra acres conserved in new deal

http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20107120331
7/13/2010

The Truckee Donner Land Trust is in the business of conserving open space, and business is good. The down economy that has many other non-profits cutting back and bunkering down has created unique land acquisition opportunities for the group founded in 1990 in the Sierra Nevada north of Lake Tahoe. Most recently, working with the Trust for Public Land, the group scooped up more than 4,000 acres in conservation easements on Sierra Pacific Industries' land north of Truckee -- the first-such conservation deal ever brokered with the timber company.

Plans call for the addition of another 3,000 acres as part of the package that primarily straddles watersheds for the Little Truckee River and the Yuba River. It includes sections of the Pacific Crest Trail on its way from Mexico to Canada....

The private property runs in a checkerboard pattern of national forest land and private land along the historic Henness Pass Road, running from west of California 89 north to the hills around Jackson Meadows Reservoir. The easements prevent clear-cutting and the use of herbicides while still allowing some logging and opening the nearly 12 square miles of land to public access and potentially new trail construction, said John Svahn, stewardship director with the land trust.

...Norris said the first-ever conservation easement with Sierra Pacific Industries also possibly prevents serious development in the forests north of Truckee.
"This is the same 7,500 acres SPI was petitioning Sierra County to take out of timber production zone and put into general forestry, which means it could have been subdivided into 160-acre ranchettes," Norris said.

...He said Sierra Pacific Industries has transferred more than 100,000 acres to public ownership in the past, but compared to an outright sale or transfer, the conservation easements along Henness Pass mean SPI can continue to harvest wood for mills in the area, keeping jobs in the northern Sierra...

WCB 5/2010: State finds cash to buy more land and development rights

-

Almost 20,000 acres to be preserved by State this month

NOTICE OF MEETING--WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD
May 27, 2010--10:00 AM--State Capitol, Room 112--Sacramento, California 95814

http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=19402

MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=25147

HIGHLIGHTS:

MONTEREY COUNTY—1 acre
RIVERSIDE COUNTY—404 acres
SISKIYOU COUNTY—10,500 acres
SIERRA COUNTY—1455 ACRES
SANTA CLARA COUNTY—1557 acres
MADERA COUNTY—2990 acres
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY—2355 acres--Avila Beach
LOS ANGELES COUNTY—139 acres—Cahuenga Peak
ORANGE COUNTY—100 acres—Los Cerritos wetlands
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PRELIMINARY AGENDA ITEMS

Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve, $220,000.00 Expansion 18 Monterey County
To consider the acquisition of 1± acre of land to protect critical tidal wetlands and grasslands as an expansion of the Department of Fish and Game's Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve located within the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, near the town of Moss Landing, in Monterey County.

Whitewater Floodplain Conservation Area $5,000.00 Riverside County
To consider the acceptance of two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grants and the approval to subgrant the federal funds to the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission to acquire six properties, totaling 404± acres, to protect and enhance existing regional wildlife linkages and aeolian and fluvial sand transport areas within one of four priority areas of the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Preserve located west of the City of Palm Springs, in Riverside County.

Shasta Big Springs Ranch $10,330,000.00 Siskiyou County
To consider a cooperative project with The Nature Conservancy and the Department of Fish and Game wherein the State proposes to acquire a conservation easement over 5,834± acres of land to protect critical wildlife and fish habitat located near the community of Big Springs, in Siskiyou County.

Scott Valley $3,237,700.00 Siskiyou County
To consider the allocation for a grant to the Siskiyou Land Trust for a cooperative project with the Department of Conservation to acquire Conservation Easements over five ownerships totaling 4,735± acres to protect rangeland, grazing land and grassland in Scott Valley, near the City of Etna, in Siskiyou County.

Lemon Canyon Ranch $1,057,000.00 Sierra County
To consider the allocation for a grant to the Pacific Forest Trust for a cooperative project with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to acquire a conservation easement over 1,455± acres to protect rangeland, grazing land and grassland located east of Sierraville, in Sierra County.

Canada de los Osos Ecological Reserve, $1,908,200.00 Expansion 1 Santa Clara County
To consider the acquisition of two contiguous parcels of land totaling 1,557± acres to protect valuable grassland, oak woodland and riparian habitat and to expand connectivity to other public lands located east of the City of Gilroy, in Santa Clara County.

Millar Ranch Oak Woodlands $1,860,000.00 Madera County
To consider the allocation for a grant to the Sierra Foothill Conservancy to acquire a conservation easement over 2,990± acres to protect and preserve oak woodland habitat located south of the community of Oakhurst, in Madera County.

Wild Cherry Canyon $6,735,000.00 San Luis Obispo County
To consider the allocation for a grant and acceptance of a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant from the National Park Service as a reimbursement for a cooperative project with the American Land Conservancy, CA State Parks, State Coastal Conservancy, the Board and others to acquire a leasehold interest in 2,355± acres near the community of Avila Beach, in San Luis Obispo County.

Cahuenga Peak $705,000.00 Los Angeles County
To consider the allocation for a grant for a cooperative project with the Trust for Public Land, Department of Fish and Game, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the City of Los Angeles and private donors to acquire 138± acres to protect plant, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities located adjacent to Griffith Park in the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County.

Los Cerritos Wetlands $6,180,000.00 Orange County
To consider the allocation for a grant to the Los Cerritos Wetland Authority for a cooperative project with the State Coastal Conservancy and the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, to acquire 100± acres of land to protect critical coastal wetland habitat, scenic features and vanishing remnants of California's wetland landscape located in the City of Seal Beach, in Orange County.

WCB 2/2010: State to help save 10,400 acres at February meeting...

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State Wildlife Board opens checkbook a little

February 25, 2010
10:00 AM
State Capitol, Room 112
Sacramento, California 95814

https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=15856

If all purchases are completed, this would add 5699 acres to full ownership by the State and 4727 acres in conservation easements (where the land remains privately owned but the development rights are given up)

MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=25146

*7. Clear Lake Conservation Area, a donation from Lake County Watershed Protection District of a conservation easement over 102± acres of wetlands.

*9. Lower Colorado River Ecological Reserve, (Travis Donation) Riverside County
To consider the acceptance of a donation to the State of two parcels of land totaling 84± acres to protect cottonwood and mesquite woodlands and riparian habitat, located just east of Highway 95 and along the Lower Colorado River, near the City of Blythe, in Riverside County.

*10. Western Riverside County MSHСP , Expansion 1 Riverside County
acquire 49± acres adjacent to the City of Temecula

*11. Iron Mountain Wildlife Area, Expansion 4, San Diego County
acquire 311± acres as an expansion to the Department of Fish and Game’s Iron Mountain Wildlife area, for the purposes of protecting undisturbed grasslands, chaparral, oak woodlands, vernal pools and riparian habitat in the San Vicente Creek watershed, located near the community of Ramona, in San Diego County.

12. Sierra Crest Conservation Easement, $6,430,000, Phases I and II Sierra and Nevada Counties. A grant to the Truckee Donner Land Trust, subject to the availability of bond funds, for a cooperative project with the Department of Fish and Game and the Northern Sierra Partnership to acquire a conservation easement over 4,365± acres of commercial timber land to promote sustainable harvesting practices, secure wildlife migration corridors, and provide public access along a two mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail, located in the vicinity of Jackson Meadows Reservoir north of the Town of Truckee, in Nevada and Sierra Counties.

13. Holmstead Farms #4, Yuba County
acquisition of a conservation easement over 260± acres of privately-owned land for a cooperative project with Ducks Unlimited, Inc. to protect seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands and upland grasslands, located in the community of Loma Rica, in Yuba County.

15. Liberty Island, Solano and Yolo Counties
To consider the acceptance by the State of a donation of fee title to approximately 5,030 acres from the Trust for Public Land to protect riparian and upland delta habitat on Liberty Island, located just west of the Sacramento Deep Water Shipping Canal, south of the City of Davis, in Yolo and Solano Counties.

17. Willow Hole Conservation Area, Expansion 1, Riverside County
acquisition of 45± acres to protect and enhance existing regional wildlife linkages and aeolian and fluvial sand transport areas within the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Preserve reserve area, located southeast of Desert Hot Springs and north of Highway 10, in Riverside County.

18. San Diego County (Helix-Lambron and Wildcat Canyon) acquisitions of two properties totaling 180± acres

Developers still eager for bite out of Sierra Valley...

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For Sierra Valley ranchers, help to resist developers tougher to find

Excerpted from:
http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/2148100.html

9/1/2009--
…One group – the California Rangeland Trust – says it has eight projects and 10,000 acres waiting for the funding needed to become protected easements. Other land trusts say they, too, are hunting around for money. Meanwhile, the California Department of Conservation estimates that Sierra Valley loses an average of 1,400 acres of grazing land every year.

"A lot of projects are ready to go once the money starts to flow," said Holly George, a livestock and natural resources adviser in Plumas and Sierra counties for the University of California Cooperative Extension. "A lot of ranchers are contacting the land trusts, but my sense is that the land trusts aren't seeing the funding."

According to the university, more than 150 land trusts in California have acquired nearly a million acres of land in recent years.

The California Rangeland Trust, founded about 10 years ago by the California Cattlemen's Association, focuses on protecting ranches, farms and grazing land through conservation easements. Landowners agree to keep their land in agriculture and protect wildlife habitat and in return are paid an amount between the fair market value of the property if developed and its lower agricultural value.

Rangeland Trust spokeswoman Erin Davis said her group has acquired three Sierra Valley ranches covering more than 20,000 acres since 1998…

Timberworkers Suffer When Forests are Overlogged or Converted to Housing Tracts

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Saving Forests from becoming Housing Tracts Saves Millworkers' Jobs

From the High Sierra Rural Alliance:

Regarding the Settlement between HSRA, SPI and the County of Sierra

4/18/2009--Since the announcement of the HSRA settlement with Sierra Pacific Industries and Sierra County, there have been a spate of letters-to-the-editor and an opinion piece in local newspapers implying that the closing of the SPI mill in Quincy and the loss of 150 jobs was caused by the litigation settlement between the parties. This is not true.

The agreement which SPI proposed and was agreed to by HSRA and the County of Sierra resulted in:

* 7000 acres of land zoned as Timber Production remaining in Timber Production Zone, and

* Reimbursement of HSRA costs and attorney fees by SPI, $15,640.

Making sure productive timberland within reasonable distances of timber mills is not converted into other uses protects mill jobs. The monetary settlement consists of less than four months wages for one mill worker. SPI receives generous property tax deductions by having the land in Timber Production Zone rather than General Forest. This case did not cause the loss of 150 jobs at the SPI mill in Quincy or anywhere else. For more information, please see: http://www.highsierrarural.org/announcements/aresponse

Saving the Headwaters of the Feather River

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Lands Saved by the Feather River Land Trust

(on this map, the Sierra Valley is in the upper left.
The pink and dark green shading on this map shows land saved by land trusts and by the private land owners. The light green and yellow shadingshows federal lands; the blue shading is State land.)

http://www.frlt.org/oursuccesses.html

By July, 2004, using both conservation easements and outright purchase, the Feather River Land Trust has protected over 27,000 acres in the Feather River region. About 90% of these 27,000 acres consist of working cattle ranches. The properties we've protected include:

--The 1,030-acre Matley Ranch along Last Chance Creek
--The 1,360-acre Balderston Ranch (formerly known as the Lombardi Ranch) in Sierra Valley --The 575-acre Maddalena Property in Sierra Valley
--The 13,120-acre Bar One Ranch in Sierra Valley—conservation easement
--The 450-acre Ranz Property along Little Truckee River
--The 480-acre Babbit Peak Property south of Sierra Valley
--The 884-acre Heart K Ranch and 80-acre Taylor Lake, in Genesee Valley
--the 1,360-acre Trosi Canyon Ranch in the Sierra Valley—conservation easement
--the 160 acre Don Balderston ranch in Sierra Valley—conservation easement

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Groups Seek Federal Funds for Sierra Nevada Checkerboard Buyout

http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=22789&folder_id=175

Tahoe National Forest, CA
Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Project Need: $8 million
Acreage: 7,000

In the 19th century, in order to spur the construction of transcontinental railroads between the Pacific coast and the Mississippi valley, the federal government granted land to the railroads in alternating square miles. This “checkerboard” pattern of land ownership presents numerous challenges to landowners and managers. Fragmented ownership challenges public efforts in the
Sierra checkerboard to fight fires and to protect water quality, wildlife habitat, recreational access, and scenic views. The LWCF, in conjunction with state and philanthropic funds, is the primary federal tool in these efforts.

Acquisitions in the Sierra are focused on lands rich in natural resources: those that include or abut wild and scenic rivers, recreational trails, and wildlife migration corridors. Upcoming projects include parcels located in the watersheds of the North Fork American and the Yuba rivers. These and other Sierra rivers provide Californians with 60% of their water supply and support increasingly threatened fisheries and riparian corridors vital to wildlife. The parcels are also recreational attractions for winter sports enthusiasts, anglers, and hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail and at nearby lakes. Perhaps the greatest value of consolidated ownership lies in the preservation and restoration of intact ecosystems and watersheds, which are more likely to allow varied species to successfully adapt to the expected impacts of climate change. Sensitive species such as the American marten and Sierra Nevada red fox depend on habitat connectivity for their survival. Unfragmented forests recover faster and have significantly reduced damage costs from wildfires.

The Sierra’s natural resources have a profound impact on the entire state of California, and consolidation of the checkerboard is a multiyear effort that will eventually protect over 100,000 acres in partnership with federal, state, local, and private entities...

Alan Front, Senior Vice President of The Trust for Public Land (TPL) emphasized the wide array of public interests and benefits provided by LWCF. The LWCF is the premier program to fund land purchases across our nation's national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, Bureau of Land Management lands, national scenic and historic trails and other federal lands. The state grants component of the LWCF provides critical assistance to state and local parks for land protection and infrastructure needs. The Forest Legacy program awards grants to states to assist in the protection of working forest and recreation lands through purchases of land and conservation easements. Mr. Front emphasized the availability of a dedicated funding stream for the LWCF program from revenues the federal government receives from the leasing of oil and gas on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This funding has been diverted to other uses. Authorized by Congress to receive $900 million annually, the LWCF has reached full funding of $900 million per year only once in its forty-four year history.

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Sierra Pacific Industries Settles Case, Withdraws Bid to "Upzone" 34,000 Acres of Forests in 6 Northern Calif. Counties

http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/1660393.html

2-28-2009--Timber firm, Sierra Nevada environmental groups settle dispute

Two Sierra Nevada environmental groups have settled lawsuits challenging the rezoning of 12,541 acres of timberland owned by Sierra Pacific Industries, the largest private landowner in California…

Sierra and Lassen counties are among eight Northern California counties where the Anderson-based timber company had sought to remove a total of about 40,000 acres of its forests from timber production zoning. New zoning designations would start a 10-year countdown that would end the tax benefits Sierra Pacific has enjoyed under timberland production zoning, approved by the Legislature in 1976 to encourage long-term working forests.

After 10 years, the company could request new zoning designations that permit development.

With the settlements in Sierra and Lassen counties, only Tehama and Shasta counties have authorized the company's rezone requests on a combined 6,339 acres.

Sierra Pacific recently withdrew applications for rezoning 34,237 acres of timberlands in Butte, Lassen, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou and Trinity counties, said Mark Pawlicki, a company spokesman. The requests ranged from 7,826 acres in Plumas County to 2,537 acres in Tehama County.

Although it has no plans for development, the company is not abandoning zoning changes on some of its 1.7 million acres, Pawlicki said.

Instead of a piecemeal approach, company officials want to take a more comprehensive view that adheres to the legal processes required by state environmental laws, he said.

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http://www.sierracounty.ws/county_docs/bos/050808%20BOS/mno05062008bosweb.pdf

County planning staff doesn’t think any development is foreseen for the thousands of acres of SPI’s forest lands that they are rezoning in Sierra County...

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Settlement Protects Sierra County Forest Lands from Premature Development

(The Case involved Sierra Pacific Industries' Lands around 15 miles northwest of the town of Truckee which are part of the "checkerboard" of lands given to the railroads in the 1800's, with the federal government retaining every other square mile)

February 27, 2009, Sierra City--The High Sierra Rural Alliance announced the successful settlement of a lawsuit the group brought against the County of Sierra and Sierra Pacific Industries. HSRA had challenged the County's approval to rezone over 7000 acres of forested lands from a zone which limited development to a zone which would encourage development. Under the agreement the property owned by SPI in a remote and environmentally sensitive area within the checkerboard of the Tahoe National Forest will remain protected from premature development.

Under the settlement the County has agreed to rescind the disputed approval. Sierra Pacific Industries has agreed to cover all of HSRA's attorney's fees and court costs, and HSRA has agreed not to pursue the litigation in court.

The HSRA contended the rezone was not consistent with the County's General Plan; and, the exemption from environmental analysis the project received was inappropriate. "The suit challenged the legality of the rezone. The settlement was the most cost effective solution for SPI, if they believed their legal position lacked merit," said Michael Graf, attorney for HSRA. With the intent of expanding into the real estate business, the rezone was one in a series of rezones totaling more than 40,000 acres SPI has sought across Sierra Nevada counties in California. The HSRA argued such a vast project by the largest landowner in the state required environmental review. The project was approved with an exemption from analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act.

HSRA spokeswoman, Stevee Duber, stated," the settlement is great news for the integrity of the Tahoe National Forest. It doesn't make sense to convert remote forested lands for development in view of the environmental challenges we are facing due to climate change and the critical role forests play in enhancing watershed and habitat health,."

"Sierra County's General Plan is very specific about encouraging development around existing communities and discouraging development in areas remote from existing services. It's a Smart Growth principle which is widely accepted and supported by a diverse group of organizations, industries, local governments and most recently the State of California in Senate Bill 375" continued Duber, "When these sorts of policies are easily overcome, land speculation and escalating prices result, which in turn creates more pressure for random, unconstructive development."

The rezone, along Henness Pass Road between Perazzo Meadows and Jackson Reservoir would have opened the Tahoe National Forest to significant environmental impacts, as well as alter the rural qualities of Sierra County. Not only would it have removed valuable timberland from production, it would have compromised the commercial use and the forest health of the remaining productive timberlands by introducing incompatible uses. Development on private in-holdings within the National Forest alters the forest structure, can interrupt ecological processes; increase the potential for invasive species, disease and insect infestations; increase fire danger and promote rural sprawl.

Just a few weeks ago it was reported that the Northern Sierra Partnership acquired Perazzo Meadows, a 932 acre parcel, bordering the 7000 acres saved from rezoning by the HSRA. The acquisition is part of a broader plan to permanently protect the forest by purchasing as much as 200,000 acres of private in-holdings within the National Forest. The parcels, which had been slated for rezoning, are shown in red on the map below.

For the past three years the HSRA has been watch-dogging Sierra and Plumas County land-use decisions. The organization is a nonprofit based in Sierra City committed to preserving the rural qualities of the area. They believe rural values provide a balance between human, economic and environmental wellbeing. For more information, visit http://www.highsierrarural.org/.

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Northern Sierra preservation Partnership Makes First Purchase

excerpted from:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/02/MN9015FKLA.DTL

2/2/2009--The valley known as Perazzo Meadows is a stunning landscape of woods and watershed habitat surrounded by glimmering Sierra Nevada peaks, but there is more to the high-country Shangri-La than sheer beauty.

The 982-acre meadow northwest of Truckee is an integral piece of an unusual land grant made almost 150 years ago that left pristine forests, rivers and valuable wildlife habitat in the northern Sierra in a checkerboard pattern of alternating public and private ownership.

Bisected by a meandering section of the Little Truckee River, the remote, snow-covered meadow was in imminent danger of being sold to developers or parceled out for vacation homes until a conservation coalition purchased it and two other private properties from Siller Brothers Inc. for $6 million.

The Dec. 30 deal is the first major success of the Northern Sierra Partnership, formed in 2007 as part of an unprecedented campaign to take out of private hands 65,000 acres of land over the next three to five years through a combination of purchases, conservation easements and management agreements.

The $130 million effort is part of a broader plan, started in 1991 by the Trust for Public Land of San Francisco, to permanently protect as much as 200,000 acres of private checkerboard property in the region, which stretches from South Lake Tahoe to Lassen Volcanic National Park.

"Protecting these High Sierra meadows with creeks running through them are huge priorities," said David Sutton, the Northern California and Nevada director for the Trust for Public Land. "Perazzo has been a major priority for us since the mid-1990s. Buying it means 2 1/2 miles of the lower Truckee River are protected and the threat of land conversion is ended."

The Trust for Public Land formed the partnership with the Truckee Donner Land Trust, the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Business Council and the Feather River Land Trust in an effort to save the Sierra's most unspoiled forest and wildlife habitat.

The alternating one-square-mile parcels known as the Sierra checkerboard cover a total of 1.5 million acres - an area roughly 80 miles long and 40 miles wide. On maps, it looks like a checkerboard.

The board-game pattern is the result of an 1862 scheme by the federal government to extend the Transcontinental Railroad over Donner Summit, the infamous site of the cannibalistic travails of the Donner Party 15 years earlier. The Central Pacific Railroad Co. was granted every other square mile of property along the mountainous route as an incentive to build the tracks.

The idea was to allow for enough room for the railroad to meander through the mountains. It also supplied the railroad with property in virtually every location where future towns might pop up, a strong inducement given the money-making possibilities.

Parcels not used were sold to timber and mining companies to help fund construction and, over time, it was all sold. About 40 percent of the railroad land was eventually acquired by Sierra Pacific Industries, a logging company based in Redding that is now the largest private land owner in California. Most of the public squares have since become National Forest lands.

Over the past two decades, the Trust for Public Land has negotiated the acquisition of about 25,000 acres of former railroad property. But Sierra Pacific and other lumber companies, along with ranchers and private investment management companies, still hold some of the most spectacular parcels....

The partnership plans to use foundation grants, state bond money, private donations and philanthropic contributions to protect 40 percent of the approximately 500,000 acres of private lands in the checkerboard, including important watersheds and wildlife corridors.

The idea is to create a conifer zone to the crest of the Sierra and protect watersheds on nine major forks of the American, Yuba, Bear and Little Truckee river systems...

A 400-acre parcel northwest of Castle Peak at the edge of the Paradise Valley was also acquired from Siller. A third property near Collins Lake, in Yuba County, was part of the deal, but it is not part of the checkerboard. It will eventually be transferred to the state Department of Fish and Game.

The Perazzo and Paradise properties will be turned over to the Tahoe National Forest. They are the ninth and 10th squares to be acquired near Castle Peak since the Trust for Public Land began buying property 18 years ago. Four other parcels are still under negotiation, but Perazzo is the most valuable, Sutton said, because it includes high-mountain meadow habitat, a river and wetlands....

View a 1924 map of the Sierra checkerboard lands at http://www.cprr.org/Museum/Maps/CP_Land_Map_1924.ht

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http://yubanet.com/regional/1-400-Acres-in-Northern-Sierra-Protected.php

Feb. 2, 2009 - Three properties totaling almost 2,000 acres are being permanently protected in the northern Sierra Nevada and in Yuba County, The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and Truckee Donner Land Trust (TDLT) announced today.

The properties were purchased from Siller Brothers, Inc, a Marysville-based family company on Dec. 30. Money to finance the purchases came from a variety of state funds and private partners, TPL and TLDT announced. Two of the properties are near the proposed Castle Peak Wilderness Area north of Donner Summit, and the third is next to the Daugherty Hills Wildlife Area in the Collins Lake Recreation Area of Yuba County. The two mountain properties are also high priorities for the Northern Sierra Partnership, formed in 2007 by TPL, TDLT, the Feather River Land Trust, Sierra Business Council and The Nature Conservancy to insure the environmental and economic sustainability of the northern Sierra….

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2009/02/02/MN9015FKLA.DTL&o=3

for map

http://www.tpl.org/content_documents/NS_Priorities_email080519.final.pdf

Northern Sierra Partnership map--2.8 megabytes--large file

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Northern Sierra Partnership Launched

February 2009--5 conservation groups have joined in an effort to protect more than 100,000 acres in California's northern Sierra Nevada. The groups will work to attract $75-$100 million in private conservation funding to leverage $225-$300 million in federal, state and local funds. Other goals are to build regional support for land and water conservation, address the impacts of climate change, encourage sustainable economies in the northern Sierra, and serve as a model for nonprofit collaboration in other regions.

Click on map to enlarge

http://www.northernsierrapartnership.org/

http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=22704&folder_id=1705

Click to enlarge program area map.

Collaborating to Conserve

Northern Sierra's rapid growth threatens open space and drinking water
Nearly half of the land in the northern Sierra is privately owned, and threatened by the rapid pace of change in California. Population growth is driving an influx of new home, golf course, and ski resort development to the region, jeopardizing the source of clean drinking water for much of California and imperiling precious habitat.

Five conservation groups join forces
In October 2008, TPL and four other conservation organizations — Feather River Land Trust, Truckee Donner Land Trust, Sierra Business Council, and The Nature Conservancy — joined forces to create The Northern Sierra Partnership (NSP), a unique alliance whose goal is to protect 100,000 acres of the northern Sierra's highest-priority land and waters over the next five years.

Comprehensive plan secures resources for future generations
By developing a comprehensive plan that integrates land protection, restoration, policy development and community enhancement projects, TPL and its partners are working to ensure that the Sierra's remarkable natural, cultural, and recreational resources-and California's drinking water-will be protected for future generations.

overworked webmaster goes mad...starts posting loose news items...

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CENTRAL VALLEY-SIERRA NEVADA REGION-- ASSORTED WEBSITES:

PLUMAS AND SIERRA COUNTIES:

http://frlt.org/docs/summer07.pdf

map of lands saved in the Sierra Valley; group is based in Quincy in Plumas County;

Story on 160 acre conservation easement in Sierra Valley

--Also see website for 2007-2008 annual report: lands saved in 07-08 include 160-acre Dan Balderston Ranch in Sierra Valley saved with a conservation easement, 725 acre conservation easement at the Turner Creek Ranch, and contracted to buy the 976 acre Mello Ranch near Loyalton in Sierra County. All total in the FRLT’s history, 12 properties totaling nearly 30,000 acres have been saved in Sierra Valley by FRLT and its partner groups.

High Sierra Rural.org

on the Sierra Valley, how Sierra County strongly protects its rural qualities, while Plumas county does not

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PLACER COUNTY:

http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/Planning/PlacerLegacy/PlacerLegacyProperties.aspx

map of land preserved in Placer County

http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/Planning/PlacerLegacy/~/media/cdr/Planning/PlacerLegacy/Acquisitions/2007%2008YearEnd4thQtrReport.ashx

table lists 2687 acres saved since year 2000; around 1500 acres of that total is conservation easements

http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/Planning/PlacerLegacy/Accomplishments.aspx Placer legacy timeline

http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/Planning/PlacerLegacy/~/media/cdr/Planning/PlacerLegacy/PrimaryWatersheds.ashx

map of watersheds in Placer County

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SOLANO COUNTY:

http://www.solanocounty.com/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=4865

1580 acre Rockville Trails Estates project in Solano County—9/25/2008

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MERCED COUNTY:

http://www.ucop.edu/news/archives/2001/march20art1.htm

3/20/2001: With a grant in excess of $11 million from the Packard Foundation, UC will acquire the 7,030-acre Virginia Smith Trust parcel northeast of the city of Merced…After acquisition, the university plans to set aside 5,030 acres as a conservation preserve that would protect vernal pool habitat in perpetuity. The remaining 2,000 acres would be used for the proposed new UC Merced campus on the southwest portion of the Virginia Smith Trust lands; the campus portion would include a 750-acre natural reserve of vernal pool habitat protected from development….Triggering the release of $15 million in state-approved habitat acquisition funds from the Wildlife Conservation Board to ensure the conservation of key wetland and vernal pool resources in the surrounding area.

http://www.ucop.edu/news/archives/2001/march20art1a.htm

The UC Merced campus is planned to have an area of 2,000 acres, consisting of: 1) a developed campus of 910 acres; 2) a 750-acre natural reserve, and 3) a reserve of 340 acres for future potential development. The Campus will ultimately host 25,000 students. The Campus Community will be a planned development of approximately 2,000 acres that will eventually have about 30,000 residents.

…Under the proposal, the new campus would be situated away from the most sensitive vernal pool areas of the VST site. The new proposal also calls for the University to create the first phase of the campus on the Merced Hills Golf Course, which is part of the VST.

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TULARE COUNTY:

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20081120/NEWS01/811200316/1002

Exeter and Porterville landowners are wary of state park proposals

11-20-2008: The state's proposal would create a 1,000-acre park near Porterville and a 2,300-acre park near Exeter. A third plan would set aside 500 acres of trails along the Kings River near the Tulare County line just below the Pine Flat Dam….Jack Shannon, whose 4,000-acre cattle ranch near Porterville has been in his family for five generations, found out about the proposed Deer Creek park near his property only a few days ago. On Wednesday he made the hour-long drive to Visalia to find out more about the project….Chad Noble's 3,000-acre ranch property would be bisected by the proposed Deer Creek park….

http://www.sequoiariverlands.org/pdf/IRWMP/WaterConflExistPlans_QualQuant_EconSocial_07_22_08.pdf

-- Land use issues in foothills- urbanization and development moving up from the valley, relying heavily on groundwater

--New development drawing water from other people’s wells- example: Shaver Lake

--Tulare County directing all growth to the foothills to protect agriculture

--Diverting runoff from the Kings River into the San Joaquin to avoid local flooding of Homeland Ranch (Boswell) which is prime agricultural land.

--Yokohl Valley- proposing to build on a stream corridor,

--Shaver Lake development- will be looking for surface water

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KERN COUNTY:

http://www.cuddyvalley.org/blogs/nimby/?p=294

According to Tejon’s very own Draft Water Supply Assessment, this is how Centennial will look from the air. It’s beautiful. It’s like the tulip fields. Who needs wildflowers...

http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/506919.html

7-26-2008: The PdV Wind Energy Project, proposed by enXco, would use 5,820 acres west of Rosamond to generate electricity for Southern California Edison.

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/pearsonville-ca/TPJ4IOKJ6DGJGT887

web comments on sale of Onyx Ranch

The windmills will be located on the southern-most section of the property, near the intersections of Jawbone Canyon and Kelso Valley Roads. Other areas closer to Lake Isabella will be olive orchards and vineyards. But whether the family gave some land to the BLM for OHV use, whether they held back any for themselves, and whether they kept the mineral rihts remains to be seen. They have always been responsible landowners, and so I can't see too much becoming tract homes.

http://www.kernsmartgrowth.com

http://www.kernsmartgrowth.com/notices.html

Pine Tree Wind Development Project by Wind Turbine Prometheus proposes a zone change from E (20) to A and A WE (Wind Energy) on 8,000 acres, along with CUPs to allow construction of a temporary batch plant, located 15 miles northeast of Tehachapi.

http://www.proland.com/antelope_valley.asp

Antelope Valley development booster website

http://gthompso.blogspot.com/2008/12/tehachapi.html

photos of Tehachapi region

http://www.cityofvernon.org/about_cov/2008NovGazette.pdf

vague city newsletter mentioning city purchase of portion of Onyx Ranch in the lower Sierra Nevadas