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

7132 Acres of Development Rights purchased in Tehama County

Ranches Conserved in Tehama County

January 26, 2011
(Chico, CA) – The Northern California Regional Land Trust (NCRLT) has acquired two voluntary conservation easements protecting two working ranches and approximately 7,132 contiguous acres of rangeland in western Tehama County, approximately 15 miles west of Red Bluff. Hailed as a “hallmark conservation project for the region” by Executive Director Jamison Watts, these easements will preserve the region’s ranching tradition and ecological values that are present today for future generations of Californians. Funding for the purchase of the two easements was provided by the California Wildlife Conservation Board in the amount of $3.9 million.

Among the resources conserved, the “Red Bank Project” will permanently protect 4,275 contiguous acres of oak woodland as well as annual grassland, working farmland, chamise-redshank chaparral, spring-fed wetlands, intermittent and perennial streams, riparian habitat along Red Bank Creek and North Fork Elder Creek, scenic open space, and habitat supporting several special-status species including valley elderberry longhorn beetle, foothill yellow-legged frog, and California red-legged frog. The project also provides an essential buffer along approximately 7,000 acres of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management and Mendocino National Forest, helping to prevent the area from being compromised by incompatible land use or development. As with all of its conservation easements, NCRLT will hold and monitor the easements into the future.

FOR FULL PRESS RELEASE:
http://landconservation.org/pressreleases.php

http://www.landconservation.org/ncrltpreserves.php

PROPERTIES INVOLVED:
Burrows Ranch
In December 2010, NCRLT acquired a 3,356-acre conservation easement on the Burrows Ranch in western Tehama County.
Big Bluff Ranch
In December 2010, NCRLT acquired a 3,776-acre conservation easement on the Big Bluff Ranch in western Tehama County. Family owned since 1960, Big Bluff Ranch has transitioned from a seasonal farming and stocker cattle operation into a sustainably managed ranch utilizing year-round grazing and the Holistic Management Model.

WCB 11/2010: Part two--Calif. Wildlife board to save 84,000 acres in November...

More: State Plans Big End of Year Land Purchases—over 84,000 acres of land and development rights

PART 2 OF AGENDA:

NOTICE OF MEETING --WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD
November 18, 2010
10:00 AM
State Capitol, Room 113
Sacramento, California 95814

http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=24287

MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=25149

HIGHLIGHTS:

Glenn County, transfer120± acres to Nature Conservancy, to acquire 104± acres in fee

Loch Lomond Vernal Pool, Lake County, acceptance of 1.7± acres and the disposal of 1.4± acres

Swiss Ranch, 304 acre conservation easement, Calaveras County

Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area, 532 acres, American Canyon, Napa County

Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, 947± acres, Riverside County,

East Elliott and Otay Mesa Regions (Sunroad), 1 acre, San Diego County

Cow Creek Conservation Area, conservation easement over 5,868± acres Shasta County

Red Bank Creek, conservation easements over two ownerships totaling 7,132± acres Tehama County

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SPECIFICS ON AGENDA ITEMS

8. Hamilton City Flood Damage, $10,000.00 Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration, Glenn County
To consider the disposal of a portion of property, the Sacramento River Conservation Area, Expansion 4, 120± acres, funded through a Wildlife Conservation Board grant to The Nature Conservancy, approved by the Board in November of 2001, and to authorize the reuse of proceeds generated by disposal to acquire 104± acres in fee title for the protection of riparian and riverine habitat supporting threatened and endangered species.

9. Loch Lomond Vernal Pool, $25,000, Ecological Reserve Exchange, Lake County
To consider the acceptance of 1.7± acres and the disposal of 1.4± acres through an exchange of fee title land between the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and a private landowner to expand protection of vernal pool habitat at the Loch Lomond Ecological Reserve, located in the community of the Loch Lomond, in Lake County.

10. Swiss Ranch, Expansion 3, $430,000, Calaveras County
To consider the acquisition of a conservation easement for the Department of Fish and Game over 304± acres of land for protection of critical habitat for the migratory Rail Road Flat deer herd, located in the Sierra foothills along Swiss Ranch Road in Calaveras County.

12. Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area, $10,000, American Canyon Napa County
To consider the acceptance of 352± acres of land for the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) for protection of bay wetlands, as an addition to the DFG’s Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area, located between the City of American Canyon and the Napa River in Napa County.

16. Peninsular Bighorn Sheep $5,000.00 Riverside County
To consider the acceptance of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Land Acquisition grant and authorize the use of those funds to acquire 947± acres for the Department of Fish and Game, to protect and enhance existing regional wildlife linkages and habitats for the Peninsular Bighorn Sheep, located west of the community of Oasis, in Riverside County.

17. East Elliott and Otay Mesa Regions (Sunroad), $5,000, San Diego County
To consider the acceptance of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Habitat Conservation Planning Land Acquisition grant and the approval to subgrant the federal funds to the City of San Diego to assist with the acquisition of 1± acre of land to protect critical regional wildlife linkages, coastal sage scrub, and to protect and preserve core areas of vernal pool habitat that will enhance the existing Multiple Species Conservation Program and the Natural Community Conservation Plan areas located on the western Otay Mesa, south of Highway 905 and east of Highway 805 in the San Diego city limits.

18. Cow Creek Conservation Area, Expansion 2, $1,340,000, Shasta County
To consider the allocation for a grant to the American Land Conservancy to acquire a conservation easement over 5,868± acres of land, for protection of rangeland, riparian corridors and other significant ecosystems, located north of State Highway 44 approximately 10 miles east of the City of Redding in Shasta County.

19. Red Bank Creek $3,960,000.00 Tehama County
To consider the allocation for a grant to the Northern California Regional Land Trust to acquire conservation easements over two ownerships totaling 7,132± acres for protection of native oak woodland habitat, located approximately 20 miles northwest of the City of red Bluff in Tehama County.

Butte and Tehama update...

North California Regional Land Trust news—Spring 2010

http://landconservation.org

PROJECT UPDATES
NCRLT is working on seven conservation easements that would protect approximately 750 acres of prime farmland. 7,132 acres of oak woodland and working rangeland, and 877 acres of vernal pool grassland in Butte and Tehama. counties. The following are project highlights:

The culmination of NCRLT’s Irrigated Farmland Protection Project, which began in June of 2007, has been the submittal of four applications for easement funding to both the California Farmland
Conservation Program (CFCP) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

• NCRLT is hoping to close escrow on the ‘Red Bank Project” in 2010. This project consists of two adjacent ranch properties locatedwest of Red Bluff in Tehama County, which together comprise 7,130 contiguous acres of primarily blue oak woodland.
• NCRLT is currently working on three mitigation projects which would permanently protect approximately 877 acres of vernal pool grassland, perennial and intermittent streams, and riparian woodland. These natural communities support several state and federally protected species, including vernal pool tadpole shrimp, vernal pool fairy shrimp, Green’s tuctoria, Swainson’s hawk, western burrowing owl, and Western spadefoot toad.


http://landconservation.org/UserFiles/File/NewsletterSpringTBFinalLowRes.pdf

Sierra Clearcutter backs off after being sued...

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Timber Giant Drops Logging Plans After Suit

(area planned for wipe-out was very small compared to Sierra Pacific's eventual plans to clearcut 1 million of its 1.5 million acres in California: http://www.sierraforestlegacy.org/FC_FireForestEcology/FFE_IndustrialForestlands.php)

http://www.stopclearcuttingcalifornia.org/--another useful SPI watch site

http://thptracker.blogspot.com/2009/08/greenhouse-gas-lawsuits-force-timber.html

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http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/center/articles/2009/daily-journal-08-26-2009.html

8/26/2009--The state's largest timber company has withdrawn plans to log certain forests in the Sierra Nevada mountains, a week after the Center for Biological Diversity challenged the plans' climate change impacts in court.

The environmental group contested three separate plans by Sierra Pacific Industries to clear-cut more than 1,600 acres of Sierra Nevada forest. The suits allege state regulators violated the California Environmental Quality Act by failing to adequately look at the greenhouse gas emissions that result from clear-cutting, a logging practice that involves cutting down every tree in a designated area….

…The Tuscon, Ariz.-based environmental group filed three lawsuits in superior courts in Lassen, Tuolumne, and Tehama Counties in the past two weeks. Sierra Pacific officially withdrew the three challenged plans on Friday, according to Upton.

Plan Threatens the oaks of the Northern Sacto Valley...

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Groups Sue over Plan for Huge Population Increase in Far northern Calif.

REVISION OF TEHAMA COUNTY GENERAL PLAN

June 2009--The Shasta Group, a Task Force of the Sierra Club's Mother Lode Chapter, has led a campaign to oppose plans by the Tehama County Planning Commission that would direct a huge amount of growth and development in the Interstate 5 corridor between Red Bluff and Cottonwood. These plans, as part of the revisions of the County's General Plan, call for development that would support a population size of approximately 400,000 people.

According to the Shasta Group, the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) released in September 2008 scaled back this projected population size to 25,000 and performed analysis based on this figure. The group also states that the DEIR does not address how the region would supply enough water to accommodate the population growth or make any effort to minimize significant or unavoidable negative impacts.

The Shasta Group has partnered with other organizations and citizen groups to submit comments to the DEIR and continue to mount oppostion to the General Plan revisions.

Please read an article from the Shasta Group Newsletter. http://motherlode.sierraclub.org/shasta/newsletter.pdf

Saving Land north Of Sacramento

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No. Calif. Regional Land Trust is Negotiating Conservation deals on 9985 Acres

http://www.landconservation.org/UserFiles/File/NCRLT%20Spring%202009(1).pdf

from their spring 2009 newsletter

NCRLT has been helping landowners and public agencies gain the economic benefits of voluntary land protection and conservation of natural resources in Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties since 1990. NCRLT currently holds 15 conservation easements in Butte and Tehama counties covering over 6,400 acres. Our smallest easement is less than one acre, while the largest easement, Llano Seco Rancho, protects over 4,200 acres of riparian habitat and working farmland in Butte County. To learn more about our services and the lands and resources we protect, visit our website at: www.landconservation.org .

NCRLT is currently working with eight landowners on seven projects that would protect approximately 9,985 acres of both “working” and “non-working” land in Butte and Tehama counties. In addition to these board-approved projects, NCRLT has eight (8) applications totaling another 2,164 acres of working land (1,413 acres) and non-working land (751 acres) that are waiting to be reviewed by the Lands Committee. The following are some project highlights:

• Since June of 2007, NCRLT’s Farmland Protection Program has collected 26 applications from regional farmers who together own over 4,758 acres of prime farmland in Butte, Glenn and Tehama counties. Appraisals on three properties have been approved by the Cal. Farmland Cons. Program (CFCP) and two more appraisals are expected to be approved by July 1, 2009.

• NCRLT is hoping to close escrow on the “Red Bank Project” in the Fall/ Winter of 2009. This project consists of two adjacent ranch properties located west of the City of Red Bluff in Tehama County, which together comprise 7,130 contiguous acres of primarily blue oak woodland. The project area is also contiguous with approximately 6,135 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land located near the Mendocino National Forest.

• The “Big Chico Creek Linkage Project” would nearly connect the approximately 4,100-acre Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER) to an approximately 1,130- acre protected estate upstream, effectively protecting approximately 9,474 contiguous acres and 16 river miles of riverine/riparian habitat from development within the Big Chico Creek Watershed. The two adjoined properties represent two of the remaining three properties that together would connect the BCCER to the protected estate. Both properties straddle Big Chico Creek and total approximately 447 acres. Unfortunately, the majority of our projects are in jeopardy due to the State’s suspension of bond funding, which is where much of our capacity and easement acquisition funding comes from. As a result, NCRLT staff does not have the capacity to meet current demand in facilitating projects and landowners are losing confidence in the process and/or funding sources. It is during these tough times when your support is especially critical to our mission of “assisting landowners in voluntary protection of land and other natural resources.”

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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.

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640 Acres are Saved in Tehama County

http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/327225/281b5b6b9b/1427000416/52608f7029/

1/27/2009--Just nine short months after they first contacted the Northern California Regional Land Trust, the landowners of the 640-acre R&R Ranch in eastern Tehama County are able to say that their entire ranch property is protected from development so that future generations can enjoy it’s large expanse of oak woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands.

R & R Ranch is located in southeastern Tehama County and is surrounded by TNC’s Dye Creek Preserve to the south and DFG’s Tehama Wildlife Area to the north, west and east. The conservation values protected under the easement include unplowed grasslands, blue oak woodlands, wetlands, natural stream courses and waterways, unfragmented open space, corridors for the unimpaired passage of wildlife, natural communities that provide habitat for native wildlife species, including the Tehama Deer Herd, raptors, waterfowl, and many species of common and rare plants and animals.

For information on other NCRLT easements go to http://landconservation.org/ncrltpreserves.php.

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Spectacular 1,440-Acre Childs Meadow Supports Wildlife and Ranching

Tehama County—With its purchase of Childs Meadow in September 2007, a 1,440-acre mix of creeks, springs, mountain meadows and conifer forests south of Lassen Volcanic National Park-- The Nature Conservancy is protecting the region’s delicate ecology and its rural economy. Rare bird species such as willow flycatchers, yellow warblers and greater sandhill cranes depend on the riparian habitat that winds through the property. A threatened population of spring-run salmon downstream relies on those cold creek waters for its survival. Childs Meadow has supported local grazing operations for more than 100 years—a tradition that will continue under
Conservancy ownership through a lease with a local rancher.

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/california/press/childs101007.html

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/california/projectprofiles/childsmeadow.html

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Update on Negotiations to Link Butte County Parks; Red Bluff Oak Woodlands May be Saved

From http://landconservation.org, Northern Caliifornia Regional Land Trust


NCRLT is currently working on two very exciting projects. In April 2008, we were awarded $15,000 by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy for appraisal services in support of the Big Chico Creek Linkage Project. By securing appraisal services for three key properties, linking 3,616-ac Bidwell Park and the 4,144-ac Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER) to a protected 1,058-ac private estate upstream might be made possible. If realized, this would allow for the permanent protection of approximately 9,474 contiguous acres and 16 river miles of riverine/riparian habitat within the Big Chico Creek Watershed.

Another project, the Red Bank Project, represents an opportunity to purchase two conservation easements on two immediately adjacent ranch properties west of Red Bluff in Tehama County that would protect over 7,000 acres of working rangeland and farmland, including approximately 4,275 contiguous acres of blue oak woodland.

http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:tiUFTCy8PSgJ:www.landconservation.org/+%22ncrlt+is+currently+working+on+two+very+exciting+projects%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

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Fish and Wildlife Service Claims Sacramento River Islands

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2008/2008-01-02-096.asp
SACRAMENTO, California, January 2, 2008 (ENS) - Two islands in the Sacramento River owned by the federal government have been closed to filing of new mining claims and are proposed to be withdrawn from the general land laws and transferred from the Bureau of Land Management to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Todd Island and Foster Island are isolated tracts of public land within the boundary of the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge and are proposed for withdrawal and transfer to the Fish and Wildlife Service to protect riparian habitat along the river, which is critically important for fish, migratory birds, plants, and river system health.

Located southeast of Red Bluff in Tehama County, the islands cover about 472 acres. Todd Island is one of the last remaining places inhabited by the rare yellow-billed cuckoo.

The Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge (Photo by Mike Weissenborn)

The mining claim closure, or segregation, published in the December 27, 2007 Federal Register, lasts for two years, allowing time for the agencies to conduct various studies and analyses to support a final decision on the withdrawal application filed by the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The application has been approved for consideration by the assistant secretary of the interior for lands and minerals management.

If the secretary of the interior eventually approves the withdrawal, the lands would be withdrawn for a specified period from settlement, sale, location, or entry under the general land laws, but not from the mineral leasing or mineral material laws, subject to valid existing rights.

Upon approval of the transfer, and as included in the Sacramento River Comprehensive Conservation Plan, the Fish and Wildlife Service would continue to provide recreation opportunities on the islands including hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, and interpretation.

Comprised of dozens of individual units on both sides of the river, the 10,000 acre Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge stretches for 77 miles between Red Bluff and Princeton California.

The public has until March 26, 2008 to submit comments, suggestions, or objections on the proposed withdrawal. Comments must be submitted to the Fish and Wildlife Service at 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-1832, Sacramento, CA 95825.

The agencies also offer an opportunity for a public meeting, if requested. Anyone who desires a public meeting must submit a written request with the 90-day comment period.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.

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RELATED: Two Sacramento River Islands Proposed for Withdrawal (BLM/FWS News Release)
"Two public land islands, Todd Island and Foster Island, have been closed to filing of new mining claims and are proposed to be withdrawn from the general land laws and transferred from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The islands cover about 472 acres and are located within the Sacramento River, southeast of Red Bluff in Tehama County."
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2007/december/CDDNews08-13_sac_islands.html

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13,000 acre Lassen Foothills Development Rights Bought

9/2006 Lassen Foothills

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/california/projectprofiles/vinaranch.html

Protecting a 13,000-Acre Ranch

Legend has it that pioneer Peter Lassen buried his fortune in Deer Creek Canyon and that it still lies there, hidden somewhere near the confluence of Deer Creek and the Sacramento River. Here, in California’s Old West, The Nature Conservancy has worked for more than two decades to protect streams, lands and rural ways of life in the Lassen Foothills.

Although we haven’t found the buried treasure, the Conservancy recently marked a key conservation achievement here with the protection of a 13,136-acre ranch on Deer Creek. In September 2006 the Conservancy bought an easement on Vina Ranch, the missing link in a swath of protected lands that now stretches 15 miles from the Conservancy’s Vina Plains Preserve near the Sacramento River to Lassen National Forest’s Ishi Wilderness.

Increased Protection for Fed-Owned Sacramento Riverlands Urged

6-19-07

Sacramento River National Recreation Area

Imagine 17,000 Gorgeous Acres -- Protected for the Future

Let Senators Boxer and Feinstein know the Sacramento River NRA is worth pursuing: https://secure2.convio.net/fotr/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=UserAction&id=131&AddInterest=1241

Map: http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FORSacramentoRiverNRAMap&JServSessionIdr003=224ujatcl2.app5a



Bills currently in Congress could establish a Sacramento River National Recreation Area on 17,000 acres of public land near Red Bluff, California. National Recreation Area (NRA) status would ensure that these lands are managed to protect their unique values -- natural, cultural, and recreational -- for the enjoyment of Californians into the future. The gorgeous landscape in this area, with its volcanic bluffs and scattered vernal pools, harbors many threatened and endangered plants and animals and supports healthy populations of cold water species. Quail, mourning doves, and wild turkeys wander among the rare blue oak woodlands, and bald eagles roost in the area in winter. The meandering river is home to four recognized runs of Chinook salmon and is prized by anglers for its vibrant native trout population. The lower Sacramento River near Red Bluff is one of the last intact riparian zones on the Sacramento River between Redding and Sacramento. Two creeks that are eligible for the national Wild & Scenic rivers system -- Paynes Creek and Battle Creek -- flow into the Sacramento River, and their lower reaches would be included in a Sacramento River National Recreation Area. These reaches contain wetlands that support migrating waterfowl and other species. The Bureau of Land Management has identified this area as one of the richest sources of cultural and prehistoric resources in California and the west. With over ten archaeological sites per square mile, these public lands contain a priceless resource that should be permanently protected for all to learn from and enjoy. People already appreciate the area for recreation. Thousands come to the river each year to enjoy fishing, hunting, hiking, canoeing, boating, rafting, sightseeing, and camping. By designating it as a National Recreation Area, we would ensure that these lands are better managed to protect their outstanding values while also enhancing the recreation opportunities of this truly unique piece of California’s natural heritage. But we need your help! While the bills have been introduced, they will not be pushed through without encouragement from citizens like you.

LEARN MORE

https://secure2.convio.net/fotr/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=SplashPage&id=131&june2007

Sacramento River NRA Information Sheet: http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/site/DocServer/SacNRA_infosheet__2_.pdf?docID=1422&AddInterest=1241

Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.friendsoftheriver.org/site/DocServer/SacNRA_FAQ.pdf?docID=1461&AddInterest=1241