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

Purchase of North End of Verdugo Mountains in the Works

http://lacity.org/ensnc/sunlandtujunga/ensncsunlandtujunga84046344_07112007.pdf

7-11-07, Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood council voting to approve letter of support for Prop K funding for acquisition of the 227-acre property called Verdugo/La Tuna Canyon (located off La Tuna Canyon Road near its interchange with I-210) for parks and recreation.

-------------------------
Claremont Finishes San Gabriel's Foothills Purchase

An Agreement Has Been Reached! City to Purchase Johnson's Pasture for $11.5M (Jun 12, 2007)

http://savejohnsonspasture.org/

On Tuesday, June 12, after months of quiet negotiations, the Claremont City Council announced that it had reached an agreement with the owners to purchase Johnson's Pasture for $11.5 million. Presumably, the purchase price will satisfy the State of California's requirements, making the City eligible for State grants.

Congratulations to all who worked so hard on two campaigns to make this happen. And congratulations to the citizens of Claremont, who voted in record numbers to acquire the Johnson's Pasture as a habitat for animals and plants, a recreational resource, and our backyard touchstone with nature. Now we can be sure it will be there for generations to come!

Preserving the Hillsides: A Chronology

http://www.claremontwildlands.org/ps.aboutjohnsonspasture.cfm?ID=1093

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

Lone Holdout in Coachella Valley Wildlife Plan Changes Mind

http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070711/NEWS07/707110315

Desert Hot Springs may sign on to habitat plan, 7-11-07

By Denise Goolsby and Mariecar Mendoza • The Desert Sun

The Desert Hot Springs City Council voted Tuesday to work with the Coachella Valley Association of Governments on a regional plan it originally rejected that is designed to balance environmental needs and the area's growth.

The council voted 3-1, with Councilwoman Mary Stephens dissenting and Councilman Hank Hohenstein absent, to work with CVAG and the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission to join the long-planned Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan.

"We chose not to participate and it is now my firm belief for the betterment of the community as a whole that the city must, in good faith, negotiate," Councilwoman Yvonne Parks said. "It's in the best interest of the city and its economic future."

Councilwoman Mary Stephens was not as enthusiastic.

"I have a problem with this," she said. "I don't like the idea of this being last-minute."

Seven developers and residents spoke at the meeting, many opposing the move.

Desert Hot Springs was the only valley city not to join the plan last year, citing concerns that it would not be able to move forward with two projects - a golf resort and a possible College of the Desert campus.

Since then, CVAG has revised the multi-species plan without the city and plans to have it fully approved sometime this fall.

The 75-year conservation plan would protect 240,000 acres of open space for 27 endangered and threatened species - including the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard and Peninsular bighorn sheep - while still allowing the valley's population to nearly triple to 1.1 million by build-out in 2066.

The current plan that is set to expire next month protects the lizard but not the other species.

John Wohlmuth, executive director of CVAG, said he's worked with the city for the past week and a half to draft the Memorandum of Understanding the council discussed Tuesday.

CVAG's position has been, "Does Desert Hot Springs want to participate in the plan and, if so, how can we help them in the future," Wohlmuth said.

The agreement's proposed conditions include:

A major plan amendment to include Desert Hot Springs.

The county's support of Desert Hot Springs' proposed annexations.

A follow-up agreement to address the potential development of a College of the Desert campus on Palm Drive on county land.

The formal agreement is expected to come before the City Council on Aug. 7.

The city's initial opposition was tied to its aspirations to develop Palmwood Golf Club, a 2,114-acre project off Indian Avenue and Highway 62 that would include two golf courses, a 400-room hotel and 1,800 homes.

The Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission, which has annexation authority, approved Desert Hot Springs' annexation of land for the Palmwood Golf Club in April.

After the approval, many agencies challenged the decision. In May, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club sued the agency.

The two environmental groups claim the commission violated provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act by annexing the land and is jeopardizing the multi-species plan.

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

Developers in Western Riverside County Attack Wildlife Preserves

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/PRESS/riverside-12-07-2006.html

Dec. 6, 2006

Conservation Groups Push to Protect Core Wildlife Habitat

LOS ANGELES – Western Riverside County leaders voted Monday to let science lead the way in protecting core habitat for imperiled wildlife. The Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority denied a proposal prompted by developers to eliminate a vital preserve for the Quino Checkerspot Butterfly and California Gnatcatcher, two of the most endangered species in the region.

Developers have pushed hard to eliminate core wildlife protections. In December 2005, the County of Riverside and the City of Murrieta requested modification of the reserve configuration in core habitat areas to allow development. A similar push to eliminate conservation lands was first proposed by the City of Murrieta in April 2005 at the request of Winchester 700, a southern California developer.

The Center for Biological Diversity strongly urged rejection of that proposal. Wildlife agencies agreed with the Center’s concerns and concluded that the proposal “lack[ed] the biological data” necessary and represented a “substantial change to the conservation strategy.”

Nearly a decade of extensive scientific analyses concluded that protection in the area is absolutely and unequivocally necessary to prevent the extinction of the Quino Checkerspot Butterfly.

Riverside County officials asked Michael Allen, Ph.D. of the University of California-Riverside Center for Conservation Biology to assemble a panel of experts to assess the environmental conditions in the core wildlife area. The panel recommended protection of the area because of its unique ecological conditions that could be found nowhere else in the region.

Conservation groups lauded the panel’s recommendation and pushed to eliminate the recommendation for development in core wildlife areas. “Development of individual projects in core wildlife areas will subject the habitat plan to death by a thousand cuts and undermine regional conservation planning,” said Jonathan Evans, staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “The current plan is the minimum necessary to keep these species alive. Whittling away at habitat protections puts wildlife and the habitat plan at risk.”

The Inland Empire of southern California, including Riverside County, is experiencing tremendous pressure from urban developers to pave ever more habitat. The Center for Biological Diversity has been working to protect habitat for imperiled species in the rapidly urbanizing Southwest.

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

Lawsuit Filed to Save Riverside County Kangaroo Rat Preserve

2-6-07

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/press/kangaroo-rat-02-06-2007.html

Groups Sue to Stop Land Exchange of Endangered Kangaroo Rat Habitat
On March Air Reserve Base

RIVERSIDE, Calif.– The Center for Biological Diversity and San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society will shortly file suit to stop a land exchange that will eliminate a 1,170-acre endangered species reserve on the former March Air Force Base (now March Air Reserve Base). The March Preserve supports one of the last, best populations of the endangered Stephens’ kangaroo rat as well as a host of other imperiled plants and animals.

“The March Preserve was set aside for this endangered mammal nearly 15 years ago and is now one of the backbones for conservation of the Stephens’ kangaroo rat,” said Drew Feldmann, president of the San Bernardino Valley Audubon Society. “This is prime occupied habitat, absolutely vital to the survival of the species. It is unfortunate that the Fish and Wildlife Service would release the preserve for development without considering the full impacts.”

The March Preserve was originally set aside in perpetuity in 1990 to mitigate the loss of habitat that resulted from the expansion of Highway 215 and the 215/60 interchange. In 1996, the March Preserve was included as one of the core reserves for the Long-term Stephens’ Kangaroo Rat Habitat Conservation Plan. It provides a key connection for gene flow among connected areas and conserves the northern range of the species. The elimination of the preserve has been styled as an “exchange” for other Stephens’ kangaroo rat habitat farther east, but the new habitat is outside the plan boundaries and will not maintain the integrity of the core reserve system.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service broke a promise when it released the March Preserve for development without a full amendment of the plan,” said John Buse, staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “By any definition, the elimination of a wildlife preserve containing more than 1,100 acres of habitat occupied by an endangered species is a major action, requiring careful consideration and an open, public process. Instead the Service did it with the stroke of a pen.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service failed to consider long- or short-term impacts to the kangaroo rat from the loss of habitat at the March Preserve. In fact it did no analysis whatsoever of whether the new habitat would adequately offset or mitigate the loss of the March Preserve to the species.

The Stephens’ kangaroo rat—not a true rat but a member of the heteromyid family, like all kangaroo rats—is a small, large-eyed hopping mammal with powerful hind legs, found in open grasslands and coastal sage scrub habitats that are fast disappearing. The rat is uniquely adapted to the arid Southern California climate: It can meet all its water needs by consuming small seeds of native plants. “This extraordinary little animal manufactures its own water through a highly efficient metabolic process,” explained Buse. “Like other small mammals, it’s essential to the larger web of life. Stephens’ k-rats spread seed, keep the land open and sparsely vegetated, and create burrows that other small animals also use to escape the heat above ground.” The species is found nowhere in the world but western Riverside County and a small portion of northern San Diego County.

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

Over 100 Acres Saved at San Diego River

5-8-07 www.sandiegoriver.org

Important Land Purchase Completed!

Fantastic News! Thanks to the San Diego River Conservancy and The State of California's Resources Agency a $135,000 payment to complete the purchase of the first phase of Eagle Peak Preserve has been completed ahead of schedule!

More than 100 donors joined this effort which was spearheaded by the River Park Foundation. Thank you Friends of Eagle Peak Preserve! Our thanks to The Nature Conservancy for their donation to kick off this effort nearly three years ago. This means that more than 100 acres of important and scenic nature lands have been protected. Planning is underway for a celebration of this major accomplishment.

Since this project began, we have also secured an additional 204 acres thanks to an incredible donor who shares our love for this land and her desire to protect it. We are now endeavoring on a campaign to complete the acquisition of an additional 200 acres.

You have an opportunity to help make a difference! Make a Donation Today! If you would like to visit the Preserve, tours will be available on May 20th as part of River Days. Please join us. Thank you!

Donate to the Campaign to Add 200 Acres to the Preserve

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

Judge Halts Chino Canyon Grading in Palm Springs

http://saveourmountains.com/

Palm Springs, May 16, 2007

Superior Court Judge Harold Hopp issued a preliminary injunction today to prevent Shadowrock from grading in the heart of Chino Canyon. The Sierra Club and the Center for Biological Diversity asked the Court to enjoin the developer from grading until the court could rule on their lawsuit claiming that the City of Palm Springs had illegally extended the Shadowrock Development Agreement.

The Court agreed with the Sierra Club and the Center, finding that there was a likelihood they would prevail, and that if grading were to proceed, the damage to Chino Canyon would be irreparable. The ruling protects Chino Canyon and the voter's right of referendum.

According to D. Wayne Brechtel, Sierra Club legal counsel, "Shadowrock was hoping to do some grading so that it could claim it had vested its development rights and no longer needed the ten-year extension that is scheduled for a public vote this November. The court put the brakes on the ill-advised plan and put Shadowrock on notice that it cannot circumvent the court's jurisdiction or the voter's right of referendum."

Last spring, by a 3-2 vote the Palm Springs City Council narrowly approved a 10 year extension of the already 13-year old Shadowrock Development Agreement. Immediately, Save Our Mountains collected enough signatures to refer the decision to the voters of Palm Springs. The election will take place on November 6.

Jono Hildner, Chair of Save Our Mountains and head of the "NO on Shadowrock" campaign said, "Today the Court recognized that beginning to grade the site was an end run by Shadowrock to avoid the will of the people. This decision is an important victory for all who want to preserve Chino Canyon and ensure that the citizens get to exercise their right to say NO to this devastating project."

"We are looking forward to the vote in November," says Hildner, "where it will become crystal clear to the City that residents care for the scenic beauty and environment of the Chino Canyon and will go to the ballot and say NO to the kind of reckless development allowed in the Shadowrock Development Agreement."

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

Feds Award $23 million to Buy and Protect San Diego Wildlife Habitat

7-10-2007

Conservation Plan Awarded $23 Million Grant

A groundbreaking county-wide conservation program in San Diego has received $23 million in federal funding — the largest grant ever made through the Cooperative Endangered Species Fund. The Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP) shifts focus from single species to ecosystems, fostering more effective, lasting conservation. The Nature Conservancy helped develop the plan and secure this funding, most of which will be directed to our priority projects.

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/california/newsletter/inthenews.html#229

http://support.nature.org/site/PageServer?pagename=preserve_map&autologin=true

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/10/news/inland/3_02_377_9_07.txt

$23M will help San Diego County conserve habitat

By: TOM PFINGSTEN - Staff Writer

SAN DIEGO -- The county's efforts to protect endangered species such as the Arroyo toad and the California gnatcatcher got a boost Monday, when officials announced that it had been awarded $23 million from the federal government to buy open space across the county.

The money, awarded by the U.S. Department of Interior's Cooperative Endangered Species Fund, will purchase as many as 7,000 acres of sensitive habitat that the county's endangered species call home, said Maeve Hanley, a program manager for the county's Parks and Recreation Department.

While Hanley couldn't confirm specific properties that may be bought with the money, some of it will be used to add acres to the Ramona grasslands preserve near the Ramona Airport, she said.

"It is a very large windfall for this region," she said. "I believe the total funding award was $68 million (nationwide), and we got $23 million of it, so this is a huge achievement."

She said the land that will be purchased is outlined in the Multiple Species Conservation Plan process, in which the county identifies areas where sensitive habitat needs to be conserved.

The North County plan is not quite finished, but when it is, the Ramona grasslands will probably figure in the plan prominently, said Mike White of the Conservation Biology Institute in Encinitas.

"The Ramona grasslands is a great place," White said, adding that Monday's announcement of more land purchases at the preserve amounted to "an important contribution to regional conservation efforts" for endangered species.

"Getting a good chunk of habitat conserved in Ramona before development can consume it is really a good thing," he said.

The Nature Conservancy has already set aside nearly 2,000 acres of about 8,000 acres of grasslands at the Ramona site.

The recent push to protect gnatcatchers, toads, kangaroo rats and freshwater "fairy" shrimp is focused on setting aside pieces of land where native habitat is still intact, and as much of it as possible, White said.

"In some places, a couple of acres here and there can do some good, but in general, the push is to get some bigger blocks of habitat, which are hard to come by in coastal San Diego County," he said. "Places like Ramona are becoming the front lines of conservation, as development is pushing further and further east."

There are two primary methods of setting aside land that has been identified as a promising open space preserve, White said.

The first is known as "mitigation," when developers make up for environmental impacts caused by their projects by buying land and donating it to a preserve.

The second is when the county receives a chunk of money to buy land itself to add to one of its various preserves.

In this case, the sum the county has received is considerable, but still small compared with the approximately 200,000 total acres officials hope to protect, White said.

"Land is expensive down here, so big slugs of money like that are really what it takes to get conservation done on the ground," he said. "Increasingly, we're competing with development prices for open space, because the landowner has the option of either developing it themselves or selling it to someone who would."

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

Stop Private Military Training in San Diego Mountains!

8-2-07, from Center for Biological Diversity

http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/blackwater/wdwdx5i42miex77?

Keep Mercenary Training Camp Out of San Diego Backcountry!

Blackwater USA is a private military and security company that has been called the "world's most powerful mercenary army." Since 2004, Blackwater has received hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts for its services in Iraq and elsewhere — services that have traditionally been performed by active-duty military personnel. With this lucrative business, Blackwater has moved to expand its training facilities in the United States. Most recently, it has proposed establishing a military training camp in eastern San Diego County near the town of Potrero. This peaceful, 700-acre site is entirely surrounded by undeveloped natural lands, including the Cleveland National Forest.

The training camp proposal has ignited a storm of local opposition. This is not, however, just a case of residents saying no to a military compound in their backyards. The site also is important to California's threatened wildlife, including golden eagles, a pair of which nests within a half mile of the proposed training camp. A mercenary training camp with shooting ranges, driving tracks, a helicopter pad, and simulated combat courses is incompatible with the continued existence of the golden eagles and other wildlife in the area. Fortunately, San Diego County has the ability to say no to the Blackwater mercenary training camp.

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

2007 California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act

Act Now to Protect Southern California Rivers and Lands!

Write a letter to support the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act!

https://secure2.convio.net/fotr/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&page=SplashPage&id=107&AddInterest=1002

California Representative Mary Bono (R-CA) and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) will introduce

bipartisan legislation to protect wild rivers and wilderness areas in southern California. The Desert and Mountain Heritage Act protects nearly 210,000 acres of public lands and rivers in Riverside County. Friends of the River nominated the rivers that are included for protection in the bill.

The legislation designates four streams totaling more than 31 miles in the San Jacinto Mountains as Wild & Scenic Rivers, making these the southern-most federally protected rivers in California. It also significantly expands wilderness protection for sensitive watersheds throughout the region. Ranging from the nearly 11,000 foot-high alpine summit of Mount San Jacinto, down to the Colorado desert near Palm Springs, to the high desert mountain ranges of the Mojave, this magnificent region provides outstanding scenery and extensive year-round opportunities for outdoor recreation near the state’s largest population center, as well as critical refuges for many endangered animals and plants.

The bipartisan nature of the legislation has attracted unusually strong local support, including endorsements from the Cities of Banning, Coachella, La Quinta, Twentynine Palms, and Yucca Valley, as well as the Idyllwild, Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree, and Yucca Valley Chambers of Commerce. The bill has also been endorsed by the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. Leaders in the community have expressed support, as have many local businesses seeking to preserve the quality of life and the tourism-based economy. In addition, there is strong support from the conservation community.

Originally introduced in 2006, the bill has been expanded to include nearly 76,000 additional acres of new wilderness, and wilderness and monument additions on federally managed public lands. The bill avoids conflicts with private property, existing water rights, energy facilities, and grazing permits, and no legal motorized routes or roads are affected by the bill.

The specific rivers and areas protected in the bill include:

North Fork San Jacinto Wild & Scenic River 3,238 acres (10.12 miles)

Fuller Mill Creek Wild & Scenic River 1,120 acres (3.5 miles)

Bautista Creek Wild & Scenic River 3,136 acres (9.8 miles)

Palm Canyon Creek Wild & Scenic River 2,592 acres (8.1 miles)

South Fork San Jacinto Wilderness 21,760 acres

Cahuilla Mountains Wilderness 7,131 acres

Beauty Mountain Wilderness 16,700 acres

Pinto Mountains Wilderness 24,080 acres

Agua Tibia Wilderness Addition 1,950 acres

Chuckwalla Mountains Wilderness Addition 14,480 acres

Orocopia Mountains Wilderness Addition 3,760 acres

Palen/McCoy Wilderness Addition 20,320 acres

Santa Rosa Wilderness Addition 3,300 acres

Santa Rose and San Jacinto National Monument Additions 3,557 acres

Joshua Tree National Park Wilderness Additions 37,050 acres

Joshua Tree National Park Potential Wilderness 41,100 acres

Click here to download fact sheets for the rivers. (300KB PDF)

Write a letter to support the California Desert and Mountain Heritage Act!

For more information, contact Steve Evans, Conservation Director, (916) 442-3155, ext. 221 or sevans@friendsoftheriver.org. Thank you for your help!