BUTTE COUNTY MEADOWFOAM EARMARKED FOR CONSERVATION
Wildlife grant includes $7 million for 174 acres of local land with vernal pools
SACRAMENTO >> Continuing a big week for federal funding flowing into the north state, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that $7 million has been earmarked to preserve Butte County meadowfoam.
The grant will go toward acquiring three parcels with vernal pools, totaling 174 acres. Joanna Gilkeson, a Sacramento-based representative of the service’s Pacific Southwest Region, said USFWS could not identify the properties or their location — explaining that they’re “private lands from willing, pro-active sellers and have not yet been acquired, so we’re unable to share that level of detail at this time.”
The announcement came Thursday afternoon. Earlier in the week, Butte County agencies received $11 million in grants for groundwater sustainability projects and $10 million for agriculture projects.
Besides Butte, USFWS selected just three other counties for grant funds: Placer ($4.3 million) in the north, Riverside ($8.9 million) and San Diego ($2.5 million) in the south.
That $22.7 million represents more than half of the $40.6 million awarded by the federal Department of the Interior through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund — covering 65 species and 7,200 acres of habitat in five states and U.S. Virgin Islands. Partners will add more than $17.6 million in matching funds.
The local properties feature vernal pools occupied by Butte County meadowfoam, a federally endangered species. USFWS says the habitat also “is suitable for the endangered vernal pool tadpole shrimp and occupied by the threatened the vernal pool fairy shrimp.”
A pair of the parcels “will connect to a large block of existing protected lands, promoting landscape connectivity for wildlife in the area.”
Gilkeson said the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is the agency that would acquire the properties, adding that “the lands will be protected in perpetuity via a conservation easement and managed by California Open Lands for plants, wildlife and even passive recreation.”
The acquisition in Placer County, via a conservation easement, will complete protection of vernal pools on the Riosa Redwing Ranch, encompassing 990 acres. This connects with other preserved lands for a total of 1,700 acres.
Including the areas in Southern California, the grant funding will support listed species such as the Stephens’ kangaroo rat, Quino checkerspot butterfly and Otay tarplant, and atrisk wildlife such as the western spadefoot and western pond turtle.
Besides Butte, USFWS selected just three other counties for grant funds: Placer, Riverside and San Diego. The $22.7 million represents more than half of the $40.6 million awarded by the Department of the Interior through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund — covering 65 species and 7,200 acres of habitat.