Project Examples

 

Allensworth Conservation Bank

The conservation bank is located in an unincorporated portion of southwestern Tulare County within the California Department of Fish and Game’s (CDFG’s) Allensworth Conceptual Area Protection Plan (CAPP)

The 514.29-acre Bank was purchased to provide offsite compensation for impacts to San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) and its habitat. The Bank contributes to Recovery Task 2.1.7, “Protect natural land in the Pixley NWR-Allensworth NA area,” a Priority 1, Tier 1 recovery task listed in the Upland Species of the San Joaquin Valley Recovery Plan (USFWS 1998).

The Bank contains approximately 515 acres of annual grassland and alkali scrub that provides suitable habitat for twenty special status species that have been found on or near (within 5 miles) the Bank (CNDDB 2007).

Butte County Vernal Pool Offsite Mitigation

The 431(±)-acre Preserve is located in Butte County and is currently owned by Openshaw family.  Of the 431(±) acres, approximately 36 acres was set aside for creation of vernal pools.  The Openshaw Ranch is southwest of Chico, north and west of the intersection of State Highways 149 and 70.

Project History

Restoration Resources, H.T. Reynolds, and the Wildlife Heritage Foundation proposed creating the Preserve on parcels totaling 431(±)-acre in Butte County, California.  The property is privately owned and is currently grazed grassland.  The goal of the Preserve is the creation, preservation, and protection of vernal pool and wetland habitats.  A portion of the habitat would provide mitigation for the Butte 70/149/99/191 Highway Improvement Project (Project).

Historically, this site was thought to be open grassland on upland areas with scattered valley oak in deep-soil lowland areas.

Created Habitats

Approximately 36 acres of vernal pool habitat were created on the Preserve, which addressed the Project’s mitigation requirements under both the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) and the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).  Final design construction drawings were reviewed with the Corps and USFWS before construction.  All habitat development and management activities have complied with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations.

Lincoln Hills Onsite Mitigation

The Sun City Lincoln Hills Easement Area (Preserve) is a wetland and open-space preserve within Del Webb’s Sun City Lincoln Hills development.  The Preserve is located approximately 1.5 miles southeast of downtown Lincoln, Placer County, California.  Del Webb California Corp. and the Sun City Lincoln Hills Community Association, Preserve owners, formally established the ±488-acre Preserve in 2004 as a condition of approval for development of Sun City Lincoln Hills, a residential subdivision with approximately 6,800 homes.  The purpose of the perpetual conservation easement is to ensure that the Preserve’s “significant ecological and habitat values” will be retained forever in an open-space condition and to prevent any use of the Preserve that will impair or interfere with its conservation values.  The easement provides conservation measures and mitigation for certain impacts as described in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ and in the federal Endangered Species Act Biological Opinion for Sun City Lincoln Hills.  Additional background, such as use limitations and reserved rights, are included in the recorded perpetual conservation easement and the Del Webb Lincoln Hills Open Space Preserve Management Plan.

Sierra de Montserrat

There are approximately 86.50 acres of wetland conservation acres within which 15.77 acres of delineated wetlands, and approximately 68.72 acres of oak woodlands are being preserved within the open-space Conservation Area of the Sierra de Montserrat project. The project will be set aside as an open-space area (“Conservation Area”) that will consist of 86.50 acres of conserved wetlands, 15.77 of which are delineated wetland acres, and 68.72 acres of oak woodlands for a total conserved area of 155.22 acres