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July, 2006
California Oak Report
Why We Fight
Last November, the long running Bickford Ranch, Placer County lawsuit was settled by California Oak Foundation and co-plaintiffs out of court. Settlement terms included a $6.05 million oak mitigation payment to the California Wildlife Foundation (CWF) for the purchase of Placer County oak woodlands to compensate for the 700 acres destroyed by Bickford. CWF is working with Placer Land Trust, Placer Legacy and a host of others on securing local oak woodlands.
Below is a summary of the proposed disbursement of Bickford oak mitigation funds. So far, CWF has pledged $1.9 million of its $6.05 million to secure 851 acres of Placer County Blue oak woodlands and riparian corridors as an investment in the future. Partnerships Pay Off!
Freiheit Big Hill Preserve
Freiheit is 321 acres in the Bear River and Coon Creek watersheds in western Placer County. The total appraised value for Freiheit is $1,365,000. Funding for the purchase consists of CWF contributing $410,000, Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) $255,000 and a Sierra Nevada Cascade Grant Fund, Resources Agency request for $600,000 in matching funds. (Note: Earlier this year WCB pledged a total of $4 million for future Placer County oak woodland habitat conservation).
Taylor Ranch Preserve
Taylor is 320 acres in the Coon Creek watershed. The total appraised value for Taylor is $2,870,000. Funding for the purchase includes CWF contributing $890,000, the WCB $1,030,000 with a Sierra Nevada Cascade Grant Fund request of $825,000.
Kirk Property Preserve
Kirk is 211 acres of Blue oak woodlands and is adjacent to county parkland. CWF and the United Auburn Indian Tribe each have offered $600,000 to purchase an easement on the Kirk property. Negotiations continue between Placer County and the landowners on a final sale price.
Llano Seco Rancho Conservation Finalized
The state of California has spent $6.5 million in funding to protect 4,235 acres of agricultural land supporting an abundance of wildlife in Butte County. With this project's completion, nearly the entire Llano Seco Ranch, an 18,434 acre Mexican Land Grant, will be permanently shielded from development in a fast growing area of California.
Funding for the project comes from Department of Fish and Game implementing the CALFED Ecosystem Restoration Program ($2.57 million), Wildlife Conservation Board ($2.0 million) and Department of Conservation's California Farmland Conservancy Program ($1.93 million). The California Oak Foundation initiated this project. Its local partners, the Northern California Regional Land Trust (NCRLT) will hold and monitor the easement.
The Valley elderberry longhorn beetle, winter run Chinook salmon, and Swainson's hawk are among the species with special status under the federal and state Endangered Species Acts that will be protected by the new easement. The land in the easement area is part of the historic Central Valley floodplains of the Sacramento River and Little Butte Creek, where present day pastures and fields surround a network of undulating natural swales and channels filled with groves of oak woodlands.
"Llano Seco Rancho takes one back in time when regal valley oaks, clean waterways and rich soils were taken for granted, said COF president Janet Cobb. Today, we know that we must invest time, knowledge and funding in protecting these valuable assets for our great state and its future generations. California Oak Foundation's members wish to thank principal landowners, Richard Thieriot and his family, for protecting this special place. COF also thanks its many conservation agriculture partners, as well as the general public for investing funds through approval of bonds to fund this worthy project."
WCB Conserves Mendocino and Tehama Oaks
The Wildlife Conservation Board has allocated funding for the acquisition of significant oak woodland conservation easements in Mendocino and Tehama Counties. Money for the purchases came from the Oak Woodlands Conservation Fund and Clean Water, Clean Air, Safe Neighborhood Parks and Coastal Protection Fund.
The Nature Conservancy received $1,510,000 from the WCB to expand the Conservancy's Lassen Foothills conservation project. The conservation easement covers 13,200 acres and protects blue oak woodlands, aquatic habitats and grasslands 20 miles southeast of Red Bluff.
WCB awarded a $2,137,500 grant to the Mendocino Land Trust to purchase 1,600 acres of high quality, oak woodlands, conifer forest and rangeland at Ridgeway Ranch, near the town of Willits. Ridgeway contains eight different oak species and the great California racehorse Seabiscuit, is buried under an oak tree at this ranch.
The Nature Conservancy and Ranchers Collaborate
The Nature Conservancy and Reeves family, owners of the sprawling 11,190 acre Gabilan Ranch, have announced an arrangement that will preserve the property and its valuable oak woodlands in perpetuity. Located near San Juan Bautista, the property spans both Monterey and San Benito Counties and lies just south of Fremont Peak State Park.
Through the Salinas and Pajaro rivers, the ranch provides a crucial wildlife corridor that links the Los Padres National Forest, the Mount Hamilton range and the Diablo Mountain range. An oasis in an arid region, Galibian provides habitat for blacktail deer, elk, bobcat, great blue heron, tiger salamander and California red legged frog.
The appraised value of the Gabilan Ranch easement is $5 million. The Reeves chose to donate a significant portion of the value of the easement, $800,000, to The Nature Conservancy as part of their collective commitment to preserving the ranch. The Conservancy provided $2.2 million toward the purchase, one million of which came from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, and the Wildlife Conservation Board provided $2 million.
Announcement
Sierra Nevada Alliance annual conference, August 11-13 in Kings Beach. Visit their website for information on speakers, workshops and field trips as well as to register. www.sierranevadaalliance.org
Merchandise
Oak Leaf Earrings, wired for pierced ears, in copper or gold-plate. Designed by artist Dian Weeks and crafted using the intricate "lost-wax" process, the pieces are botanically accurate and contemporary in design. These earrings have a replica of an oak leaf with a tiny acorn. $19.50, $17.55 to members, plus sales tax, shipping and handling. Order form.
New to Our Website
Wasp Galls of California Oaks, a poster designed by Ron Russo. Photos of galls from just a few of the more than 150 species of wasps associated with California oaks. In PDF format so you may print it out.
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Fax: 510-208-4435 oakstaff@californiaoaks.org
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