Sierra Nevada Conservancy Awards Money To Local Forest Projects
Sonora, CA — At a quarterly meeting held in Mariposa County, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a state of California government agency, awarded a combined $15-million in tourism and conservation projects.
The agency works to help California’s mountainous communities grow economically, and better prepare for things like wildfires, drought, and extreme heat.
In relation to tourism, 11 projects are receiving a combined $10-million, and in conservation, 10 projects will share $5-million.
For conservation, $693,500 is going to the Mother Lode Land Trust related to the acquisition and filing of CEQA documents for the Long Gulch Ranch Preserve Phase II Project in Tuolumne County.
Providing further details, SNC reports, “This 303-acre fee title acquisition project is located in western Tuolumne County, six miles northeast of Groveland and approximately 24 miles west of Yosemite National Park. East and southeast of this property lies the 575-acre Phase I property previously acquired by Mother Lode Land Trust and is adjacent to the Stanislaus National Forest. Benefits of this acquisition include protection of Great Gray Owl (GGO) habitat, protection of the majority of the Long Gulch watershed, and linking recreational trails from the nearby community and U.S. Forest Service lands, most notably being the Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River trails system.“
Also, $43,500 will go to the California Rangeland Trust for the Ray-Mar Ranch Conservation Easement Project in Calaveras County.
SNC reports, “The Ray Mar Ranch Conservation Easement Project will provide planning funds to prepare 3004 acres for potential future conservation easement protection. The project is located in western Calaveras County adjacent to the Salt Spring Valley Reservoir, approximately three miles southeast of the Town of Rancho Calaveras and overlooking the entire Salt Spring Valley. The project will prevent fragmentation of habitat, preserve the irreplaceable ecosystem, preserve water resources, preserve the existing winter grazing operation, and will connect two large conservation easements held by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife located on the west bank of Salt Springs Valley Reservoir.”
Meanwhile, two of the tourism projects are in Mariposa County. $362,846 will go to the group Mariposa Trails to help with California Environmental Quality Act documents for the South Fork Merced River Trails project. And $496,800 will go to toward a CEQA filing for the Mariposa Creek Parkway Phase III Recreation and Resiliency Enhancements.
Angela Avery, the Executive Officer For SNC, says, “It is always an honor to connect state funds with the innovative work our regional partners are doing.”
