The U.S. Senate passed late Wednesday a $162 million Interior
Department appropriations bill that provides $7 million to the
National Park Service for the purchase of the Pinnacles Ranch
property, adjacent to the Pinnacles National Monument’s east
entrance.
Hollister – The U.S. Senate passed late Wednesday a $162 million Interior Department appropriations bill that provides $7 million to the National Park Service for the purchase of the Pinnacles Ranch property, adjacent to the Pinnacles National Monument’s east entrance.
The vote was 94-0, with six senators not voting.
The bill includes $3 million dollars to complete the purchase of the $5.3 million plot. The remainder of the purchase price has already been budgeted for the U.S. Interior Department’s Land Water Conservation Fund.
The bill also provides over $4.7 million for a new visitor’s center on the property. The Nature Conservancy, which purchased the property earlier in the year to prevent its development, plans to transfer the land to Park Services within 3 years.
“This is a great example of what we can do for conservation’s success when lots of parties work together – from the sellers to the National Park Service to Representative Farr to Senator Feinstein to locals who care about the issue,” said Misty Herrin, spokesperson for The Nature Conservancy.
“I am pleased that the Senate has approved funding to help add the lands of the Pinnacles Ranch to Pinnacles National Monument,” said Sen. Diane Feinstein in a press release. “This will be instrumental in the reintroduction of the California Condor to the Central Coast and it will also help preserve this magnificent park and make it available for people who want to visit the Monument.”
Now that the bill has passed in the Senate, the next step is running it through a conference committee that will negotiate the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Feinstein has also been appointed to this committee.
The House version of the bill contains only a quarter of the money in the Senate bill, and does not include earmarks for specific projects.
The property in question is 1,700 acres and currently houses the only campground serving the Monument. Condors in this area will have greater protection from such things as deadly lead poisoning, which can result from the birds eating carrion left by hunters.
