A key environmental document for a federal easement program aiming to permanently set aside huge swaths of rangeland notes that San Benito County is excluded from the proposal’s preferred alternative.
That document, the focus of last week’s open house in Hollister and six others in the region, pointed out that San Benito County rangelands are currently excluded from the federal agency’s preferred alternative that is among three options.
The preferred alternative would target Merced, Mariposa, Stanislaus and Tulare counties in an attempt to protect up to 200,000 acres of working rangeland with high wildlife value through easements that prevent development and major land-use changes. “Alternative C” includes the northern portion of San Benito, Merced, Mariposa, Stanislaus, Tulare and Kern counties under a goal of obtaining 325,000 acres in easements.
San Benito County’s exclusion in the preferred alternative comes after opposition developed here, including an approval from supervisors in the fall of 2012 to officially oppose the proposal altogether.
The following are key points included in the “Draft Environmental Assessment” ¬¬- another level down from an environmental impact statement regarding the level of requirements – for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Proposed California Foothills Legacy Area document released in July.
– Under a non-preferred Alternative C, which includes this county, the plan would target 70,000 acres in San Benito County – which has about 600,000 acres in rangeland – among the 325,000 acres in total for the program area.
– Among the six counties under consideration, San Benito County has by far the lowest growth projection as cited by the U.S. Census Bureau in the report. It projected the county of 55,300 people would grow by 7 percent between 2010 and 2030. The next lowest growth projection was Mariposa at 20 percent, with Kern County the highest at 52 percent.
– The USFWS argues reasons for the program include rangeland species facing threats due to urban and rural residential development; orchards and vineyards; invasive species; and climate change.
– Three broad goals include conservation of habitats in Central Valley rangelands; protection of threatened and endangered species; and long-term viability for the ranging industry.
– Easements would be permanent, while the document estimated current land values within the area at between $300 and $3,000 per acre.
– About 518,000 acres in the 14 million-acre “Rangeland Ring” are permanently protected by conservation easements.
– When deciding between permanent easements or term easements (10 to 30 years was mentioned) the service chose perpetual easements “are the most economical way to achieve our wildlife conservation mission.”
– The wildlife breakdown in the program area includes 34 fish, 22 amphians, 37 reptiles, 264 birds and 103 mammals.
