Public invited to BLM discussion on Panoche Hills plan

A stretch of desert land from the Panoche Hills in southeast San Benito County down to the edge of Avenal offers a unique swath of landscape that is home to endangered or rare flora and fauna.
The region has long been labeled as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern by the federal government, which includes public lands or public land interest where special management attention is required to protect and prevent damage to important historic, cultural, scenic values, fish and wildlife resources, or other natural processes, or to protect life and safety from natural hazards.
As the Bureau of Land Management prepares to update the plan for the local ACEC, they will host two public meetings to share more about the process and reasons for the designation with members of the community. The meetings will be next Tuesday at the Veterans Memorial Building, in Hollister, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., and next Thursday, at Panoche School, in Panoche Valley, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
The area from the Panoche Hills through Coalinga, west of Interstate 5 was designated as important habitat in 1984 because it is home to several endangered or threatened species, including the blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard, the San Joaquin kit fox, the giant kangaroo rat, rare landscapes such as the Monvero Dunes and paleontological resources.
Rick Cooper, the Hollister field office manager for the federal Bureau of Land Management, said land can be designated as an ACEC area by BLM staff, without an act of Congress or a Presidential proclamation, as is needed for other national recreation designations such as a national park.
“In 1984, it was determined that this habitat is important,” he said.
A plan was implemented in 1987 to manage public land along the corridor, with plans to acquire additional parcels to add to it.
During a presentation to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Cooper showed slides that showed the dramatic change in the landscape from 1912, when it was largely a desert and grassland landscape with a river running through it from the edge of San Benito east through Modesto down to Bakersfield. As more people moved in and farming became the primary industry in the Central Valley, the land became green with row crops, orchards and vineyards.
Cooper explained that the ACEC designation does not apply to any privately-owned lands in the region, but his staff members often work closely with private property owners on best management practices.
“Part of it is working with the local ranching community,” Cooper said. “They have been the biggest partner both in acquiring land and maintaining it.”
He said the ACEC designation of federal land would not preclude other uses on private land in the area such as gas and oil wells, the solar farm proposed in Panoche or other uses. Cooper said private landowners who want to develop their property would be subject to the regular state and federal laws for environmental impact reviews, as with any development project.
Supervisors Margie Barrios asked for clarification of what limitations BLM can place on private property uses.
“We have no say in what people do,” on private property, Cooper said.
Barrios also asked Cooper to clarify that the designation does not include Clear Creek. Cooper said Clear Creek is outside of the ACEC area.
Brad Sullivan, an attorney with L&G, spoke during the public comment period and said “a few squares can take control of the whole board.”
He said he was concerned the ACEC designation would discourage developers who are interested in oil exploration in the area or other projects such as the solar farm.