A group of concerned residents is forming in nearby Santa Clara
County to protect their share of California’s oak trees from
development, agricultural conversion and disease; though some in
San Benito County are intrigued by the idea, there is no organized
local effort to land available state money to preserve the
trees.
Hollister – A group of concerned residents is forming in nearby Santa Clara County to protect their share of California’s oak trees from development, agricultural conversion and disease; though some in San Benito County are intrigued by the idea, there is no organized local effort to land available state money to preserve the trees.
About one million acres of oak savanna and woodlands have been wiped out by residential development in California since 1945, and there is a dearth of young oaks up and down the state.
To combat this, the state passed the Oak Woodlands Conservation Act in 2001, which set aside $10 million in grant money to protect waning oak populations. The funds are available to anyone interested in preserving oaks, but only if that person resides in a county with an official preservation plan.
A range of projects is eligible for funding, from something as simple as installing wire baskets to protect young oaks to buying and planting rows of trees. Environmental groups are interested in getting money to buy conservation easements to protect farm land and open space from development.
With input from local farmers and ranchers, volunteers in Santa Clara County recently drafted a preservation plan which they will likely present to that county’s board of supervisors in May.
However, few in San Benito County seemed to know that the funds are available.
“I wasn’t aware of it,” said Rebecca McGovern of San Juan Bautista. “I would certainly be willing to help. Not only are they (oaks) central to our environment, they are part of our history.”
Oak trees protect the entire ecosystem; watersheds, wildlife habitats and even cattle ranches benefit from thriving oak populations, which provide food for small animals at the bottom of the food chain and shelter from the sweltering heat for cattle, said Nancy Richardson, executive director of the Land Trust of Santa Clara.
“Willing landowners who are conservation minded will benefit,” said Janet Cobb, president of the California Oak Foundation. “Every expert in the country acknowledges that San Benito has oak trees and wildlife worth saving. It’s a jewel .”
An acceptable preservation plan must offer private landowners an opportunity to be part of the program. It must contain information about the condition and value of oak woodlands in the area. And it must encourage informing the community about the value of oak woodlands, according to Wildlife Conservation Board.
“It’s a positive thing. People are forced to come up to the table and talk to each other with different perspectives. They have to come together and produce a plan,” said Marilyn Cundiff, who is the administrator for the Oak Woodlands Program.
Once a plan has been drafted, adopted and accepted by the Wildlife Conservation Board, landowners are eligible to sell easements, or pieces of their property. By selling an easement, a landowner is selling the right to develop that particular piece of property.
“An easement is purchasing a bundle of rights from a landowner,” Cundiff said. “The rights are appraised and given a value…if a landowner decides to sell a conservation easement, it’s cash in their pocket”
Misconceptions – such as the government taking over the land, or the public being given access to the land – often discourage landowners from selling easements, Cundiff said.
But landowners need not worry, she said. “An easement must benefit landowners. In reality, they’re getting money to continue what their doing. They can still cut down sick and dying trees, and they can still graze on the land.”
Of the $10 million made available by the state, $2 million is earmarked for outreach and education programs. About half of the $8 million set aside for preservation has been disbursed.
“Take good care of your oaks,” Cobb said. “They are the new gold of California.”
Luke Roney is a covers education and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or at [email protected]
