County Receives Nearly $6 Million for Wildlife Preservation

Federal grants totaling $5.7 million were awarded to Riverside County for the acquisition of land to expand the roaming space of endangered wildlife, it was announced today.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service disbursed $3 million for the benefit of the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, administered by the Coachella Valley Association of Governments, and $2.7 million for the benefit of the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan—of which Murrieta is a member city—administered by the Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority.

The USFWS awarded the grants as part of a $32 million distribution to jurisdictions in 22 states that qualified for the funds under the agency's Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund.

According to federal officials, the money is earmarked specifically to enhance the protection of threatened and endangered creatures and plants, mainly through land acquisitions that sometimes require concessions on the part of private property owners.

“Private landowners play a vital role in conserving our most imperiled species, but they need our help,'' said USFWS Director Dan Ashe. “These grants provide a lifeline to species on the brink by fostering partnerships between federal, state and local governments, private organizations, and individuals, empowering them to develop creative solutions that drive critical conservation and recovery efforts.''

Grant funding provided for the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan will help cover the cost of purchasing up to 3,114 acres to secure “wildlife linkages, sand transport areas and core habitat areas'' where 20 threatened or endangered species have been identified, including the fringe-toed lizard, the desert tortoise and peninsular big horn sheep.

Grant funding provided for the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan will support the acquisition of around 500 acres to widen the protected space available to the California gnatcatcher, the Arroyo southwestern toad and the Quino checkerspot butterfly.

The 500-acre add-on will complement a 500,000-acre preserve encompassing coastal scrub, chaparral and grasslands, according to federal officials. 

—City News Service