Over $6.5 million in Federal and State Grants support Placer Conservation goals
Auburn, Calif. – Over 560 acres of vernal pools and wetlands are planned for conservation in Sheridan, with the Placer County Board of Supervisors recently approving the use of $445,000 of Placer Legacy open space funds.
The funding will be combined with a $5,244,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a $1,311,000 grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board to acquire a portion of the Riosa Redwing Ranch property.
The 997-acre Riosa Redwing Ranch Property is located near Sheridan and is within the Placer County Conservation Program’s reserve acquisition area.
Diversity of biological resources
The property meets the county’s Placer Legacy and General Plan goals to conserve the diversity of biological resources through open space land acquisition.
“We are often criticized for authorizing new development, but when we are preserving these lands, we should be proud of how much development we avoided,” said Board Chair and District 5 Supervisor Cindy Gustafson. “We are excited to preserve this huge swatch of land in perpetuity. That’s very exciting.”
Home to a variety of sensitive species resources (vernal pool complex wetlands, seasonal wetlands, and grassland), acquisition of the property will also preserve open space land, protect sensitive biological resources and habitat, and will ensure natural resources within the county will be preserved for future generations.
The property is in close proximity to existing preserved lands including the Yankee Sough Conservation Bank to the south and the Sheridan East Vernal Pool Preserve to the north.
Placer County Conservation Program
The 400-acre Bradley property, a 2018 early Placer County Conservation Program land acquisition, and the 202.96-acre Ellis Property, a recently approved Placer Conservation Authority Conservation Easement acquisition, are immediately adjacent to the west of the property.
The county’s contribution to purchasing the property helps accomplish its Placer Legacy Open Space and Agricultural Conservation Program goals while complementing the Placer County Conservation Program.
Placer Legacy is a county program designed to protect and conserve open space and agricultural lands. The PCCP is a progressive and proactive strategy for identifying where development should occur in western Placer County while preserving important natural and agricultural resources.
More information about Placer Legacy is available by calling the Planning Services Division at 530-745-3008 or visiting the Placer Legacy website.
