Reclamation Selects Recipients of $2.1 Million in Central Valley Project Conservation Program and CVPIA Habitat Restoration Program Awards
Sacramento, Calif. (PRWEB) July 23, 2013 -- The Bureau of Reclamation announces the recipients of $2,131,712 in Central Valley Project Conservation Program and Central Valley Project Improvement Act Habitat Restoration Program grants and other financial assistance for fiscal year 2013.
The CVP Conservation Program and the CVPIA Habitat Restoration Program are managed jointly by Reclamation and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The overall objective of the programs is to improve conditions for federally listed threatened and endangered species and other species whose habitats and populations have been impacted by the construction and operation of the CVP.
Land acquisition and research projects were selected through a competitive process, and priority consideration was given to projects that best address the needs of listed species identified in USFWS recovery plans. In 2013, Reclamation and the USFWS selected the following six projects to fund in the CVP area:
Ciervo Hills Giant Kangaroo Rat Habitat Protection Project, Martin Ranch Acquisition - $1,001,325 to the Bureau of Land Management for acquisition of 1,602 acres in western Fresno County to protect habitats for the endangered giant kangaroo rat, San Joaquin kit fox and San Joaquin woolly-threads.
Acquisition of Lands for the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge - $498,000 to the USFWS for the purchase of 275 acres from the Pixley and Lower Tule River Irrigation Districts in Tulare County. The lands will become part of the refuge and will protect habitats for the endangered Tipton kangaroo rat, San Joaquin kit fox and blunt-nosed leopard lizard.
Acquisition and Preservation of the Richvale Vernal Pools - $329,240 to the Butte County Resource Conservation District for the purchase of the 75.9-acre Richvale property to protect vernal pool habitats to benefit endangered Greene’s tuctoria, vernal pool fairy shrimp and the giant garter snake in Butte County.
Hydrologic Monitoring and Modeling of Hardpan Vernal Pools to Support Restoration Design - $103,137 to cbec inc., eco engineering, for research on identifying the hydrologic differences between created and natural vernal pools and to quantify the potential hydrologic impacts of created pools on adjacent natural pools in Butte and Placer counties. Population Genetics Research and Development of a Genetic Management Plan for the Callippe Silverspot Butterfly - $100,000 to the University of the Pacific to develop a genetic management plan for the federally endangered Callippe Silverspot Butterfly.
Population Genetic Structure of the Riparian Brush Rabbit - $100,000 to the Endangered Species Recovery Program at California State University, Stanislaus, to develop data on population genetic structure of the endangered riparian brush rabbit to help develop and guide management options for the rabbit at Caswell Memorial State Park in San Joaquin County. For more information on the CVP Conservation Program and/or the CVPIA Habitat Restoration Program, please contact Dan Strait at 916-978-5052 or dstrait at usbr.gov.
Pete Lucero, Bureau of Reclamation, http://www.usbr.gov, 916-978-5100, [email protected]
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