F24AP02798

This proposal requests 10,000,000 in federal grant funds from the fiscal year 2024 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act Nontraditional Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grants Program.

The federal grant will be matched by nonfederal funds totaling 10,000,000 (50.00 percent of the total project cost) by the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB).

An additional 32,000,000 will be leveraged to purchase additional acres beyond funding proposed in this grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy and the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.

This funding will contribute toward the permanent protection of conservation lands up to about 483 acres that will complement the County of Orange Central and Coastal Natural Community Conservation Plan Habitat Conservation Plan Central Coastal NCCP HCP in Orange County, California.

The purpose of the land acquisition proposal is to acquire and permanently protect highly developable but essential habitat on lands within the West Coyote Hills area.

The West Coyote Hills is in imminent threat of being developed in the near term.

The proposed project is the acquisition and conservation of a portion of the 510-acre West Coyote Hills project site in the City of Fullerton in Orange County, California.

The targeted acquisition properties are ecologically significant within the Central Coastal NCCP HCP reserve system and provide habitat for a suite of covered species including the federally endangered Least Bell's Vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus), federally threatened Coastal California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica californica), and likely the at-risk species Western Spadefoot Toad (Spea hammondii) listing status currently under review.

Three state species of special concern also present on the property that are covered in the Central Coastal NCCP HCP include the Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus), Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus), and Coastal Western Whiptail Lizard (Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegeri).

Other covered species that contribute to the high ecological value of the site include Intermediate Mariposa Lily (Calochortus weedii var. intermedius), Southern California Rufous-crowned Sparrow (Aimophila ruficeps canescens), Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus), Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), and Coyote (Canis latrans).

The entire site is designated critical habitat for the Gnatcatcher because of its importance for supporting a core population of Gnatcatchers and because juvenile Gnatcatchers dispersing from the site provide genetic interchange with significant Gnatcatcher populations conserved through the Shell Oil Company Metropolitan Water District Habitat Conservation Plan and the Coyote Hills East Habitat Conservation Plan and Central Coastal NCCP HCP reserve systems.

California Department Of Fish & Wildlife

THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO PROMOTE FEDERALLY LISTED AND AT-RISK SPECIES CONSERVATION THROUGH THE ACQUISITION OF HABITAT ASSOCIATED WITH APPROVED AND PERMITTED HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS (HCP). ALL LAND ACQUIRED THROUGH THESE GRANTS COMPLEMENTS, BUT DOES NOT REPLACE, THE MITIGATION, MINIMIZATION, AND OR MONITORING COMMITMENTS OF THE HCP. THUS, THIS WORK IS ADDITIVE TO THE CONSERVATION COMMITMENTS ENTERED INTO WHEN HCPS ARE PERMITTED AND SERVES AS A MEANINGFUL WAY TO LEVERAGE NON-FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN SPECIES RECOVERY AND CONNECT CONSERVATION LANDS ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE.

15.615 - Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund

Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8: Pacific Southwest [DOI - FWS]

California United States

State-Wide

F24AS00055 Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund: HCP Land Acquisition (F24AS00055)

Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been shortened from 10/30/27 to 11/01/24 and the total obligations have decreased 100% from $20,000,000 to $0.