None The Nature Conservancy in California Press Releases Search All Press Releases Misty Herrin Phone: (213) 327-0405 E-mail: mherrin@tnc.org

Nature Conservancy Acquires 3 Miles Along Santa Clara River

Purchase is first to utilize ARCO settlement funds from 1994 oil spill

Ventura, Calif.—July 21, 2005—The Nature Conservancy announced today the acquisition of 377 acres in Ventura County as part of an ongoing effort to protect 20 miles along the Santa Clara River. The purchase, which was made possible by a grant from the Santa Clara River Trustee Council, will safeguard vital habitat for a wide variety of animals and plants, including as many as 35 endangered, threatened or sensitive species. The parcel is located at the confluence of the Santa Clara River and Piru Creek and encompasses roughly three miles of river channel. To date, the Conservancy has worked with local partners to acquire 2,218 acres – about 10 linear miles – along the river.

"The Santa Clara River is worth more than gold for conservationists. It’s a lifeline for wildlife, providing water, shelter and food for numerous species of birds, mammals, fish and amphibians. This acquisition will safeguard high quality habitat at a key location on the river," said E.J. Remson, program director for The Nature Conservancy. "We’re thrilled that the Santa Clara River Trustee Council made protecting these wetlands possible."

The Santa Clara River Trustee Council was established to implement Santa Clara River restoration projects using settlement funds paid by ARCO Pipeline Company following an oil spill along the river in 1994. Made of up representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, the Trustee Council is collaborating with The Nature Conservancy to acquire selected properties along the Santa Clara River. This is the first land purchase utilizing ARCO settlement funds. The Trustee Council has allocated a total of $4 million to the Conservancy for land acquisitions and management activities along the river.

"It’s good to see the long-term plans of the trustee agencies and the Santa Clara River Trustee Council finally beginning to come to fruition. This and future efforts by the Council and its partners, like The Nature Conservancy, will provide a natural legacy for this and for future generations to experience and enjoy way beyond our individual lifetimes," said Ken Wilson, Trustee for the Department of Fish and Game.

One of southern California’s last large free-flowing rivers, the 94-mile long Santa Clara River and associated riparian habitats are crucial to the survival of many sensitive species of wildlife, including the unarmored three-spine stickleback, steelhead trout and California red-legged frog. Other native species that rely on the river include the arroyo toad, southwestern pond turtle, bobcat and many species of migratory songbirds.

"Lands along the Santa Clara River are important habitat for endangered species such as the least Bell's vireo and southwestern willow flycatcher," said Steve Thompson, manager of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's California/Nevada office. "Protecting another piece of this river’s ecosystem can only help these species, and many others."

The property was purchased for $575,000 from Vulcan Materials, Inc., an aggregate mining company. It was never mined. This is the Conservancy’s fourth purchase from a mining company along the Santa Clara River.

The Nature Conservancy’s work on the river is part of a multi-pronged conservation effort in Ventura County and Los Angeles County. Through our science-based planning process, the Conservancy identified key areas along the Santa Clara River, at Ormond Beach and in the Santa Susana Mountains that must be safeguarded, linked to each other and connected to already protected lands such as Los Padres National Forest. The Conservancy is currently expanding this project area to encompass major tributaries of the Santa Clara River and reach eastward toward the headwaters. Conservancy scientists are also conducting studies on the river to help guide the recovery of the endangered southern steelhead trout.

The Nature Conservancy is an international non-profit membership organization, whose mission is to preserve plants, animals, and natural communities by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Founded in 1951, The Nature Conservancy and its more than one million members have safeguarded more than 15 million acres in the United States. The Conservancy has also worked with like-minded partner organizations to preserve more than 100 million acres in Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and Asia. In California, The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 1.2 million acres.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The USFWS manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 544 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 63 Fish and Wildlife Management offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the ESA, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

The California Dept. of Fish and Game (CDFG) is the public trustee for the protection and management of California’s native wildlife and the habitats upon which they depend. The Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) is DFG’s pollution division, and the lead State agency for off-highway oil spill prevention, response and restoration. OSPR’s objective is to prevent damage, minimize impacts, restore, and rehabilitate California's wildlife populations and their habitats from the harmful effects of oil and deleterious material spills in marine waters and inland habitats, using the best achievable protection and best available technology. Since its creation in 1990, OSPR staff have responded to over 2,000 spills, and collected more than $112 million in natural resource damage assessments to be used for spill restoration projects. For more information, go to www.dfg.ca.gov/ospr.