2012 LWCF-- Checkerboard American and Headwaters

Sierra, Placer, & Nevada Congressional District: 4 County Member: Tom McClintock

Location , Central Sierra Nevada Acquired to Date 2002-2010 Tahoe & Eldorado NF Tahoe and Eldorado National Forests Method Acres Cost ($)

Purchase 13,945 $13,859,045 Purpose Protect watershed, wildlife, cultural, and recreation values; Exchange 2681 $4,300,000 facilitate ecosystem adaptation to climate change; prevent Partner -- Donation 2623 $4,831,438 conversion of forest lands to development; improve public Partner--Conservation 1181 $1,830,000 access; reduce management costs, and expand the Easement (purchased Wilderness Area through a land donation and held by land trusts) contingent on this purchase. President’s Budget FY2011 Method Acres Cost ($) Purchase Join with land trusts collaborating to achieve landscape Purchase (2011 LWCF) 1400 $2,000,000 Opportunities level conservation, the scale of which is unprecedented in Donation offered 2856 $7,011,696 Conservation Easement 3184 $6,420,000 the Northern Sierra Nevada. LWCF funds will help President’s Budget FY 2012 leverage non-Federal funds for additional land Method Acres Cost ($) conservation, including donations to the National Forest 2012 LWCF Request 2,000 $2,000,000 System and land trust-owned conservation easements. Donation (contingent on 4474 $4,026,223

2011 LWCF purchase) Conservation Easements 2720 $3,250,000

Partner The Trust for Public Land (TPL), Conservancy & Truckee Donner Land Trust

Cooperators The Nature Conservancy, Feather River Land Trust, Sierra Business Council.

Project This proposed land acquisition project is part of a larger, ongoing collaborative effort--the Sierra Nevada Description Checkerboard Initiative--to address the imminent threat of private land development within the “checkerboard”, where every other section of land on the National Forest is privately owned. Land trusts are rapidly raising matching funds to purchase land and conservation easements within this fractured land ownership pattern, with a goal to conserve 100,000 acres in the northern and central Sierra. The lands purchased with matching funds are being donated to public agencies.

The 2012 LCWF Project will: --leverage a $4,000,000 donation to expand the only wilderness area on the , which lies in close proximity to millions of annual visitors to . (This donation is contingent on a $5,000,000 purchase made with LWCF funds.) -- preserve an ancient petroglyph. --conserve meadows, wetlands and riparian areas at the headwaters of American and Yuba Rivers, which supply critical agricultural and domestic water to millions in the Sacramento Region. --protect populations and habitats of a rare amphibian warranted for listing under the Endangered Species Act and at least 36 sensitive species, including the only Sierra population of a very rare plant. --maintain old growth forest stands and enhance wildlife migration corridors and habitat connectivity to maintain viable populations of wide-ranging, old growth dependent wildlife species, including the northern goshawk and American marten. --allow completion of “one of the top 10 mountain bike trails in California” and provide public access to a proposed Wild and Scenic River, two popular trails, the largest limestone cave in the northern Sierra, and the popular Secret Lake. --prevent conversion of forest lands to residential development, to sustain carbon-sequestering forest ecosystems and address the threat of catastrophic wildfire. --reduce land management and administrative costs.

O&M Cost Potential start up cost (primarily backlog fuels treatment): $500,000 Estimated “annual” maintenance: $0

Strategic Goals Restore, Sustain & Enhance National Forests and Outdoor Recreation Opportunities; Conserve Open Space; 1, 3, 4, & 5 Maintain Basic Management Capabilities. Forest Service 49 Nichols Yu ba Mill Pas s ls 89 cho Ni l Mil 8 9 Henness Sierra Pass He nne Henness J P ss Conserved Parcels - ack ass 89 Pass M son Non-Federal Funds eadows Henness Pass 8 9

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Nevada 89 2011 Acquition Parcels

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Fores ill 89 thill esth For Proposed Acquisition Parcels Placer Granite Chief Ta h o e Wilderness

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Vicinity Map Legend Sierra Nevada Checkerboard Administrative Forest Boundary American & Yuba River Headwaters Wilderness Area FY 2012 LWCF

Wild Scenic River Area This map depicts USDA Forest Service Land Status Record data 2011 Acquisition Parcels and the approximate location of the proposed purchase parcel. Proposed Acquisition Parcels Townships 13/15/16/17/18/19 North, Range 12/13/14/15 East, Mt. Diablo M Future Acquisition Parcels State of California Conserved - Non-Federal Funds Forest Service Region 5 Contingent Donation Parcels Tahoe and Eldorado National Forests National Forest System Lands The USDA Forest Service Makes no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding the data displayed on this map, and reserves the right to 0 2.5 5 10 Map Creation Date - 01/11/2011 correct, update, modify, or replace this information without notification. Map Revision Date - Miles

file: c:\(data\lwcd2012\r6\maps\pacific\ Arlene Heap Sierra Nevada Checkerboard—American and Yuba River Headwaters 2012 LWCF

Secret Lake The American River headwaters acquisition will provide wildlife connectivity enhancing the high elevation refugia of the neighboring wilderness area.

Inside caves on Big Avalanche parcel (with insert Valuable old growth wildlife habitat-- Petroglyph-- Little Steamboat parcel of helictites)—the most important recreational Lola Montez parcel. cave in the northern Sierra.