Rivers & Lands Conservancy acquires and stewards lands that provide multiple benefits to the communities we serve. Open space lands held by Rivers & Lands Conservancy include lands for passive recreation, habitat for threatened and endangered species, water resources, and agriculture. Rivers & Lands Conservancy primarily conserves land through willing sellers, conservation easements for mitigation, and donations. Rivers & Lands Conservancy also transfers lands to various regional and state agencies for perpetual stewardship as part of larger conservation goals.
During our 33-year history, Rivers & Lands Conservancy has been instrumental in acquiring and preserving over 14,500 acres of open space valued at over $82 Million; many of these lands have been transferred to other conservation organizations. Rivers & Lands Conservancy is also seeking opportunities for local land acquisition projects that provide open space benefits to nearby neighborhoods and communities. Local acquisition projects may include a key piece of property to connect a local or regional trail, preservation of landmarks such as hilltops or arroyos, or providing a means for agricultural land to be retained as open space or as community gardens. Rivers & Lands Conservancy provides the professional services needed to develop and implement land acquisition projects.
Rivers & Lands Conservancy manages conserved lands for public benefit by protecting, enhancing, and restoring natural resources. Rivers & Lands Conservancy currently stewards 56 conservation properties that total over 2,700 acres of permanently protected open space. Our conservation properties include a combination of Rivers & Lands Conservancy-owned properties and properties held under conservation easement. Rivers & Lands Conservancy's stewardship objectives include improving habitat for wildlife, removing invasive plant and animal species, restoring riparian and oak woodland habitat, maintaining infrastructure, and providing appropriate education, recreation and volunteer opportunities.
Land development projects, both private and public, are often required to preserve land as mitigation for project impacts. Typically, the permitting agencies require a conservation easement to ensure the mitigation lands are preserved in perpetuity. Rivers & Lands Conservancy is authorized by the CDFW to hold conservation easements or fee title lands for mitigation purposes in the coastal, inland, and desert regions of southern California. Additionally, Rivers & Lands Conservancy is a nationally accredited land trust, a mark of distinction showing their high standards met for land conservation.
For mitigation projects, we require a project proponent to pay an initial evaluation fee, and then, at the time of property conveyance, deposit an endowment to match projected long-term management funding requirements. Rivers & Lands Conservancy manages, disburses, and governs endowment funds consistent with state law and with the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act. Rivers & Lands Conservancy's long-term management ranges from easement compliance oversight to property maintenance and resource management. Rivers & Lands Conservancy currently holds and manages mitigation properties in four southern California counties.
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