With some considerable pleasure, the Conservancy announces completion of a land exchange that will enhance the biological values afforded the species covered in the Natomas Basin Habitat Conservation Plan (NBHCP). The consummation of this transaction concludes an effort of over two years. In exchange for the Conservancy’s 242-acre Brennan tract, the Conservancy received 388 acres in two separate parcels known as the Nestor and Bolen West tracts.
By acquiring the additional acreage, and doing so in the Conservancy’s North Basin Reserve Area, the Conservancy has now achieved a contiguous acreage total of 2,029 acres. This means the Conservancy is over 81 percent of its way to achieving the 2,500-acre minimum contiguous reserve requirement in the 2003 NBHCP. Reaching the 2,500-acre contiguous reserve requirement has long been thought to be one of the most difficult challenges facing the implementation of the NBHCP. The Conservancy holds an additional 361 acres in the North Basin Reserve Area, and while it is geographically very close to the 2,029-acre assembled reserve, it is not immediately adjacent.
The exchange is the second of three land exchanges planned by the Conservancy to enhance the biological effectiveness of its land holdings. The first exchange was announced in April 2005, and involved the Sills South for Rosa properties. The third of three planned land exchanges is pending.