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Description: The Coachella Valley Fringe-Toed Lizard Research Natural Area and Area of Critical Environmental Concern (RNA/ACEC) is a component of the preserve system created by the Coachella Valley Fringe-Toed Lizard Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). BLM began acquiring lands in the area through a series of land exchanges with The Nature Conservancy in the late 1980s. In 2004, the State of California, the Coahella valley Association of Governments, and the Friends of the Desert Mountains (FDM) acquired the 8,880-acre Joshua Hills for approximately $26 million. The City of Palm Desert provided a bridge loan to the FDM to complete the acquisition, while federal LWCF funds were being requested. The Joshua Hills property sits in between the Coachella Valley Fringe-Toed Lizard ACEC and Joshua Tree National Park, providing a critical linkage for wildlife movement, and protection of the fluvial sand transport system and hydrological regime essential for dune communities in the ACEC. The location of the property also offers increased recreational opportunities and public access between the ACEC and the National Park. The lands being acquired by the BLM are a portion of the Joshua Hills property immediately adjacent to BLM's ACEC. The lands are also part of the Indio Hills/Joshua Tree National Park Conservation Area Linkage designated in the draft Coachella Valley Multiple Species HCP. These lands contain a unique diversity of vegetation including Sonoran creosote bush scrub and Mojave mixed woody scrub. The project supports local habitat conservation planning efforts through the acquisition of land adjacent to the Coachella Valley Fringe-Toed Lizard ACEC.
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Department of the Interior/BLM - California
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$394 |
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Federal
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22835 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos
Moreno Valley
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CALIFORNIA
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Mary Bono
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Representative
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CA
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45
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Dianne Feinstein
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Senator
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CA
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Citation
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Source:
Appropriations Report Language - Conference
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Reference:
Joint Explanatory Statement to accompany H.R. 2764, Division F (Interior and Environment)
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Method:
User entered excerpt
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Citation Excerpt: "The amended bill provides $9,081,000 for land acquisition instead of $18,634,000 as proposed by the house and $12,206,000 as proposed by the senate. Funds are to be distributed as follows: [see table]."
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