Kalmia Acquisition
Location: Southwest of Interstate 15 and at the foot of Kalmia Street
southwest of the City of Murrieta and next to the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve to the south in
in the unincorporated area of Riverside County.
RCA Area: Temecula Valley - Rough Step Area 5
Size: 99.28 acres
Plant Communities:
Chaparral, Coastal Sage Scrub, Riparian Scrub, Woodland Forest and Woodlands and Forests.
Species for Conservation:
Species for conservation in this area plan subunit include: California red-legged frog,
Coopers hawk, least Bells vireo, southwest willow flycatcher, tree swallow, white-tailed
kite, yellow warbler, arroyo chub, bobcat, and mountain lion.
Importance:
The Kalmia property consists of approximately 99.28 acres and is located at the foot of Kalmia Street,
adjacent to the west of the City of Murrieta and adjacent to the north of the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological
Reserve, in the unincorporated area of Riverside County. This property was acquired by the RCA on
July 27, 2011 with a combination of state and federal grant funding.
Approximately the west half of the subject property is located in Cell 6433 within the Western
Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (Western Riverside County MSHCP).
The Western Riverside County MSHCP targets the conservation of 153,000 acres of additional
lands for preservation of wildlife and plant life. The subject property is adjacent to the
north of the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, which is approximately 8,300 acres in size.
The Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve protects unique ecosystems like Engelmann oak
woodlands, riparian wetlands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, bunchgrass prairie and vernal pools.
The Kalmia property contains important biological resources, including chaparral habitat,
coastal sage scrub habitat, and woodland and forest habitat. Animal species likely to be
present on the property include California red-legged frog, Coopers hawk, least Bells vireo,
southwest willow flycatcher, tree swallow, white-tailed kite, yellow warbler,
arroyo chub, bobcat, mountain lion, and western pond turtle.
Preservation of this plant community and animal species meets the objectives identified
for
Federal Grant Number E-20-HL-3.
Wildlife and Habitat Value:
In addition, the subject property is located in a critical conservation area within the
Western Riverside County MSHCP, identified as Constrained Linkage 13, which consists of
Cole Canyon Creek, Murrieta Creek and Miller Canyon Creek. This latter creek, Miller
Canyon Creek, traverses the southerly portion of the property. This constrained linkage
helps connect the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve with the Santa Margarita Ecological
Reserve managed by San Diego State University, west of Interstate 15.
Aerial Photo of Kalmia Property
View from the north line of the property at Kalmia Street towards the southeast.
View from the north line of the property at Kalmia Street towards the southwest.
