Management
Managing the land acquired for habitat is a critical part of RCA’s responsibility. The main responsibilities include:
- Controlling unauthorized public access
- Maintenance including fencing, gates, trash removal, fire prevention
- Maintaining upland and wetland habitats in conditions better than or similar to the condition of the land when it was acquired
- Conserving raptor nests
- Performing initial baseline assessments of acquired properties within four years of acquisition.
To date, more than 100 sites and 30,000 acres divided into nine management units are RCA’s maintenance responsibility. With its partner, the Riverside County Parks and Open Space District, RCA staffs the maintenance effort with natural resources, park ranger, and park maintenance personnel.
See our interactive map of land conserved and managed under the MSHCP or please download a PDF of the current map showing reserve lands and acquisitions of reserve land by RCA.
Habitat Conservation Summary Map as of April 21, 2010 (Small 1.76 MB - 100 dpi) (Large 11.5 MB - 300 dpi)
The light green areas are the 347,000 acres of existing public or quasi-public lands that form the core of the reserve system. The white areas outlined in blue are the cells that comprise the Criteria Area, the land from which RCA will acquire the remaining 153,000 acres over the next 25 years to meet the goal. The dark green areas are the lands RCA has acquired to date.
RCA properties are open to the public but motorized recreation, hunting, shooting, paintball, camping, and fires are not permitted.
Maintenance personnel conduct initial walk-overs prior to RCA taking title to new properties, ensuring that there are no issues with significant trash dumps, hazardous materials, or other health and safety issues.
The major issues facing managers are illegal dumping and off-highway vehicle users. RCA works with Riverside County through its Code Enforcement, Environmental Protection, and Sheriff’s departments to combat these issues and partners with BLM rangers and California Department of Fish & Game wardens to protect acquired land.
While initial inspections of sites being acquired and management of RCA sites are the first priority, management staff also conducts Initial Management Evaluation Reports.
These reports list the legal description of the parcels that comprise the property, the number of acres, and describe the topography and land use. A biological assessment details plant communities, likely animal species, habitat features, and the relationship of the property to other reserves, its role as a link in the network of conserved land, and priorities for future land purchase that result from having acquired the property. Impacts to the land and its current condition are described and restoration opportunities identified. The report recommends any future management activities.
Management and Monitoring activities at RCA are closely coordinated with other natural resources agencies. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish & Game, California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection, California Department of Parks & Recreation, and the Center for Natural Lands Management participate.
