California Wildlife Conservation Board Approves Funding 20 Acres for MSHCP Reserve
The MSHCP Conservation Area will continue to grow thanks to a recently approved state grant by the California Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB). On August 24, the WCB approved RCA’s funding request to acquire a critical parcel of land for the MSHCP reserve. The Barth...
Species Spotlight: The Bald Eagle, More Than a Symbol
For most of the 20th century, the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) lived under a perpetual threat of extinction. Habitat destruction, illegal shooting, and insecticides had decimated the bald eagle population in the 1900s. In 1940, the United States enacted The...
The Rare Munz’s Mariposa Lily Gets the Spotlight
It is hard to share the spotlight with a close relative, but this month we are giving all our attention to the unique and rare Munz’s mariposa lily (Calochortus palmeri var. munzii), a close relative of Palmer’s mariposa lily. Named after Philip Munz, a local botanist...
The Lands That Form the MSHCP
In the two decades since the RCA was created to implement one of the nation’s largest and most ambitious conservation plans – the Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) – nearly 84% of the 500,000-acre reserve system has been...
City Spotlight: Eastvale’s Important Role as an MSCHP Permittee
Once a quaint dairy farming and agricultural community where cows outnumbered people, Eastvale witnessed its population surge in the 1990s and early 2000s as more people moved to Riverside County. The influx of new residents began to change Eastvale’s farming identity...
The Resilient Coast Range Newt: Adapted for Fire and Survival
A pair of coast range newts (Taricha tarosa tarosa) prepared themselves as the heat from the approaching fire intensified. Within seconds, their slimy skin secreted a foamy substance, forming a protective coating that shielded them from the surrounding flames. This...