wardy
2005 Lori Nyland Award Winner
- Nov 12, 1999
- 2,681
- 9
Source: The NandoTimes
Bureau of Land Management to acquire portion of California desert
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) - More than 62,000 acres of California's Mojave desert will be turned over to the public for preservation within a week, concluding a massive buyout that will save the pristine land from commercial development, officials said Tuesday.
The title on the land, more than twice the size of San Francisco, will be transferred from the Catellus Development Corp. to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The transfer caps an intense five-year campaign by private donors spearheaded by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the Wildlands Conservancy, a private nonprofit group dedicated to acquiring land for conservation.
"This marks the culmination of a long process to preserve and protect one of North America's great treasures," Feinstein said.
The land, which includes former railroad parcels extending from the Salton Sea to the Colorado River, is home to bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, sand dunes, extinct volcanoes, ancient petroglyphs and sprawling mountain ranges.
The transfer was the last of four. Previous parcels totaled 405,000 acres; the latest transfer brings the preserve to approximately 467,000 acres.
The Wildlands Conservancy raised $46.6 million to complete the purchases.
"What makes this deal different from any other involving purchases of wilderness is that it was funded with private donations, and then given to the public," said John Bezzant, vice president of management at Catellus.
wardy
Bureau of Land Management to acquire portion of California desert
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) - More than 62,000 acres of California's Mojave desert will be turned over to the public for preservation within a week, concluding a massive buyout that will save the pristine land from commercial development, officials said Tuesday.
The title on the land, more than twice the size of San Francisco, will be transferred from the Catellus Development Corp. to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The transfer caps an intense five-year campaign by private donors spearheaded by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the Wildlands Conservancy, a private nonprofit group dedicated to acquiring land for conservation.
"This marks the culmination of a long process to preserve and protect one of North America's great treasures," Feinstein said.
The land, which includes former railroad parcels extending from the Salton Sea to the Colorado River, is home to bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, sand dunes, extinct volcanoes, ancient petroglyphs and sprawling mountain ranges.
The transfer was the last of four. Previous parcels totaled 405,000 acres; the latest transfer brings the preserve to approximately 467,000 acres.
The Wildlands Conservancy raised $46.6 million to complete the purchases.
"What makes this deal different from any other involving purchases of wilderness is that it was funded with private donations, and then given to the public," said John Bezzant, vice president of management at Catellus.
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