Mitigation Land Management and Endowments

On September 28, 2012, the Governor signed SB 1094 into law amending Government Code sections 65965-65968, which, among other things, expanded authorization for holding mitigation lands and modified the requirements for mitigation endowments.

• An entity wishing to hold an endowment shall certify to the project proponent or the holder of the mitigation property or a conservation easement, and to CDFW that it meets all of the requirements outlines in Government Code section 65968, subdivision (e), paragraphs (1) - (5).
• Summary of the new requirements for mitigation endowments (PDF)

When CDFW issues permits for a project, the project applicant may be required to transfer an interest in real property to CDFW or to another entity to mitigate the impact that the project will have on fish and wildlife resources. That interest in real property may involve a transfer of fee title, the granting of a conservation easement, or both.

CDFW is required to exercise due diligence when approving any non-profit organizations, governmental entity, or special district to hold a conservation easement or manage mitigation lands (Gov. Code, § 65967). In addition, pursuant to its regulatory authority to ensure that any impacts of a taking of a listed species are minimized and fully mitigated (Fish & G. Code § 2081, subd. (b)(2)), CDFW also conducts a due diligence process for any other individuals and entities that seek to hold conservation easements or manage mitigation lands.

Entities seeking to hold conservation easements or manage mitigation lands must complete and submit to CDFW the "Application to Hold and Manage Mitigation Land" below:

• Application to Hold and Manage Mitigation Land (PDF)
• Exhibit A Minimum Specification for Monitoring Protocol (PDF)
• Properties List Template (Excel)
  

Below is a list of entities that are authorized to hold and manage mitigation lands.

Third Party (registered name)	Link to Organization	Authorized in Region(s)
Agricultural-Natural Resources Trust of Contra Costa County	ag-trust.org	Region 3 - Bay Delta Region
Alameda County Resource Conservation District	acrcd.org	Region 3 - Bay Delta Region
Antelope Valley Conservancy	avconservancy.org	Regions 4, 5 & 6
Back Country Land Trust	backcountrylandtrust.org	Region 5 - South Coast Region
Cache Creek Conservancy	cachecreekconcervancy.org	Region 2 - North Central Region
California Open Lands	www.californiaopenlands.org	Regions 1 & 2
California Rangeland Trust	rangelandtrust.org	Statewide
California Waterfowl Association	calwaterfowl.org	Region 2 - North Central Region
Center for Natural Lands Management	cnlm.org	Statewide
East Bay Regional Park District	ebpark.org	Region 3 - Bay Delta Region
East Bay Municipal Utility District	ebmud.com	Regions 1 & 2
Fallbrook Land Conservancy	fallbrooklandconservancy.org	Region 5 - South Coast Region
Golden State Land Conservancy	gslc.us	Region 3 - Bay Delta Region
Inland Empire Resource Conservation District	www.iercd.org	Region 6 - Inlands Deserts Region
Mendocino County Resources Conservation District	mcrcd.org	Region 1 - North Coast Region
Mojave Desert Land Trust	mojavedesertlandtrust.org	Region 6 - Inlands Deserts Region
Mountain Restoration Trust	mountainstrust.org	Region 5 - South Coast Region
Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority	mrca.ca.gov	Region 5 - South Coast Region
Muir Heritage Land Trust	jmlt.org	Region 3 - Bay Delta Region
Natomas Basin Conservancy	natomasbasin.org	Region 2 - North Central Region
Northern California Regional Land Trust	landconservation.org	Region 2 - North Central Region
Placer Land Trust	www.placerlandtrust.org	Region 2 - North Central Region
Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District	www.rsrpd.org	Region 5 - South Coast Regions
Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District	rcrcd.com	Region 6 - Inlands Deserts Region
Rivers & Lands Conservancy	riversidelandconservancy.org	Regions 4, 5 & 6.
Sacramento Valley Conservancy	sacramentovalleyconservancy.org	Region 2 - North Central Region
San Bernardino Valley Conservation Trust	http://sites.google.com/site/sbvctrust	Region 6 - Inlands Deserts Region
San Diego Habitat Conservancy	sdhabitat.org	Regions 5 & 6.
San Gabriel Mountains Regional County	www.sgmrc.org	Region 5 - South Coast Region
San Jacinto Basin Resource Conservation District	(951) 654-7733	Region 6 - Inlands Deserts Region
Santa Clara Open Space Authority	www.oenspaceauthority.org	Region 3 - Bay Delta Region
Save Mount Diablo	www.savemountdiablo.org	Region 3 - Bay Delta Region
Sequoia Riverlands Trust	sequoiariverlands.org	Region 4 - Central Region
Sierra Foothill Conservancy	www.sierrafoothill.org	Region 4 - Central Region
Solano Land Trust	solanolandtrust.org	Region 3 - Bay Delta Region
Southwest Resource Management Association	www.onprofitfacts.com/CA/Southwest-Resource-Management-Association.html	Regions 4, 5, & 6
Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust	www.sutterbutteslandtrust.org	Region 2 - North Central Region
Transition Habitat Conservancy	www.transitionhabitat.org	Regions 5 & 6
Tri Valley Conservancy	trivalleyconservancy.org	Region 3 - Bay Delta Region
Urban Corps of San Diego County	www.urbancorpssd.org	Region 5 - South Coast Region
Wildlife Heritage Foundation	wildlifeheritage.org	Statewide
Yolo Land Trust	theyololandtrust.org	Regions 2 & 3