Loss of habitat is the single most important challenge facing wildlife populations and wildlife managers today. In response to this problem, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife created the Private Lands Management (PLM) Program, which offers landowners incentives to manage their lands for the benefit of wildlife. Landowners who enroll in PLM program consult with biologists to make biologically sound habitat improvements that benefit wildlife, like providing water sources, planting native plants for food, and making brush piles for cover. This partnership between wildlife managers and private landowners helps conserve and maintain wildlife habitat in our state.
Facts about the PLM Program
- There are currently 113 PLM properties in 25 counties.
- The program encompasses over 1,285,000 acres of wildlife habitat.
- The largest PLM property is 270,000 acres; the smallest property is 375 acres.
- The average PLM size is about 9,936 acres; half have fewer than 5,000 acres.
- Many wildlife species benefit, including deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, wild turkeys, quail, waterfowl, etc.
- The program began in 1979 as a three-year pilot program with five ranches in five counties. In 1983, the California Legislature voted to make it a long-term program.
- Participation in the program requires the submission and acceptance of a sound management plan. PLM areas are licensed for five-year periods; annual reviews ensure that agreed-upon habitat improvements have been made.
- Many PLM properties offer expanded hunting season dates and/or bag limits.
- Wildlife do not recognize property boundaries between public and private lands, so improvements to a PLM property can benefit adjacent public land as well.