Habitat

Habitat can range from thousands of acres to small strips and hedgerows. Habitat can be created through conservation easements, covenants, or other protective approaches. Conservation restricts land use to preserve certain ecosystem functions, such as shelter and food for animals, water filtration, and dust reduction. Repurposing land to habitat can involve Tribal co-stewardship to encourage culturally relevant native species.

Potential Benefits

• Selling a portion of agricultural land can help owners stay in business and focus on their most valuable acres.

• Creates opportunities for recreation, education, and connection to the land.

• Reduces pesticide use by incorporating natural predators in areas adjacent to farms.

• Enhances habitat and biodiversity, which can improve air and water quality, support recreation, and attract visitors through eco-tourism.

• Provides Tribal access to and stewardship of culturally essential crops—such as saltgrass, deer grass, and tule—with their input.

Limitations

• It can be expensive and time-consuming to assess and purchase property.

Person of Contact

• Abby Hart (Project Director, The Nature Conservancy)
  • Email: abigail.hart@tnc.org
• Emily Boettger (Land Protection Outreach Specialist, Sequoia Riverlands Trust)
  • Email: emily@sequoiariverlands.org

Multi-benefit Recharge Basin

Groundwater recharge is a practice that involves applying excess surface water flows to the land under suitable conditions, thereby replenishing underground aquifers more quickly than they would occur naturally, particularly in areas of high need. Converting active farmland to recharge basins can increase groundwater, reduce demand (by fallowing that land), and reduce unintended flooding. Multi-benefit recharge adds wildlife habitat features to recharge basins and can also provide public access trails for recreational purposes.

Potential Benefits

• Recharging near community wells (within a few miles) can raise groundwater levels and help protect access to drinking water. However, depending on local conditions, recharge may either improve or degrade drinking water quality.

• Raising groundwater levels through recharge can provide a more consistent and reliable water source for residential, agricultural, and habitat needs.

• In areas where fields border creeks or rivers, creating temporary floodplains can support habitat for wildlife.

Limitations

• “Excess” or flood water is scarce most years, and the amount needed for recharge far exceeds actual supply.

• Capturing floodwater for recharge requires a special permit, which is often difficult to obtain in time.

• Effective recharge depends on suitable soil and hydrogeologic conditions, which must be verified by engineers.

Person of Contact

• Allison Tristao (Resources Coordinator, Pixley ID GSA/Lower Tule River ID)
  • Email: atristao@ltrid.org
  • Phone number: (559) 467-9964
• Maxwell Dugan (Principal Engineer, Geosyntec/Tri-County GSA)
  • Email: MDugan@geosyntec.com 

Open Space

Open space can act as a buffer around a community to help protect it by reducing the drawdown of the water table near community wells, reducing contamination of the aquifer near wells, and by limiting pesticide drift or dust from nearby agricultural fields. Open spaces may also provide habitat for animals, recreational opportunities (e.g., parks, walking paths), and even land for growing food (e.g., community garden), all of which can improve quality of life.

Potential Benefits

• Open space buffers around communities can help protect schools and households by reducing drawdown of the water table near community wells.

• Can reduce air pollution from pesticides, soil erosion, and dust compared to bare fallow land or irrigated farmland.

• Provides quality-of-life benefits for communities that lack access to outdoor spaces.

Limitations

• Agricultural lands near communities may be unavailable for sale or too costly to fallow and convert into open space.

• The relatively small areas needed for buffers may save only limited amounts of water.

Person of Contact

• Abby Hart (Project Director, The Nature Conservancy)
  • Email: abigail.hart@tnc.org
• Emily Boettger (Land Protection Outreach Specialist, Sequoia Riverlands Trust)
  • Email: emily@sequoiariverlands.org

Solar Farms

Large-scale solar farms sell clean energy to utilities (“utility-scale solar”) and typically occupy as little as 75 acres to 1,000 acres of land.  Specialized solar development companies will develop the project, secure permits and utility approvals, and own and maintain the system, typically leasing land for 20 years or more. Smaller-scale “community solar” projects can be developed on agricultural lands where a third party owns the system and sells energy locally to the community (instead of the utility).

Potential Benefits

• Utility solar generates long-term lease payments (20-25 years) and manages the project. In some cases, low-cost, clean energy can be provided to the local community.
• Local labor, once trained, can be hired to build and maintain these systems.
• Habitat can be added for pollinators, native plants, and other species in and around the perimeter of a solar project.
• Tax revenues accrue from development and ongoing leases to the local government.

Limitations

• Projects can take many years to develop and receive approval.

• May conflict with the Williamson Act if the County does not classify solar as an agricultural use.

• Growers and landowners typically benefit only through leasing land, not from selling or using the generated energy.

• Solar systems are large and industrial in appearance, and provide limited local benefits unless designed and managed as “multi-benefit” projects.

Person of Contact

• Maxwell Dugan (Principal Engineer, Geosyntec/Tri-County GSA)
  • Email: MDugan@geosyntec.com 

Livestock Grazing

Grazing land refers to the specific areas where livestock, such as cattle, goats, or sheep, are allowed to feed on grass and other forage.

Person of Contact

• Allison Tristao (Resources Coordinator, Pixley ID GSA/Lower Tule River ID)
  • Email: atristao@ltrid.org
  • Phone number: (559) 467-9964

 Dryland & Low-water Farming

Dryland farming, or dry farming, means that irrigation isn’t used. Agriculture relies on soil moisture, groundwater, and occasional rainfall. Switching to lower water intensity crops can reduce consumption by up to 93%, but this requires adopting uncommon crop types.

Person of Contact

• Nick Reed-Krase (Executive Director, Tule Basin Land & Water Conservation Trust)
  • Email: nick@tuletrust.org