Butte Creek
Project: Butte Creek Conservation Easement
PArtners: Pacific Forest Trust; California Wildlife Conservation Board
Commencing in 2015, the Hart Ranch made the Butte Creek Property subject to and protected under a conservation easement that integrates sustainable timber management and meadow habitat restoration with the Hart Ranch's overall mission of building a sustainable, holistic property stewardship program.
For more information on this venture, please refer to the link listed below:
“Historic Ranch Conserved to Protect Water Sources and a Family’s Heritage”
Project: Hart Ranch butte creek Consistency Determination
Partner: California Department of Fish & Wildlife
This agreement complements the Butte Creek SHA and allows for further management options best suited for the habitat. For more information on Consistency Determinations, please see the link below:
Project: Butte Creek Safe Harbor Agreement
Partner: United States Fish & Wildlife Services
Signed in June 2019 after a mandatory posting on the Federal Registrar for a public comment period , the Hart’s entered into a Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) for the Northern Spotted Owl and Gray Wolf. This agreement will bind the signees for a term of 50-years, with the option for extension(s). For the full document, please reference the first link below, featuring the Federal Register posting.
Together with our partners at the USFWS Pacific Southwest Region, we hope our story may serve as a roadmap and help bring about meaningful conservation efforts and preservation of the ranching heritage.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife - Pacific Southwest Region Article - Safe Harbor on the Hart
Little Shasta
project: Hart Ranch Little Shasta Safe Harbor AGreement
Partners: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration - National Marine Fisheries SErvice; California Department of Fish & Wildlife
Working with National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Hart’s entered into a SHA for the survival and recovery of the Southern Oregon / Northern California Coast coho salmon. The Hart Ranch is proud to be managing its farming and ranching activities under the agreement granted by NOAA in February 2018 and recognizes the importance of balancing those activities with wildlife health and habitat enhancement.
Project: Hart Ranch Little Shasta ranch management plan
Partners: Meridian environmental, inc.; the nature conservancy; California department of fish & wildlife; california north coast Regional water quality control board
This dynamic document is an in-depth layout of the following;
Management objectives
Environmental features (species cataloging, vegetation, habitats, water rights, etc.)
Current ranching operations
Proposed management operations
Impacts of current and proposed management
Avoidance and Minimization Measures
Implementation
Finalized in August 2016, this document is a pivotal part of the Ranch’s Little Shasta SHA and will continue to serve as the formal outline of the Ranch’s resource and species management strategy.
PROJECT: in-stream flow enhancement project
subcategory: fish passage barrier removal
partners: California trout, inc.; united states fish and wildlife service; california fish and wildlife service; davids engineering; wildlife conservation board
Completed Spring 2020, the Ranch’s original Little Shasta River (LSR) diversion structure was fully replaced with a state of the art, modern diversion that eliminated a significant barrier to the upper reaches of the LSR. Through ranch management efforts over multiple generations, a pristine rearing habitat has flourished in the LSR inside of the Hart Ranch boundaries. This project will further increased water use efficiency, Klamath Basin salmonid species recovery, and scientific inquiry through the use of the real-world laboratory it presents.
PROJECT: in-stream flow enhancement project
subcategory: wet meadow, soil and forage enhancement
partners: ducks unlimited; natural resource conservation service; united states fish and wildlife
Completed Fall 2020 and funded through a North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) grant, new fencing was built throughout the Ranch’s western region, simultaneously enhancing the rotational grazing and soil health management strategy and wetland habitats for Pacific Flyway species.
Additional projects are being onboarded under this subcategory, including groundwater saturation and soil biome improvement. As projects progress, more information will be made available!
Project: siskiyou deer & puma project
Partners: university of california santa cruz
This is a current, ongoing project that spans beyond the borders of the Hart Ranch; however, both the Valley Floor and Butte Creek properties have been a part of the study. The project aims to identify the limiting factors of mule and black-tailed deer in the X1 hunting zone of Northern California, with primary objectives including;
Improving recreational management strategies
Establishing deer population requirements to support overall ecosystem health, including large mammalian predators
Provide essential information for the successful public and private resource management strategies.
project: Little Shasta River Water Efficiency Study
Partners: David’s engineering, california department of fish & wildlife, north coast regional water quality control board, wildlife conservation board
Completed in 2016, this three-year study, funded in part by CDFW grants with NCWQCB and WCB, provided an in-depth analysis of on-ranch water efficiencies and was the foundation for scientifically informed work by The Nature Conservancy, CalTrout, UC Davis, and others.
Project: Hart Ranch Little Shasta Consistency Determination
Partner: California Department of Fish & Wildlife
This agreement complements the Little Shasta SHA and allows for further management options best suited for the habitat. For more information on Consistency Determinations, please see the link below:
Project: Hart Ranch Little Shasta in-stream flow enhancement project
Partners: california trout, INC.; the nature conservancy; united states fish & wildlife services; cA DEPARTMENT of Fish & Wildlife; noaa fisheries; ca wildlife conservation board; UC davis center for watershed sciences; natural resource conservation services; ducks unlimited; davids engineering, inc.
This is a current project we are on-boarding, with multiple prongs. Primary objectives include the following;
In-stream water dedication
Fish passage barrier removal
Riparian habitat enhancement
Agricultural water conveyance efficiency improvements
Wet meadow, soil and forage enhancement
As this project progresses, more information will be made available.
PROJECT: in-stream flow enhancement project
subcategory: in-stream water dedication
More coming soon!
PROJECT: in-stream flow enhancement project
subcategory: riparian habitat enhancement
More coming soon!
PROJECT: in-stream flow enhancement project
Subcategory: agricultural water conveyance efficiency improvements
partners: california trout, inc.; natural resource conservation service; davids engineering, inc.; wildlife conservation board
Completed and onboarded Spring 2018, this project included conversion of the ranch’s eastern irrigation infrastructure from historical earthen ditches to a pipeline system. While transport of the water has significantly improved overall water-use efficiency, irrigation runs are now shorter and faster, increasing field forage production and quality.
Project: Hart Ranch “e-Bird” Profile
Partners: Ornithologists & Birding enthusiasts
The Hart Ranch is proud to have its own Cedar Lake featured on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird database which is an ongoing, “citizen science” project whereby birding enthusiasts may submit and have their sightings verified by eBird’s team of ornithologists and industry experts. A local group of birder’s known as the “Cedar Lake Team” frequent the ranch numerous times throughout each month and are the driving force behind the ever expanding Hart Ranch bird survey. Follow the link listed below to view Cedar Lake’s e-Bird page.