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CONTACT: Kelly Sorenson Executive Director Ventana Wildlife Society Office 831-455-9514  |
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Press Conference on Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monterey County Conservation and Agriculture Groups
Join Together to Urge the Governor to Reinstate Williamson Act Funding
Contacts:
Amy White
LandWatch Monterey County
831-277-4836
Kelly Sorenson
Ventana Wildlife Society
831-455-9514
Logistics for Press – Press conference will take place at the Monterey County Board of Supervisor’s Building at 168 West Alisal Street at 11:30 AM on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. In addition to LandWatch Monterey County and Ventana Wildlife Society several other groups are expected to make statements including: Agricultural Land Trust, Big Sur Land Trust, Farm Bureau, Cattleman’s Association, and private individuals.
Salinas, CA -
Agriculture groups, conservation, and land-use policy organizations in Monterey County are concerned about the fate of lands currently affected by the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, commonly known as the Williamson Act. LandWatch Monterey County, Ventana Wildlife Society, the Cattleman’s Association, and others are now urging the Governor to reinstate funding.
The Williamson Act enables local governments to enter into contracts with private landowners for the purpose of restricting specific parcels of land to agricultural or related open space use. In return, landowners receive property tax assessments which are much lower than normal because they are based upon farming and open space uses as opposed to full market value. There are presently 541 active Williamson Act contracts countywide, comprising 3,196 parcels at 754,997 total acres. Loss of tax revenue on these parcels, calculated at one percent of assessed valuation, is approximately $3.1 million. Annual payments received by the County from the State used to offset this loss of tax revenue averages approximately $1.0 million per year. Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the funding at the last minute during the most recent state budget approval.
Monterey County has challenging times ahead. The Board of Supervisors recently voted to maintain contracts with landowners, but for how long the County will be able to do so is unknown. “This is one of the most important land use issues in the state of California right now. The Williamson Act supports agriculture, especially cattle ranching, in Monterey County. The State and the County must find a way to sustain the funding,” said Amy White, of LandWatch Monterey County.
For Ventana Wildlife Society, who’s focused on the recovery the California Condor in the region, the loss of Williamson Act funding also is of concern because condors sometimes feed on livestock that don’t make it to market. “We are concerned about the welfare of our ranch landowners and how condors in the wild would be negatively affected if ranches were lost to development and other pressures”, said Kelly Sorenson, Executive Director for the Ventana Wildlife Society.
To view a map of Williamson Act lands in Monterey County go to:
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/planning/gpu/draftNov2007/figures/FigAWCP4_Wllmsn_Act_Lands.pdf
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LandWatch Monterey County is dedicated to preserving our community's economic vitality, high agricultural productivity, and the health of our environment by encouraging greater public participation in planning. LandWatch works to build better communities by promoting and inspiring sound land use legislation at the city, county, and regional levels, through grassroots and community action.
Ventana Wildlife Society is the only non-profit organization releasing and monitoring California condors in California and is a member of the California Condor Recovery Program, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ventana Wildlife Society began condor releases in Big Sur in 1997 and then initiated a second release site in 2003 at Pinnacles National Monument in collaboration with the National Parks Service. Currently, Ventana Wildlife Society and the National Parks Service monitor and manage a flock of 52 wild condors in Central California, roughly half the population for California.