CARCD WCB Climate and Wildlife Project- Habitat Restoration, El Paso Mountains
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Project Overview
Basics
CARCD WCB Climate and Wildlife Project- Habitat Restoration, El Paso Mountains
Planning/Design
In this project EKCRCD partners with BLM to restore habitat in the El Paso Mountains (northern Mojave Desert) for the benefit of the threatened Desert Tortoise (DT) and other wildlife. Using vertical mulching, a technique for dry-land restoration, habitat will be restored near wildlife guzzlers with the expectation that visiting wildlife will disperse the seed of the new growth. Soil containing native seeds will be collected from nearby plants at the time of vertical mulching and planted on the north sides of the scaffold creosote branches.
2023
2026
2027
4/20/2026
Project Attributes
Census Tract Income
True
Direct Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities (DACs)
There are no direct benefits to DACs since the project is on BLM public land, which has no permanent population.
EnviroScreen
The project area is located in census tract 6029006500, which scores in the 77th percentile or top 25% on Cal. EnviroScreen 4.0.
Free and Reduced Lunch
True
Indirect Benefits to Disadvantaged Communities (DACs)
The indirect benefits would include employing workers in the area who would be spending money in the disadvantaged communities surrounding the project area. The contractor selected to do the vertical mulching is the Cesar Chavez Environmental Corps, a 501c3 whose mission is "To provide underserved youth throughout California various workforce development opportunities, as well as integrate classroom skills into adulthood, provide access to a career pipeline, and further their education and training." It should be noted that most of the surrounding communities, including Randsburg, are in census tract 65 (DAC and LIC on the CARB Map of Cal. Climate Investments Priority Population 2022 CES 4.0), while California City is in tract 55 (LIC on the CARB Map of Cal. Climate Investments Priority Population 2022 CES 4.0).
Tribal Engagement (True/False)
False
Tribal Engagement
None
Location
This Project's Simple and Detailed location is considered private and is hidden from most users.
Organizations
| Funder | |
| Lead Implementer | |
| Partners | |
| Primary RCD | |
| Stakeholders |
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| State Assembly Voting District | |
| State Senate Voting District |
Contacts
Performance Measures
Expected Performance Measures
| Plants Installed | Not Provided | |
| Plants Installed | Not Provided | |
| Special Status Mammal Species Habitat | Action Performed: Enhanced Focal Species: Mohave ground squirrel Listing Status: Federally Threatened/State Threatened | 1 acres |
| Special Status Reptile Species Habitat | Action Performed: Enhanced Focal Species: desert tortoise | 1 acres |
Reported Performance Measures
Reported Performance Measures are not relevant for Projects in the Planning/Design stage.
Financials
Budget
| Comment: | BLM is the in-kind budget source; they will be doing NEPA permitting and review of archeological and biological surveys that will be charged to the grant. |
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Reported Expenditures
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARCD Climate Habitat Block Grant (WCB) | $0.00 | $560.86 | $1,077.44 | $0.00 | $1,638.30 |
| Grand Total | $0.00 | $560.86 | $1,077.44 | $0.00 | $1,638.30 |
| Note: | Implementation has not started, so EKCRCD expenditure data reflects EKCRCD admin charges, uploading "before" photos to a Dropbox, and planning meetings with BLM staff. In 2024 BLM also provided in-kind matching funds amounting to $2358.20 for a planning meeting, site access research, verifying access in the field, initial photographs, and NEPA project initiation. In 2025 so far BLM has matched $1,893.57 for planning meeting, guzzler site surveys with Quail Forever, mileage, NEPA pre-work & planning for next site visit. |
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Project Themes
Project Themes
This project partners with BLM to restore habitat in the El Paso Mountains. Our main goal is to boost population numbers of the Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), which is listed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service as threatened. It's numbers have been rapidly dwindling principally due to human development and disturbance but also by drought and fire, which have been exacerbated by climate change. Plants used for restoration will be grown from local seed collected by the BLM.
Project Details
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Photos
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