Description: This is the solar project footprint data from the Western San Joaquin Valley Least Conflict Solar Energy Assessment conducted by The Nature Conservancy California chapter in 2013.
We obtained solar project footprints, when possible, for the study area from agency, environmental NGO, and/or solar project developer staff. When footprints were not available, we used data from the Renewable Energy Action Team (REAT; downloaded December 2012). REAT data was clipped to the boundary of the study area. For all REAT data, we created a scaled project footprint based on proposed acreage values, which are represented by circles on maps throughout this assessment. In places where we had both the proposed project footprint and the REAT data, we used the project footprint data.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feature class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
Copyright Text: The Nature Conservancy 2013; REAT 2012
Description: CPAD is suitable for a wide range of planning, assessment, analysis and display purposes. CPAD should not be used as the basis for regulatory, legal or other specific governmental actions.
CPAD data from this analysis was associated with The Nature Conservancy of California's 2013 Western San Joaquin Valley Least Conflict Solar Energy Assessment and was used to represent areas that had a legal or administrative designation that prevents development. There were 534,499 acres of excluded areas within the study area. These areas of exclusion were used as an overlay on the least conflict assessment and solar development compatibility maps. Excluded areas included land with the following designations: National Park Service; Wilderness Areas; Wilderness Study Areas; BLM National Conservation Areas; National Recreation Areas; National Monuments; private preserves and reserves; Inventoried roadless areas on United States Forest Service (USFS) lands; National Historic and Scenic Trails; National Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers; conservation mitigation banks under conservation easements approved by DFW, FWS, Army Corps of Engineers, and California State Parks; DFW Wildlife Areas and Ecological Reserves; State Wildlife Management Areas; and Department of Defense (DOD). Not all of these designations are found within the study area.
The California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) contains data on lands owned in fee by governments or non-profits that are protected for open space purposes. Data includes all such areas in California, from small urban parks to large national parks and forests, mostly aligned to assessor parcel boundaries. Data is collected by Holdings (parcels) which are aggregated to Units (commonly named areas), and related to an Agencies table.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate the CPAD exclusion data is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the WSJV. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
All users must review the CPAD License Agreement before using the dataset. In general, the License Agreement allows any use except the redistribution of CPAD as part of commercial use - read the License Agreement for details. Free use of CPAD by governmental agencies, planning consultants, non-profits and other such groups is fully allowed and encouraged. Organizations seeking to use CPAD for a commercial venture must contact GreenInfo Network to discuss such uses.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Copyright Text: California Protected Areas Database (CPAD - www.calands.org) - copyright (c)2012 GreenInfo Network; The Nature Conservancy 2013
Description: The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of SJV threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated high biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) wetlands, 2) moderate to high suitable kit fox habitat (developed using a 2012 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2012), 3) high permeability kit fox areas (developed using a 2008 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2008), 4) United States Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox core recovery areas, 5) mitigation lands set aside as part of the development of the Carrizo Plain solar projects, and 6) lands within the Grasslands Ecological Area or within 1 km of the San Joaquin River to represent waterbird conservation and restoration priorities. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single high biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Any use of kit fox habitat suitability and permeability data from the Endangered Species Recovery Pogram should be ackowledged (ESRP 2012 and ESRP 2008, respectively).
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of SJV threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated high biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) wetlands, 2) moderate to high suitable kit fox habitat (developed using a 2012 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2012), 3) high permeability kit fox areas (developed using a 2008 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2008), 4) United States Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox core recovery areas, 5) mitigation lands set aside as part of the development of the Carrizo Plain solar projects, and 6) lands within the Grasslands Ecological Area or within 1 km of the San Joaquin River to represent waterbird conservation and restoration priorities. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single high biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Any use of kit fox habitat suitability and permeability data from the Endangered Species Recovery Pogram should be ackowledged (ESRP 2012 and ESRP 2008, respectively).
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of SJV threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated high biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) wetlands, 2) moderate to high suitable kit fox habitat (developed using a 2012 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2012), 3) high permeability kit fox areas (developed using a 2008 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2008), 4) United States Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox core recovery areas, 5) mitigation lands set aside as part of the development of the Carrizo Plain solar projects, and 6) lands within the Grasslands Ecological Area or within 1 km of the San Joaquin River to represent waterbird conservation and restoration priorities. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single high biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Any use of kit fox habitat suitability and permeability data from the Endangered Species Recovery Pogram should be ackowledged (ESRP 2012 and ESRP 2008, respectively).
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of SJV threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated high biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) wetlands, 2) moderate to high suitable kit fox habitat (developed using a 2012 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2012), 3) high permeability kit fox areas (developed using a 2008 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2008), 4) United States Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox core recovery areas, 5) mitigation lands set aside as part of the development of the Carrizo Plain solar projects, and 6) lands within the Grasslands Ecological Area or within 1 km of the San Joaquin River to represent waterbird conservation and restoration priorities. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single high biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Any use of kit fox habitat suitability and permeability data from the Endangered Species Recovery Pogram should be ackowledged (ESRP 2012 and ESRP 2008, respectively).
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of SJV threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated high biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) wetlands, 2) moderate to high suitable kit fox habitat (developed using a 2012 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2012), 3) high permeability kit fox areas (developed using a 2008 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2008), 4) United States Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox core recovery areas, 5) mitigation lands set aside as part of the development of the Carrizo Plain solar projects, and 6) lands within the Grasslands Ecological Area or within 1 km of the San Joaquin River to represent waterbird conservation and restoration priorities. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single high biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Any use of kit fox habitat suitability and permeability data from the Endangered Species Recovery Pogram should be ackowledged (ESRP 2012 and ESRP 2008, respectively).
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of SJV threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated high biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) wetlands, 2) moderate to high suitable kit fox habitat (developed using a 2012 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2012), 3) high permeability kit fox areas (developed using a 2008 dataset from the Endangered Species Recovery Program; Cypher and Phillips 2008), 4) United States Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox core recovery areas, 5) mitigation lands set aside as part of the development of the Carrizo Plain solar projects, and 6) lands within the Grasslands Ecological Area or within 1 km of the San Joaquin River to represent waterbird conservation and restoration priorities. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single high biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Any use of kit fox habitat suitability and permeability data from the Endangered Species Recovery Pogram should be ackowledged (ESRP 2012 and ESRP 2008, respectively).
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of San Joaquin Valley threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated moderate biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) United State Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox satellite and linkage recovery areas, 2) Audubon Important Bird Areas, 3) The Nature Conservancy’s portfolio conservation areas, 4) serpentine soils, 5) California Rangeland Conservation Coalition “essential” areas for rangeland conservation, and 6) compatible agricultural crops for shorebirds and waterfowl within three kilometers of designated valley floor protected areas or easements. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single moderate biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of San Joaquin Valley threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated moderate biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) United State Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox satellite and linkage recovery areas, 2) Audubon Important Bird Areas, 3) The Nature Conservancy’s portfolio conservation areas, 4) serpentine soils, 5) California Rangeland Conservation Coalition “essential” areas for rangeland conservation, and 6) compatible agricultural crops for shorebirds and waterfowl within three kilometers of designated valley floor protected areas or easements. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single moderate biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of San Joaquin Valley threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated moderate biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) United State Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox satellite and linkage recovery areas, 2) Audubon Important Bird Areas, 3) The Nature Conservancy’s portfolio conservation areas, 4) serpentine soils, 5) California Rangeland Conservation Coalition “essential” areas for rangeland conservation, and 6) compatible agricultural crops for shorebirds and waterfowl within three kilometers of designated valley floor protected areas or easements. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single moderate biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of San Joaquin Valley threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated moderate biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) United State Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox satellite and linkage recovery areas, 2) Audubon Important Bird Areas, 3) The Nature Conservancy’s portfolio conservation areas, 4) serpentine soils, 5) California Rangeland Conservation Coalition “essential” areas for rangeland conservation, and 6) compatible agricultural crops for shorebirds and waterfowl within three kilometers of designated valley floor protected areas or easements. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single moderate biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of San Joaquin Valley threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated moderate biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) United State Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox satellite and linkage recovery areas, 2) Audubon Important Bird Areas, 3) The Nature Conservancy’s portfolio conservation areas, 4) serpentine soils, 5) California Rangeland Conservation Coalition “essential” areas for rangeland conservation, and 6) compatible agricultural crops for shorebirds and waterfowl within three kilometers of designated valley floor protected areas or easements. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single moderate biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.
Description: We ranked the biodiversity conservation values of the study area into high, moderate, and low classes. Class designation was based on the objectives of the assessment, data availability for the study area, and data quality. We used San Joaquin kit fox as an umbrella or representative species for a suite of San Joaquin Valley threatened, endangered, and sensitive species including giant kangaroo rat and blunt-nosed leopard lizard. Expert review confirmed that by using kit fox habitat suitability, permeability, and recovery data we would capture most of the species of interest in the study area.
We designated moderate biodiversity conservation value areas based on the presence of 1) United State Fish & Wildlife Service kit fox satellite and linkage recovery areas, 2) Audubon Important Bird Areas, 3) The Nature Conservancy’s portfolio conservation areas, 4) serpentine soils, 5) California Rangeland Conservation Coalition “essential” areas for rangeland conservation, and 6) compatible agricultural crops for shorebirds and waterfowl within three kilometers of designated valley floor protected areas or easements. We dissolved each of the following datasets together to create a single moderate biodiversity conservation value layer.
The report that describes the methods, assumptions and processing of data to generate this feacture class is: Butterfield, H.S., D. Cameron, E. Brand, M. Webb, E. Forsburg, M. Kramer, E. O’Donoghue, and L. Crane. 2013. Western San Joaquin Valley least conflict solar assessment. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, San Francisco, California. 26 pages.
The objective of this assessment is to characterize the land use and conservation constraints and opportunities associated with siting solar energy facilities in the Western San Joaquin Valley. This approach identifies areas with high conservation value that are important to avoid when planning energy infrastructure, as well as areas of lower environmental conflict potentially suitable for development. While the approach we take focuses on refining the conservation values in the study area, we also classify the region’s agricultural resources using simple, broadly applicable classes to begin to assess trade-offs or synergies between agricultural production, habitat conservation and energy development. In our assessment of biodiversity conservation values, we focus on core and high quality habitat for multiple listed species, including kit fox, and emphasize the preservation of connectivity for kit fox and other wide-ranging species.
This analysis is meant to be a first initial screen on values to consider when planning facilities, it is not meant to determine permitting or regulatory processes.