Transition Habitat Conservancy
I have a few concerns on this project. 1. My understanding under a restoration grant, an applicant cannot subsidize for law enforcement funds. 2. I believe the volunteer rate appears to be high based on the national volunteer hour rate. 3. My understanding about the grants, I believe that the duties of the land manager should be classified as an indirect expense. Katherine Millard - 3/27/17
It is time to look at alternatives to these large sums of money spent on "Restoration". If a significant part of the public wants access to a portion of the public land then we should re-evaluate the need for closing it. The Travel Management Plan should be periodically updated and some routes should be re-opened or modified. Alternatives such as mitigation, re-routing, moving the close point, making a loop etc. need to be considered instead of continuous restoration. Mike Johnston - 3/29/17
My name is Brendan Hughes and I am the Lands Manager with the Mojave Desert Land Trust. Our organization fully supports Transition Habitat Conservancy's restoration grant to improve management and tortoise habitat in the West Mojave. THC has a proven track record of working with stakeholders on all sides to find solutions to more effectively manage the desert. We believe this restoration grant will allow them to continue that trend. Thank you for your consideration. Brendan Hughes - 3/30/17
Page 12 of the restoration application notes the McDonald Well riparian/spring site as an sensitive area. We agree – McDonald Well is an important source of water for wildlife in the Fremont-Kramer Area of Critical Environmental Concern. We request that THC add a management polygon around McDonald Well to restore and manage roadless habitat within this Limited Use area without closing or restricting OHV access on designated open routes. Erica Brand Energy Program Director The Nature Conservancy - 3/31/17