The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) will restore up to five livestock ponds with $400,000 in new state funding aimed at keeping wildfire-reducing grazing operations running across the East Bay hills.
The grant, part of a state budget package passed Sept. 1, fills a gap left by the elimination of a federal Livestock Pond Program, the Park District said in a Sept. 8 statement. Local News Matters reported on the grant Tuesday, Sept. 29.
The district uses targeted grazing across more than 87,000 acres to reduce vegetation that fuels wildfires. Cattle and other livestock need functioning ponds to stay hydrated in remote parklands. Each pond restoration costs about $75,000, according to the district.
The new state money also comes as wildfire prevention funding flows to Lamorinda. A separate $2 million state grant announced Sept. 15 goes to the City of Orinda for fuel breaks and wildland-urban interface mitigation, according to a press release from Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. That award is part of a $5 million Assembly District 16 wildfire prevention package.
General Manager Max Korten said the pond funding will support prescribed grazing vital to vegetation management, wildfire prevention and the safety of East Bay communities. Assemblywoman Lori D. Wilson of Assembly District 11 and Sen. Jerry McNerney of Senate District 5 each submitted budget requests on the Park District's behalf. Wilson called the investment proactive, saying it avoids larger costs the region would face if grazing on East Bay rangelands stopped.
Board President Olivia Sanwong said she recently joined the district's stewardship team at Sunol Regional Wilderness for a pond survey and "was amazed by how much wildlife these restored ponds support, including protected species like the California red-legged frog."
The district has not identified which of its more than 600 ponds will be restored or provided individual project dates. It said the $400,000 will support restoration work over a 12-month period.
