Senate committee advances bill to create Grasslands Ecological Area Conservancy

Sen. Caballero introduced SB 1108, which would establish the Grasslands Ecological Area Conservancy within the California Natural Resources Agency to protect and restore wetlands, grasslands and nearby wildlife corridors in Merced County and the San Joaquin Valley. The author said the area is among the largest remaining wetland-grassland complexes west of the Mississippi and that the conservancy would coordinate land, water and conservation management and pursue voluntary conservation easements rather than eminent domain.

Rick Ortega, general manager of the Grasslands Water District and sponsor of the measure, told the committee the proposed conservancy spans multiple groundwater sustainability agencies, irrigation districts and refuge units and that no single entity has authority to implement the broad strategy needed for wildlife connectivity and working-land transitions. "A conservancy will help accomplish the land use transition in an ecologically beneficial way while providing economic incentives," Ortega said.

Mike Lines, policy director for Audubon California, urged support, citing dramatic declines in bird populations and the central role the Grasslands Ecological Area plays for Pacific Flyway species. "Creating the Grasslands Ecological Area Conservancy is an idea long past due," he told the committee and asked for an "aye" vote.

Sen. Laird placed the measure in historical context, noting similar conservancy frameworks (Sierra and Delta conservancies) and said he would move the bill when quorum was established. The author reiterated that the conservancy would be incentive-based and exclude eminent domain authority, and described local benefits including wildlife education and tourism.

The committee recorded its roll call later in the hearing and moved SB 1108 out of the committee to appropriations; the final recorded vote on the floor roll call was 7–0. The measure was left on call while the committee completed remaining items.

SB 1108: next procedural step is the appropriations committee; no committee opposition was recorded during testimony.