Focus on Central Valley foothills

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants Northern Californians’ opinions on its proposed California Foothills Legacy Area Project, a project that would protect rangelands in California’s Central Valley through conservation easements, according to a press release.

The proposed project would establish a voluntary easement program in four areas in the foothills, a region that is home to landscapes ranging from grasslands and woodlands to riparian areas and wetlands, and has the highest diversity and density of wintering raptors in North America. Most of the land is privately owned.

The USFWS has held a series of public meetings this month in different cities to get input from locals, public agencies and other organizations about what environmental concerns should be addressed while planning the project. A public meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, at the Red Bluff Community and Senior Center (1500 S. Jackson St. in Red Bluff). To send a comment, visit www.fws.gov/cno/refuges/planning/cfla.cfm.