Dutchman Creek Ranch

Westervelt Ecological Services along with California Rangeland Trust placed a conservation easement through a mitigation conservation bank on 501 acres of the Dutchman Creek project located in Merced County in May 2014. As an organization, the Westervelt Company currently manages over one million acres of land nationwide through the sustainable forestry initiative, wildlife management programs, and mitigation banking. The objective of the conservation bank is to preserve the existing on-site vernal pool and grassland ecosystem and protect movement corridors to facilitate the dispersal of state and federally listed species in accordance with species recovery goals.  As much of the surrounding landscape is currently in high intensity irrigated agriculture. Dutchman Creek Conservation Bank will facilitate the protection of the vernal pool fairy shrimp, vernal pool tadpole shrimp, conservancy fairy shrimp, California tiger salamander, San Joaquin kit fox, and their habitats in perpetuity.