The Palo Prieto
Conservation Bank (PPCB) is located in northeast San Luis Obispo County and
western Kern County in the Temblor Range surrounding the area known as Palo Prieto
Pass. The PPCB area occupies open expanses of California annual
grassland along both sides of Bitterwater Road, and near Palo Prieto Road, and
Davis Road, in the Palo Prieto Pass, Choice Valley, and Bitterwater Valley area
of the San Andreas Rift Zone. Portions of the PPCB lands are on the flat
valley bottom and flat terraces, while the majority of the properties are on
rolling hills. The region is undeveloped with widely scattered
residential and farming compounds.
The PPCB is
located at an important crossroads for San Joaquin kit fox movement between the
Carrizo Plain population, the Ciervo-Panoche population, and the Salinas River
Valley. Kit foxes are observed as residents and moving through the
area.
The
PPCB properties contain a natural lake, or sag pond, listed on USGS topographic
maps as Grant Lake. Other nearby sag ponds, not on the PPCB, include Twisselman
Lake and O’Brien Lake. Numerous small vernal and seasonal ponds and pools
occur on the PPCB. Land features reflect the influence of the San Andreas
Rift Zone. Wetland areas within the PPCB support rare amphibians,
crustaceans, and flora. The sag ponds have historically been some of the
premium California tiger salamander habitat in California, supporting thousands
of animals in good breeding years. Farming has taken a toll on these
tiger salamander populations, and the PPCB will protect its tiger salamander
habitat. Preservation of tiger salamander habitat also protects other
common and rare amphibians such as the Western spadefoot toad and California
toad.
California
Tiger Salamander
California
red-legged frog & Western spadefoot toad
coast horned
lizard
Northern
Pacific Rattlesnake (only venomous snake in the Bay Area)