Site Description: The Wilson Creek Mitigation Bank consists of 958 acres in the unincorporated area of Aguanga, Riverside County, California.  This is in addition to the 1140 acres we manage a short distance to the north in the Wilson Valley Preserve.  The site has moderate topography, with gently rolling hills covered in native habitats, and a broad flood plain around Wilson Creek.  Adjacent lands include the steep slopes of Billy Goat Mountain, and 480 acres of federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.  The Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan cals for the conservation of up to 40,000 acres of wildlife habitat surrounding the Wilson Creek Mitigation Bank.

Conservation Purpose: The Wilson Creek Mitigation Bank was created to hold mitigation credits to be used to compensate for the incidental take of habitat of the federally listed threatened California gnatcatcher and endangered Quino checkerspot.  Biological studies continue in and around the preserve to locate other threatened and endangered species.  Other listed species using this site include Stephens' kangaroo rat and San Bernardino kangaroo rat.  The arroyo toad may also inhabit the area.

Habitat Types:  The Wilson Creek Mitigtation Bank supports an exceptionally diverse community.  This diversity stems from the position of the preserve in a transition zone between coast, mountains and desert.  An unusual variant of Riversidian sage scrub that contains desert species such as jojoba, Mojave yucca, and hedgehog cactus, as well as more typical sage scrub species, predominates.  Patches of chamise chaparral and redshank chaparral grow along the ridges, and cottonwood woodlands and southwestern willow scrub are found along Wilson Creek.

Management:  The primary management goal on the Wilson Creek Mitigation Bank is to support viable populations of the California gnatcatcher and Quino checkerspot.  Since Riversidian sage scrub is the preferred habitat of these species, a healthy sage scrub community must be maintained.  The preserve already supports a healthy sage scrub community and is surrounded by extensive areas of sage scrub, therefore much of our work involves monitoring the abundance of the native species and studying the unique ecology of this diverse habitat.

Manager: The Wilson Creek Mitigation Bank is managed by Kim Klementowski.

For information and inquiries please contact:

Kim Klementowski
Preserve Manager
Phone: (951) 226-7228
e-mail: kklementowski@cnlm.org