This law states that the Wildlife Conservation Board is in charge of overseeing the state's efforts to protect rangeland, grazing land, and grassland.

The California Rangeland, Grazing Land, and Grassland Protection Program aims to safeguard these lands through conservation easements. It seeks to stop their transformation into non-farming uses, sustain livestock grazing, and maintain environmental benefits like wildlife habitats, water quality, and open spaces.

This law section defines several key terms used in the context of wildlife conservation. It establishes that the "Board" refers to the Wildlife Conservation Board. "Conservation easement" is defined as a permanent arrangement to protect land integrity, as per the Civil Code. "Local public agency" includes various local government entities and authorities associated with resource conservation. "Nonprofit organization" denotes tax-exempt nonprofits focused on conserving land and water. "Property" refers to real estate interests, including lands and conservation easements. "Qualified property" covers certain types of land like rangeland that support wildlife habitats or are suitable for grazing. Finally, "State agency" refers to any government entity within the Resources Agency.

This law allows the board to spend money to buy conservation easements for qualified properties. Conservation easements are agreements that restrict the use of land to protect its conservation values. The board can also grant funds to state and local public agencies or nonprofits to help them acquire these easements.

This law states that funds allocated under this division can only be used to buy conservation easements. These easements are for protecting rangeland, grazing lands, and grasslands, in line with the objectives of certain sections. If buying additional property interests, restrictions, or access rights is needed beyond the easement, the money for these must come from other sources.

If a project in California is funded by the money from selling bonds, it must meet specific requirements set out in another law (Government Code Section 16727). Additionally, no more than 5% of this bond money can be used for costs related to running the program itself.

This law section allows the board to create guidelines for a program, which includes setting up how and when grant applications need to be submitted. It also mandates that conservation easements are checked at least every two years. Additionally, the usual rules for adopting guidelines do not apply here.

A conservation easement can be acquired under this law if it helps protect, restore, or enhance specific land types such as rangeland, grazing land, or grassland, while maintaining the property's character. When considering such a land acquisition, several factors must be evaluated, including the land's productivity, economic viability, development threat, scenic or historic values, water resource presence, ecological vegetation, soil quality, proximity to urban areas, and relationship to other conserved properties.

The statute aims to ensure that land chosen for conservation has significant environmental, scenic, or historic value, and is strategically located to maximize its preservation benefits.

This law outlines what must be included in a grant application to purchase a conservation easement on land in California. First, the application must describe the land, its current use, and habitat types, explaining how conserving it helps preserve specific types of land like rangeland. Next, an impartial real estate appraiser's valuation is needed. Also, the seller must confirm they are not fulfilling a legal requirement imposed by public agencies that deal with land use or environmental impacts. Finally, any known environmental issues with the property must be disclosed.

This law allows the board to ask for additional information if they need it to properly assess a proposed acquisition.

This law allows the board or someone getting a grant to accept money from a potential seller to cover or pay back the expenses related to buying property. This includes costs for appraisal, escrow, title transfers, and also any environmental assessments connected to the transaction.

The board can ask any state agency that applies for a grant to provide staff services.

This law states that any conservation easement, money, or asset obtained under this specific division should not be considered a type of transfer that needs to comply with certain regulations under the Fish and Game Code.

This law states that it does not grant more power to public agencies to take private property through eminent domain.

It also ensures that existing rights to land or water held by easement holders are not reduced when creating a new conservation easement.

Additionally, if there's an existing mineral rights holder, they must be notified if there's an intention to purchase a conservation easement, and this notice can be given in any legally allowed way.

This law allows the board to work together with the Oak Woodlands Conservation Act, which is part of the Fish and Game Code, to coordinate conservation efforts. This means they can align and integrate the programs to protect oak woodlands more effectively.