P. Lynn Scarlett, Deputy Interior Secretary, and Brad Lange, at the Lange Twins farm.

A wine-grape grower recently became the first landowner enrolled in California's first regional Safe Harbor Agreement, a voluntary partnership intended to enhance habitat for endangered and other species along more than 20 miles of the lower Mokelumne River in San Joaquin County.

Valley elderberry longhorn beetle

Brad Lange, co-owner of Lange Twins Farms, signed on as a cooperator in the Lower Mokelumne River Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement. The agreement provides incentives to private landowners to restore the dense riparian forests of the Mokelumne River, which is habitat for the valley elderberry longhorn beetle, a threatened species, and a host of other native species including migratory birds, raptors, and several mammals. At the same time, it provides regulatory assurances to enrolled landowners that they may continue normal farming activities.

Find more information on the Lower Mokelumne River Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement