Wildlands established the Aitken Ranch Mitigation Preserve as a project-specific mitigation solution for Caltrans and its Highway 65 Lincoln Bypass project located in western Placer County, California. Working in partnership with Caltrans environmental staff, Wildlands identified and satisfied the off-site mitigation requirements for the 13-mile highway bypass around the City of Lincoln.

Wildlands identified and purchased a former turkey ranch and established the 309-acre preserve. A wide variety of habitat types were preserved including vernal pools and swales, mixed riparian forest, emergent marsh, open water, intermittent drainage, perennial stream, annual grassland, and seasonal wetlands. In addition to the preserved habitat onsite, Wildlands created and enhanced vernal pools and swales, mixed riparian forest, valley oak woodland, and marsh wetlands.

Wildlands strategically coordinated the purchase of the property in advance of Caltrans mitigation needs at a cost which took advantage of current real estate market conditions and a willing seller. Wildlands passed the savings on to Caltrans through the finished fixed cost per acre. Further, Wildlands efficiently navigated the local permitting process which allowed for on time delivery of the mitigation solution avoiding project delays or additional mitigation due to extended temporal loss.

Wildlands secured letters of conditional approval from the pertinent regulatory agencies (i.e., USACE and USFWS) prior to contract approval by Caltrans. Construction began on the Bypass in 2008 – six years after the mitigation values were established and purchased. Securing the majority of the required off-site mitigation in advance resulted in a savings of over $15-million for Caltrans when compared to 2007 mitigation credit prices.