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Project Overview

In 2019, the County of Mariposa applied for and was awarded the Working Lands and Riparian Corridors Grant to fund implementation of the TerraCount tool. The data generated by the TerraCount tool provides a baseline for County greenhouse gas (GHG) and carbon stock outputs. This tool has been a tangible and significant service to Mariposa County, Yosemite National Park, and the State of California. It has broadened the way the community thinks about conservation and climate planning, while opening the door to more science-based land management practices.

The quantification of the carbon stocks, especially on agricultural, forest, and working landscapes is needed for various planning projects such as the GHG strategy and to assist in fire resiliency planning. Examples of possible planning activities to reduce GHG may include: a) Quantification of carbon sequestration values associated with current policies for ag and working landscape lands in county, b) Quantification of GHG values associated with current land use policies that protect oak woodlands, c) Values of maintaining Riparian ecosystems, d) Values of improved forest management activities, and e) Quantification of fuels reduction activities.

The TerraCount project was completed in March 2023. The TerraCount tool serves the entire community by providing invaluable data on our natural assets, identifying the co-benefits of GHG reduction in our communities, and bolstering our knowledge of the lands we rely on.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the resolution to apply for the the Working Lands and Riparian Corridors Grant, also know as Prop 68, in September of 2019. Prop 68 was approved by California voters in June 2018. More information on Prop 68 can be found here.

Goals for Data Generated

TerraCount has significantly advanced the county's efforts to quantify available carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions and provide data to implement the following key tasks in the General Plan Strategic Implementation year 2, 3, and 4:

• Task 2.4: Environmental Conservation Program

• Task 3.1: Greenhouse Gas Reduction (GHG) Program

• Task 4.5 Agricultural Best Practices Program

Another goal for this tool is to assist other on­going programs, such as implementation of the IRWM (Integrated Regional Water Management) Plan, and the Mariposa County Fire Advisory Committee's Community Conservation and Wildfire Protection Plan (CCWPP) by enhancing available County GIS and core data.

Finally, TerraCount will assist the County in meeting the State’s effort for a Carbon Neutral California by 2045. Learn more about California's quest for carbon neutrality here.

Contacts

Please direct any questions to Steve Engfer, Senior Planner, Mariposa County Planning Department. sengfer@mariposacounty.org // 209.742.1250