"A half-million-acre national wildlife refuge would be established in California's Riverside County under a new bill introduced with bipartisan support.

The proposed Western Riverside County Wildlife Refuge would join more than 560 national wildlife refuges managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. It would be stitched together through a mix of existing federal lands and private property purchases.

"Setting aside land reserved for our wildlife is a challenge that must be met through the contributions of a variety of stakeholders," said Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), adding that it "will also enable us to build new roads and critical transportation infrastructure."

Calvert introduced H.R. 2956 along with two Southern California colleagues, Democratic Reps. Mark Takano and Pete Aguilar."

Michael Doyle reports for Greenwire May 28, 2019. [2]