CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : NEWPORT BEACH : Caltrans to Buy Land for Wildlife

Caltrans officials said Thursday that the agency has agreed to buy 5,450 acres of open desert either in Kern or San Bernardino county to serve as replacement habitat for the Mojave squirrel and the desert tortoise, two of California’s endangered species. The acreage will be given to the state Department of Fish and Game to offset the impact of 11 state road projects in the two counties. The plan was announced at Thursday’s meeting here of the California Transportation Commission, which is scheduled to approve the necessary funding--about $1,000 an acre--at its October session.