Located off Highway 135 in Santa Maria sits a large plot of land owned by the Santa Maria Public Airport District.
Airport Board President Ignacio Moreno says they lease portions of that space, bringing in more than $1 million every year.
“I would say one-third of our operating budget comes from land leases," Moreno said.
A big part of that income comes from agricultural leases.
But Moreno says the district didn’t realize that part of the land was home to an endangered species — the California tiger salamander.
Now, it’s costing the district more than $5 million in a settlement with state and federal agencies.
“We understand that there is accountability that we need to uphold, and we understand that we need to find a way to make this variable," Moreno said.
Moreno says that settlement money will be going toward conservation efforts on airport property and will come from the district’s operational budget.
"We've made some changes at the airport, we've cut down on a number of things [like] marketing [and] a whole bunch of different operational aspects to help us float this $5 million essentially for the next few years," Moreno explained.
The settlement also includes $1 million to create an on-site living lab to help the endangered species.
“By restoring the habitat and making it more suitable for them," said Erinn Wilson-Olgin, California Department of Fish And Wildlife. "There's a lot of restoration that needs to happen on the airport site.”
Because of this, the Federal Aviation Administration has paused grant funds, which Moreno says are critical for runway updates and other projects.
“We rely heavily on federal funding," Moreno said. "And it's up to us to maintain those relationships and to act accordingly, take initiative and take accountability when we need to.”
Moreno also confirmed to that the funding freeze contributed to the recent 50% increase in hangar rent.
The sudden change left many tenants upset — some wanting new members on the board.
