HomeMy WebLinkAboutCWF_Froom Ranch DEIRCALIFORNIA WILDLIFE FOUNDATION
42813th Street, Suite ioA
Oakland, CA 94612
Shawna Scott
City of San Luis Obispo
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA. 93401
L:3
December 16, 2019
WWW.CALIFORNIAWILDLIFEFOUNDATI0N.ORG
tel 510.208.4436
fax 510.268.9948
RE: Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) on the Proposed Froom Ranch Specific Plan
Dear Ms. Scott:
The California Oaks program of California Wildlife Foundation (CWF/CO) works to conserve oak
ecosystems because of their critical role in sequestering carbon, maintaining healthy watersheds,
providing wildlife habitat, and sustaining cultural values. We are aware of the above captioned Draft
Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed Froom Ranch Specific Plan in the City of San
Luis Obispo, and. its potential impact on oak woodlands.
Oak woodlands are being affected statewide by the spread of residential development into those
woodlands, and the attendant disruption of wildlife habitat, manipulation for fuel management, and
introduction of non-native species, sometimes even including non-native oak species. Although the oak
woodlands at Froom Ranch occupy only a small portion of the property in one area, that area has been
proposed for a cluster of residential development in a small valley surrounded by those woodlands, and
fed by three small streams.
We note that the DEIR recognizes this situation and has called for the elimination or relocation of that
cluster. This is because of the impact of such development on wildlife habitat and movement (the DEIR
identifies the site as an important wildlife corridor), as well as the need to manipulate the surrounding
woodlands for fire hazard reduction. The DEIR recommends a mitigation measure (MM BIO-13) that the
streams be provided with a buffer of at least three hundred feet, in order to avoid the anticipated impacts
upon wildlife movements, streams, and surrounding oak woodlands.
CWF/CO supports this mitigation.
We have observed repeatedly that residential development within and close to oak woodlands inevitably
leads to manipulations of those woodlands for a variety of purposes which are generally detrimental to the
health, ecological functioning, and natural character of those areas. For these reasons we urge the City
Council of the City of San Luis Obispo to uphold this mitigation measure and require the elimination or
relocation of this portion of the project which can have an outsized impact on its natural surroundings.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this matter.
Sincerely,
Jane obb, Executive Officer
cc: Neil Havlik, California Native Plant Society, San Luis Obispo Chapter (CNPS-SLO)
wwwcafiforniaoaks.o, t