HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/23/2025 Item Funding Priorities, DePaoli
Nicholas DePaoli <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Public comment-goal setting session
This message is from an External Source. Use caution when deciding to open attachments, click links, or respond.
Dear Mayor and City Council,
I’m sending the following public comment which will be presented at tonight’s goal setting session:
My name is Nicholas DePaoli. I’ve been a SLO resident for nearly half my life and I deeply
appreciate the growing potential for community here and the work that is poured into
support for its stewardship. I’m here to ask for the city’s continued investment in progressive
programming for environmental impact and resource management, especially considering
our open spaces. The imperative of holistic fuels management has never been stronger, and
puts the city in a unique position to lead the way in meaningful, collaborative, safe, and cost-
preventative programming for dynamic stewardship of its community and resources.
Especially regarding the upcoming fuels management plan, I want to encourage and advocate
for resources to support the piloting of an in-house grazing program with Johnson Ranch as a
prospective site. The city has already benefitted from contracting acute but temporary
grazing services, and—from what I understand—would continue to contract more.
Unfortunately this fantastic resource has become increasingly difficult to utilize due to the
limited availability of private flocks in relation to demand for their services.
My work is in landscape improvement, and that often includes the professional assessment,
prescription, and installation of in-house rotational grazing programs in systems where the
ecology could benefit from them. I’m happy to make myself available for further discussion,
but most importantly want to underscore the need and opportunity we have to invest in
stewardship practices that both rebuild ecologies and resilience and also decrease
dependency on environmentally destructive infrastructure and overdrawn emergency
response.
Thank you,
Nicholas DePaoli
ND Horticulture
1