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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/16/2010, B1 - PRESENTATION OF ACTIVITY REPORT FOR THE NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTION PROGRAM FOR 2009 AND 2010 AND Council j acEnna nEpoRt C I T Y OF SAN LUIS O B I S P O FROM: Michael Codron,Acting Assistant City Manager Prepared By: Neil Havlik,Natural Resources Manager 7r / SUBJECT: PRESENTATION OF ACTIVITY REPORT FOR THE NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTION PROGRAM FOR 2009 AND 2010 AND RECEIPT OF COUNCIL DIRECTION. RECOMMENDATION Receive a verbal and photo update from City Natural Resources staff, and provide Council direction to staff as appropriate. DISCUSSION Since its inception in 1995;the City of San Luis Obispo's Natural Resources Protection Program has had tremendous success. That success, however, comes in various forms and is not evenly distributed over time. For example, 2000-2001 saw the greatest'amount of property acquisition by thiprogram of any period before or since: 1,345 acres of fee acquisition and 345 acres of easement plus strengthening of the 1,480 acre Guidetti Ranch easement.. Bycontrast, the years 2002-2004 saw only 30 acres total of land acquisition. This does not mean.that nothing else happened.during that time, only that the building blocks for future activities were taking place or that planning of use of the newly acquired lands was in the forefront in the program's efforts. 2009 turned out to be a year of building. Among the highlights of 2009 were:. L Opening.the Johnson Ranch Open Space to public use. 2:. Securing two major grants totaling $300,000 in support of the Froom Ranch acquisition .and making significant progress in successfully completing that project. 3. Completing the Stenner Springs Natural Reserve Conservation Plan. 4. .,Completing the $200,000 Bob Jones Trail Environmental Augmentation Grant. 5. Beginning the $350,000 Bob Jones Trail Wetland Grant project. 6. Beginning the Calle Joaquin Agricultural Area Master Plan. 7. Establishing an Open Space Fund with the San Luis Obispo Community Foundation. .8. Publishing "Wildflowers of San Luis Obispo" in cooperation with the California Native Plant Society; and 9. .Participating in several important City projects with natural resource components, including: a. Tank Farm Lift Station b. Chevron Tank Farm Remediation/Redevelopment Plan and EIR c: Los Osos Valley Road/101 Interchange Project d. Orcutt Area Specific Plan G/Havlik/Couneilagenda/Activi_ry Report for 2009 and 2010 B1-1 Council Agenda Report—Activity Report for 2009 and 2010 Page 2 e. 400 Prado Road Project f. Prefumo Commons (Target) Project Accomplishments in 2010 included: 1. Completion of the 310-acre Froom Ranch transaction; 2. Completion of a Management Agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for a 78-acre BLM property at Irish Hills adjacent to the Froom Ranch; 3. Completion of the natural resource'components of the Prefumo Creek Commons project,, including dedication of 12 acres of the Prefumo Commons property and dedication of a 7- acre conservation easement on the Froom Ranch adjacent to Calle Joaquin; 4. Completion of the Bob Jones Trail Wetland Project; 5. Completion of agreement with Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bikers ("CCCMB") and Free-Ride and Sustainable Trails Association ("FASTA") for the so-called"Skills Area" at Stenner Springs for mountain bike use; and 6. Initiation of several new open space acquisition efforts. These items are discussed in more detail below. Completion of the Froom Ranch Transaction. The two large granting agencies both required as conditions of their grants that a new appraisal be undertaken, since the existing one was from January 2008 and much had changed in the real estate market since then. Accordingly a new appraisal was completed in February 2010, and that appraisal found a revised value of the property of$635,500 or$2,050 per acre. This represented a reduction of 9% in the earlier purchase price of$700,000. The Madonna family graciously agreed to the lower price and the transaction was successfully concluded on July 28, 2010. Necessary ancillary costs (appraisal, Phase I report, survey for the public lot, and closing costs) had raised the total cost of the project to $660,000, and in early 2010 the City was about $55,000 short of its funding needs for the project. With the support of the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County, a local fundraising effort was successfully undertaken and approximately $60,000 was raised toward the purchase and ancillary costs. Since completion of the transaction City staff determined that the best course of action was to update the Conservation Plan for Irish Hills Natural Reserve, incorporating the Froom Ranch into that planning document prior to opening the property to general public use. That effort is underway, with Ranger(and Cal Poly graduate student)Bijan Riley taking the lead on the update. It is expected to be before the City Council in June 2011. In the meantime a short but critically needed length of trail on the hillside above Costco and Home Depot has been constructed to alleviate trespass problems in that area. Completion of a Management Agreement with the U.S.Bureau of Land Management at Irish Hills Natural Reserve. Agreement with the Bureau of Land Management for the 78-acre parcel adjacent to the Froom Ranch was completed rapidly and approved by the City Council in August 2010, following completion of the Froom Ranch transaction. This property lies adjacent to the Froom Ranch and will permit visitors to enjoy spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and B1-2 Council Agenda Report–Activity Report for 2009 and 2010 Page 3 the coastline from the ridgetop in that area. Completion of the natural resource components of the Prefumo Creek Commons project. The Prefumo Creek Commons project included the dedication of approximately 12 acres of land to the City of San Luis Obispo to be used for continued agriculture, enhancements to the riparian corridor of Prefumo Creek, and for extension of the Bob Jones Trail. Some final "winterization" for the site is expected to be completed by about the 20`s of November. Completion of the Bob Jones Trail Wetland Project. This grant-funded, $350,000 project was successfully completed in late April 2010 and the wetland vegetation that was planted there— nearly 2,000 plants—has.become well established. We are eagerly looking ahead to observe how the site functions through the upcoming rainy season. Completion of a"Donor Agreement"with CCCMB and FASTA at Stenner Springs Natural Reserve. This agreement was completed and approved by the City Council at its regular meeting of August 19, 2010. Staff is currently working with the mountain biking representatives on their"first phase" improvements for the skills area at the site. Initiation of Several New Open Space Projects. Several potential open space acquisition projects are being pursued, including the long-anticipated dedication of Righetti Hill near Orcutt Road, and two possible trail agreements that will permit hiking and bicycling access to the Froom Ranch and Irish Hills Natural Reserve from the south. Staff will report further on these matters as they move forward over the next year. Items Experiencing Some Delays. The hoped-for agreements with the U. S. Forest Service and Camp San Luis Obispo regarding management of lands in and near Stenner Springs Natural Reserve have not progressed as rapidly as staff had hoped. Nevertheless, staff continues to push the two Federal agencies on the matter and we remain confident that satisfactory agreements will be forthcorning in 2011. Completion of the Calle Joaquin Agricultural Area Master Plan has been delayed due primarily to the press of other matters, which is often the case with planning efforts. However, the delay will not affect the timeliness of the project with regard to planting, as staff anticipates having the Master Plan before the City Council by March 2011. A local nonprofit organization, Central Coast Agricultural Network (CCAN), has come forward as the vehicle for a citizen-led operational entity for the site and staff anticipates having an agreement for the management of the property ready for Council consideration at the same time as consideration of the Master Plan itself. Also as noted above, the dedication of 12 acres of land as part of the Prefumo Commons development has been completed, that area is being managed by City staff at the present time, and it has been fully integrated into program planning. Prospects for 2011. 2011 looks to be a year for consolidation and completion of current activities for the Natural Resources Protection Program. These will include: B1-3 Council Agenda Report—Activity Report for 2009 and 2010 Page 4 1. Completion of the Calle Joaquin Agricultural Area Master Plan and beginning the implementation of that plan, including completion of an operating agreement with a nonprofit operating entity; 2. Completion of an Update to the Conservation Plan for the Irish Hills Natural Reserve, including the Froom Ranch and BLM parcel, and beginning the implementation of the updated Conservation Plan; 3. Possible acquisition of trail use agreements to permit trail access to Froom Ranch from the south; 4. Completion of the Management Agreements with the U. S. Forest Service and Camp San Luis Obispo regarding lands in and adjacent to Stenner Springs Natural Reserve; 5. Possible acquisition of an open space and access easement on portions of Righetti Hill; and 6. Continued strong involvement in development of the Remediation, Conservation and Development Project for the Chevron Tank Farm site on Tank Farm Road. BIOLOGIST'S ACTIVITY REPORT City Biologist Freddy Otte has been very active as the administrative lead staff person on the City's Stormwater Management Program, a State-mandated program that began in earnest in September 2009. He has also been involved in a number of other projects and programs where the City interacts with regulatory agencies, as well as serving on the Board of a statewide nonprofit organization known as the Salmonid Restoration Federation (SRF) dedicate to the improvement of fisheries and aquatic habitat throughout the state. Highlights of his activities are outlined below. Stormwater: 160 of 276 Best Management Practices (BMP's) were implemented in the City's first year of enrollment in the Stormwater Management Program through the Regional Water Quality Control Board and since we started the program in 2009, over 400 tons of trash and debris have been removed before being able to get into the creek system. Natural Resources acts as the coordinator of the program. Street sweeping, storm drain inlet cleaning, creek clean-up's, education, and construction site monitoring are the main components of the program. The ultimate goal is to raise the awareness of the public so as a community, we can reduce stormwater pollution. Salmonid Restoration Federation (SRF) Conference: SRF is a state-wide non-profit organization, and the City Biologist holds a seat on the Board of Directors. Next year, for the second time, the annual SRF conference will be held in San Luis Obispo. When the conference was first here in 2004, there was great attendance and better exposure to the fact that steelhead trout are an indicator species in southern California waterways and their local preservation is very important. The City will be a key player in hosting and presenting the conference. Infrastructure Collaboration: As infrastructure around the City gets older, the need to upgrade and/or replace systems becomes very important. Environmental regulations are changing all the time and extensive protective measures can be challenging to negotiate. Natural Resources works collaboratively with Public Works and Utilities to keep the environmental costs down and provide the agencies with a consistent voice for projects associated with sensitive areas. Water B1-4 I Council Agenda Report—Activity Report for 2009 and 2010 Page 5 and sewer lines along with stormdrain outlets that were installed years ago but not maintained are now a key focus to ensure our infrastructure stays intact. Good examples of this collaboration include the preparation of permits for sewer line replacement in sensitive sites such as San Luis Obispo Creek at the Motel Inn, San Luis Obispo Creek at Prado Road, Grand Avenue Creek at Park Street, and Old Garden Creek Between Murray and Mission Streets. We are also obtaining the necessary permits for the bike/pedestrian bridge over San Luis Obispo Creek at South Higuera Street and Prado Road as part of the Bob Jones Trail. Environmental Monitoring: The Natural Resources Program is active in checking the creeks to ensure there are no or limited threats to steelhead trout and vegetation management is a key component to keeping the habitat clean and useful. Erosion and sedimentation are some of the biggest factors to constantly monitor along the creek and if there is a potential source of sediment, we are able to institute a planting program to stabilize the site. Several locations on SLO Creek and several of our open spaces have aquatic systems that we maintain. Annual Work Plan (AWP): Natural Resources will be taking the lead for Public Works in preparing the AWP for projects in sensitive areas. The AWP is a streamlined permitting process wherein the Army Corps of Engineers receives our project list and consults with the other agencies so that the City has one permit application. In addition, there are is timeline expectations so the City can more effectively deal with several different agencies to try and get projects underway. ATTACHMENT Map of Irish Hills Natural Reserve, Froom Ranch and BLM parcel B1-5 'Wo— WIWI e`-2 -Xz , HMENT > re ;(, t 4 o f 130JP_I?n e i \ �c• 2Q f C Oi 0 ],No OVJ CL 0 -44 X;p lit lu LU VN cc qX Ix N IWL cc NQ. �l N y 44 1 IX U'l nW U CC 0 Z cx too- -IVS1i C5 I LL cc = if B1-6