Habitat Plan offers support to rare species in east Contra Costa County

In eastern Contra Costa County, scene of so many development battles, diverse interests have come together in a remarkable compromise. The Sierra Club and other environmentalists support the Final East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservation Plan/Natural Community Conservation Plan (HCP) as an aid to preserving the area's diverse ecosystems, unique species, and scenic landscapes. Development interests buy in because they see it as clearing regulatory obstacles to economic development and growth.

The HCP was recently approved by the county Board of Supervisors, the City Councils of Brentwood, Clayton, Oakley, and Pittsburg, and the East Bay Regional Park District Board of Directors. The California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are considering approval this spring, and implementation is expected to begin this summer.

In other parts of the state and nation, environmentalists have been dissatisfied with the HCP process created by the federal Endangered Species Act. We are hopeful that the remarkably open process used in East Contra Costa and the practical results can serve as a model for future HCPs.

The rich landscape here is home to over 150 rare species, including the San Joaquin kit fox, California red-legged frog, Alameda whipsnake, western burrowing owl, vernal-pool fairy shrimp, and Diablo helianthella. The goals of the plan are to:

• purchase, restore, and permanently protect large, interconnected, and biologically rich blocks of habitat;
• redirect money away from the process of permitting and toward the protection of resources;
• improve regulatory certainty and permitting efficiency for regulators and applicants;
• provide fair compensation to willing landowners for permanent protection of resources on their land.

Within the 174,018-acre inventory area, the plan will provide permit coverage for between 8,670 and 11,853 acres of development in Clayton, Pittsburg, Brentwood, and Oakley, and unincorporated communities such as Bay Point and Byron, if such development is approved through the regular land-use review process. It will permit impacts on an additional 1,126 acres from rural infrastructure projects. The Preserve System to be acquired will encompass 23,800 to 30,300 acres of land that will be managed for the benefit of 28 rare and sensitive species as well as the natural communities that sustain them. Conservation acquisitions will focus on preserving links between existing public lands and protecting wildlife corridors. One objective will be protection of a movement corridor for the San Joaquin kit fox. The Preserve System will include vernal pools, native grasslands, oak woodland and savanna, streams, chaparral, and other diverse landscapes.

The Preserve System will also support recreation, livestock grazing, and to a lesser degree cultivated agriculture, where these uses are consistent with habitat protection. Land acquisition will expand existing protected areas and connect to existing parks such as Mount Diablo State Park, Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve, and Morgan Territory Regional Preserve.

Natural habitats will be improved through restoration. Native grasses, chaparral, and riparian areas will be enhanced. Restoration projects are planned along Marsh Creek and will be coordinated with local parks and the Marsh Creek Trail. These activities will complement other resource conservation efforts including the protection of open space, viewsheds, water quality, and the natural beauty of the East County landscape.

The plan also calls for developing a detailed monitoring and adaptive-management program. This "knowledge-based" management is critical to maintaining and enhancing the species the plan is trying to preserve.

The plan will provide permit coverage for roads, flood-protection projects, schools, neighborhood parks, and recreational trails (up to 1,126 acres in total). Specific rural transportation projects include the Buchanan Bypass, Byron Highway widening, and Vasco Road widening.

Rather than individually surveying, negotiating, and securing mitigation, project proponents will meet the requirements of the state and federal Endangered Species Acts and receive their endangered-species permits by paying a single fee (and/or dedicating land), conducting limited surveys, and adhering to limited protocols to avoid and minimize impacts during construction. The fees would be used to purchase habitat lands or easements from willing sellers. These funding sources would also pay for monitoring, habitat enhancement, and management for acquired lands. Thus, future development will pay a share proportionate to its impacts.

The cost of implementing the HCP during the 30-year permit term is estimated at up to $350 million. This includes land acquisition (about 2/3 of costs), plan administration, habitat management, habitat restoration, biological monitoring, and remedial measures. In addition to fees, public funding will come from various local, state, and federal programs. Funds from these sources will be used for species recovery and will not offset the mitigation requirements. The plan will not increase local taxes and will allow local agencies to receive state and federal funding that would otherwise pass the area by. The federal government has already awarded more $15 million in species-conservation grant funds to help jump-start habitat acquisition under the plan.

Eastern Contra Costa is a unique region, where the Bay Area, Delta, and Central Valley meet. With its open space and beautiful vistas, the area retains a rural lifestyle while providing houses, jobs, farms, and ranches for future generations. The area can not escape on-going development pressures, but there is hope that the HCP will help preserve much of the area's wildlife and rural beauty.

For more information about the HCP, visit www.cocohcp.org or call (925) 335-1290.