TO: PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE

FROM: JULIE BUEREN, CHAIR

SUBJECT: PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Date: July 23, 2018

Location: Fern Cottage 6531 San Pablo Dam Rd El Sobrante

Note: Please be mindful not to leave any items of value visible in your cars, and to dress in layers.

6:00 p.m. BBQ – Social & Dinner (Please note earlier start time)

REGULAR MEETING

7:00 p.m. 1. Approval of Minutes – June 25, 2018 2. Introductions 3. Board Member Comments – Dennis Waespi 4. Foundation Update – Juliana Schirmer 5. Public Comments 7:20 p.m. 6. Presentations: (R) a. Sibley LUPA – Julie Bondurant, Senior Planner (I) b. Volunteer Program – Ira Bletz, Interpretive and Recreation Services Northwest Regional Services Manager, Jeremy Saito, Recreation Supervisor 8:30 p.m. 7. PAC Member Comments 8. Report from the Chair – Julie Bueren 9. Board Committee Reports 10. Old Business 11. New Business 12. Adjournment

Next Meeting – September 24, 2018

(A) Action (I) Information (R) Recommendation

ATTACHMENTS EXHIBITS 1. Sibley LUPA Memo 1. Draft Sibley LUPA 2. Volunteer Program Memo 2. Draft Sibley EIR 3. 2018 Work Plan 4. Status of Recommendations 5. Articles & Correspondence FERN COTTAGE, KENNEDY GROVE PARK, EL SOBRANTE 6531 SAN PABLO DAM RD, EL SOBRANTE

PAC ANNUAL BARBECUE – July 24, 2018

To Reach Kennedy Grove Regional Park

From the Richmond area: From northbound I-80, take the San Pablo Dam Road exit and turn right. Proceed through El Sobrante on San Pablo Dam Road to the park entrance, about 0.25 mile south of the intersection with Castro Ranch Road. From southbound I-80, take the San Pablo Dam Road exit and turn left. Proceed through El Sobrante on San Pablo Dam Road to the park entrance, about 0.25 mile south of the intersection with Castro Ranch Road. From the Oakland/Orinda/Walnut Creek area: Take Highway 24 to the Orinda exit and turn north on Camino Pablo, which becomes San Pablo Dam Road. Proceed north on San Pablo Dam Road, past the San Pablo Dam Recreation Area entrance, for about one mile to the Kennedy Grove entrance.

ONCE YOU MAKE THE TURN INTO THE PARK – YOU ARE GOING TO DRIVE DOWN INTO AN S CURVE.

THE COTTAGE IS LOCATED TOWARDS THE END OF THE DRIVEWAY, ON THE LEFT. HIDDEN BENEATH A BEAUTIFUL CANOPY OF SHADE TREES. PARKING IS AVAILABLE.

PLEASE WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES.

Unapproved Meeting Minutes PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE June 25, 2018

ATTENDING: Best, Brubaker, Burke, Corkin, Gregory, Ho, Kern, Mercurio, Rickard, Robinson, Sanwong, Skaredoff, Tsutsui, Trotter, Wilkins, Yee

ABSENT: Bueren, Godfrey, Madsen, Thompson, Williams

STAFF ATTENDING: Auker, Johnson, Barrington, O’Connor, Pfuehler, Rasmussen, Schirmer, Strawson O’Hara, Wilson, Clay

GUESTS: Board Member Ayn Wieskamp

PUBLIC: Bruce ‘Ollie’ Olson, William Yragui, Kelly Abreu

The meeting began at 7:03 p.m.

1. Approval of the May 21, 2018 Minutes: The May 21, 2018 minutes were approved. The motion to approve was moved by PAC member Kern. PAC member Best seconded approval of the minutes. PAC members Burke, Corkin, Trotter, Wilkins, Williams and Yee abstained due to being absent.

2. Introductions: PAC vice-chair Rickard asked PAC members, staff and the public to introduce themselves.

Government Affairs Manager Pfuehler introduced new PAC members Annie Burke and Sharon Corkin. Pfuehler introduced Burke and stated she was appointed by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. She comes with a lot of experience in nonprofits and environmental organizations throughout the Bay Area. Pfuehler introduced Corkin as a long time District employee. She joins the PAC as a representative of the Alameda Labor Council.

3. Board Member Comments: Director Wieskamp announced PAC member Ben Yee will receive the 25th State Assembly District 2018 Community Hero award.

Director Wieskamp provided an update about Ward 5 which stretches from Fremont to Livermore including Pleasanton, Sunol and Newark. Wieskamp pointed out the largest parks in her ward are Sunol/Ohlone at almost 7,000 acres and Pleasanton Ridge at over 9,000 acres. Wieskamp stated in the last ten years the Park District has grown by 23,000 acres. 11,000 of those acres are in Contra Costa County. For many of these acres, the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy covered 90% of the cost for the acquisition. Wieskamp commented in the last ten years Quarry Lakes, Dublin Hills, Brushy Peak and Vargas Plateau have increased in size. Wieskamp mentioned a future park, Doolan Canyon, is a beautiful open space between the cities of Dublin and Livermore. Eventually, it will be open for public use in her Ward. There is tremendous community support to preserve this land and staff is working to make trail connections.

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Wieskamp commented that Castleridge Trailhead was recently opened at Pleasanton Ridge creating a second access to the park. The Park District developed the trailhead, added bathrooms and water. The City of Pleasanton developed 50 parking spots along Old Foothill Road.

Wieskamp reported Del Valle flooded five times last year. With staff’s hard work, the park has been restored. Five new convenience camping cabins have been built as a pilot program, and have been well received by the public. Wieskamp stated Dumbarton Quarry by the Bay Campground at Coyote Hills will open in 2019. Wieskamp commented hookup campsites, a playground, an amphitheater and access to Coyote Hills Regional Park will be included. An account from the tipping fee the District receives from every load brought in to fill the quarry has reached nearly $3 million dollars and will fund projects at Coyote Hills.

4. Foundation Update: Juliana Schirmer, Foundation Development Director, provided an update about Foundation activities. Schirmer reported a key focus for the Foundation is the expansion of the membership program. Citizens may now purchase memberships at five local REI stores as well as at nine of the East Bay Regional Parks.

Kern inquired about efforts to raise funds to purchase a parcel of land in the Martinez area. Carol Johnson, AGM Public Affairs replied the Muir Heritage Land Trust is heading the effort, and is funding a large portion of the purchase. It is a great connection contiguous to other Park District lands, and will be managed by Muir Heritage Land Trust. Access will be granted in the future to the public.

5. Public Comments: Kelly Abreu commented about the PAC Committee’s recent field trip to Vargas Plateau, and asked for advanced public notice for future PAC field trips. He commented about the Vargas Plateau LUP and the need for improved parking, more entrances, trail connections and campgrounds. He stated the Fremont City Council voted at their June meeting to close the middle section of Morrison Canyon Road to vehicle traffic, but will retain the road for emergency and non-motorized uses.

William Yragui handed out a Tri-City Voice article and flier regarding Morrison Canyon Road. He commented his advocacy work includes making sure citizens attend public meetings. Yragui stated he distributed fliers to encourage citizens to support the closure of Morrison Canyon Road. With the community member’s attendance and support, the City of Fremont listened to their request.

6. Presentations: (I) a. Renaming of North Woods Loop Trail in Pleasanton Ridge – Suzanne Wilson, Senior Planner Trails Development and Juliana Schirmer, Foundation Development Director Juliana Schirmer, Foundation Development Director provided background information about the North Woods Loop Trail. Schirmer spoke about Philip Scholz, who passed away while trying to rescue a suicidal man on the Caltrain tracks in Santa Clara. His wife Emily Scholz created the Philip Scholz Memorial Foundation (Foundation) to raise funds to support communities and causes that were important to Philip. Philip was an avid hiker in the regional parks. In 2016, the Foundation donated $80,000 to the Regional Parks Foundation for the construction of a trail at Pleasanton Ridge. The trail project is estimated to cost $125,000. The Foundation will hold a fundraiser in October 2018 to celebrate Philip’s birthday and to raise additional funds for the project. Trails Department staff and Regional Parks Foundation staff proposed renaming the North

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Woods Loop Trail, which is identified in the Pleasanton Ridge Land Use Plan, to the Philip Scholz Memorial Trail in honor of Philip.

Suzanne Wilson, Senior Planner in Trails Development reported in 2012 the North Woods Loop Trail was proposed. Wilson talked about the steps taken to name a trail, and the criteria to name a trail after a person. Wilson added renaming the trail does not conflict with the Park District’s naming policy, or the adopted Pleasanton Ridge Land Use Plan. Initially, other trails were considered, but it was determined the North Woods Loop Trail at the northern portion of Pleasanton Ridge would be ideal. This multi-use natural surface trail goes through Bay Oak woodlands and offers inspiring views.

On October 5, 2018 Philip would have celebrated his 40th Birthday. To celebrate his life and legacy, Emily and the Philip Scholz Memorial Foundation are hosting an “Over the Hill” fundraiser to highlight Phil’s love of hiking in the parks. This will be a celebration of his life and a chance for supporters to receive an update about the memorial trail and development at Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park.

PAC member Sanwong gave her recommendation for the renaming of the trail to honor Philip Scholz. Sanwong mentioned Emily is the operations manager at Valley Humane Society in Pleasanton. She supported the comments provided in the PAC’s dog policy report. Gregory expressed support for the trail naming.

Recommendation: Motion made by PAC member Sanwong and PAC member Gregory seconded the motion to approve the Renaming of North Woods Loop Trail in Pleasanton Ridge. The recommendation passed unanimously.

(I) b. 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) – Debra Auker, AGM/CFO Finance and Management Services Debra Auker, AGM/CFO Finance and Management Services, presented the draft CAFR report. Auker explained the CAFR will be submitted for the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Staff expects to receive acknowledgment similar to the awards received by the District for the past 17 consecutive years.

Auker reported the District is in sound financial condition. The complete reconciliation of the 2017 fiscal year, as recorded in detail in the draft CAFR, demonstrates the continuing effectiveness of the District’s conservative financial approach and the strong support of the Board of Directors toward financial transparency and long-term planning. The CAFR records the continuing commitment of public funds to provide services through expenditures on land acquisition, development projects, staff wages and benefits, debt service on bonds, and all required and recommended governmental activities necessary to operate the District. These year-end financial results will be used as the basis for making recommendations to the Board of Directors for future budgets. Auker explained that District assets have grown. In 2017, the District’s total net position as of December 31, 2017 totaled $771.8 million, which increased by $17.6 million in 2017 primarily due to property tax revenue being greater than budgeted, and salaries and benefits savings due to staff vacancies. Auker stated the General Fund ending fund balance, included in the governmental fund financial statements, increased by $8.7 million.

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Yee inquired about the “notes receivable” and asked if it is an outstanding loan. Auker answered this is the result of an estate gift from the Borel Trust in Danville. It is money owed to the District. Yee noted on page 167 the number of bulldozers went from five to four, and questioned if it was adequate amount of equipment. Kelly Barrington, Chief of MAST replied there were bulldozers that weren’t being utilized on a regular basis, and to keep and maintain them would not be cost effective.

PAC member Skaredoff asked how much of the budget is devoted to debt service. He also asked about the District’s reserve and how long operations could continue without additional funding. Auker replied the policy for unassigned reserve is 32% of revenue. If expenditures are over $100 million per year, there is $50 million in unassigned fund balance in the General Fund. There isn’t a full year’s worth of reserves. Currently, money is being set aside for facility renovation and replacement. Since 2012, properties have been assessed for the future cost to maintain, rebuild or replace. There is an informal policy to shift about five million dollars a year to the fund established in 2012 to ensure facilities stay in good condition.

Best reported the PAC Finance Committee recommends the full PAC recommend to the Board of Directors approval of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.

Recommendation: Motion made by PAC member Best. PAC member Kern seconded the motion to approve the draft CAFR. The recommendation passed unanimously.

(I) c. Measure WW Update – Debra Auker, AGM/CFO Finance and Management Services Debra Auker, AGM/CFO Finance and Management Services stated overall the District secured a $500 million authorization from the voters in 2008. Auker explained the first series of bonds under the Measure WW authority were issued in mid-2009, the second series in mid-2013 and the most recent series in late 2017. The 2017 $80 million series included $30 million in Certified Green Bonds. The $164 million in tax-exempt proceeds issued were sold at extremely low interest rates, with the 2017 series receiving a very competitive rate of 2.48%. The Park District also issued $44.55 million in refunding bonds, with $20 million as Certified Green Bonds, generating $7.1 million in debt service savings. The current refunding in combination with the previous debt re-structure and $20 million issue of Measure AA refunding bonds, has allowed the District to hold the combined 2017/18 debt service on both the AA and WW bonds to $2.10 per $100,000 of assessed valuation (AV) and $3.20 per $100,000 the year before; well below the District’s $10 per $100,000 of AV commitment to voters. The 2018/19 tax rate is also expected to meet this benchmark. It will, however, go up to accommodate the 2017 bond debt service. Auker reported $375 million in Measure WW funding was allocated based on Metropolitan Area population balance as known in 2007. The original program allocations, by percentage are; South 35%, West 32% and Diablo 33%. Auker noted $96.1 million in appropriations have been approved by the Board of Directors for both WW acquisition projects ($59.6 million) and development projects ($36.5 million). In addition, $37.1 million has been budgeted to the Land Acquisition “Designated Acquisitions” account, which is the holding account for projects that have not yet been transferred and received formal appropriations. Of the total appropriation of $96.1 million, $77.2 million has been expended on both acquisition and development projects to date. The largest uses of WW funding are $7 million for the Atlas Road Bridge creating a new access to Point Pinole Regional Shoreline, $2.8 million for the Pinole Shores to Bay Front Park San Francisco

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Bay Trail, $4.1 million toward the purchase of Roddy Ranch in Deer Valley, $3.5 million for the Robertson property at Pleasanton Ridge, $2.1 million for Wiedemann Ranch and $3.0 million for the GSA property at Crown Beach. Auker stated the District is entering its tenth year of the Measure WW Local Grant Program. The program was set to expire on December 31, 2018. Staff received numerous extension requests from local agencies. Staff suggested authorizing a three-year extension. In May, the Board approved the extension of the program through December 31st, 2021. Through the end of the 2017 year, 234 projects valued at $116.1 million or 93% of the total $125 million program (including the District’s administrative fee) have been approved and are being undertaken by local agencies. The Local Grant Program has funded 160 completed projects. The application, review and reimbursement process has proceeded smoothly. Approximately $88.1 million has been reimbursed to local agencies during the first nine years of the program. In 2017, the Board created a program similar to the local grants for urban creeks. In the first round, the District accepted grant applications for up to $1.6 million. The total allocation for the urban creek program is $8 million. The first round of applications (three received) totaling $1,589,433 was approved by the Board in April 2018. The remaining District-wide Measure WW funds available (less appropriated funds, but inclusive of the reserve) totals $278.9 million. Measure WW allocations are established by the expenditure plan adopted in 2008. The Board, however, has the authority to modify the plan, apply the reserves, transfer funds between allocation areas and/or adjust the balance between acquisition and development uses. PAC member Ho noted the deadline for local projects was extended. She asked if there is a deadline for when the District’s projects funded by Measure WW need to be expended. Auker replied the deadline is based on when the bonds are issued. The tax code states that there is a three to four year period after issuance that the money is supposed to be spent, but there is no end date. The authorization for the tax levy goes until the last of the debt service is paid on the bonds.

Recommendation: None. This was an informational item. d. Measure CC Update 2019 Budget and Spending Plan - Jeff Rasmussen, Assistant Finance Officer Jeff Rasmussen, Assistant Finance Officer, provided an update about the 2019 Measure CC budget and spending plan. Measure CC was approved by the voters in November 2004 and expires in 2020. It authorizes a tax rate of $1 per month for each single-family parcel for a total of about $47 million dollars over the life of the program. Measure CC funds can be used for capital or operational/maintenance expenses, and pays for staffing which is a tremendous benefit for the Measure CC zone. The Measure CC zone encompasses 20 regional parks and 9 communities. The parks are: Alameda Point, Anthony Chabot, Brooks Island, Claremont Canyon, Crown Beach, Huckleberry, Kennedy Grove, Lake Chabot, Leona Canyon, McLaughlin Eastshore, Miller/Knox, MLK Jr. Shoreline, Point Isabel, Point Pinole, Redwood, Roberts Sibley, Temescal, Tilden and Tilden Nature Area, Wildcat Canyon and Alvarado Park.

Rasmussen explained Measure CC is primarily focused on critical upgrades at some of the Park District’s oldest and busiest parks in the western part of the District. Some of the categories

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funded are trail extensions and improvements, fire hazard reduction, shoreline restoration, infrastructure repairs and staffing.

Rasmussen stated the total value of the program is $46,732,141. To date, revenue spent is $32,704, 361 and unspent revenue is $9,612,215. Future revenue is $4,415,565. 83 projects are within Measure CC. 55% of the projects are complete, and 20% of the projects have been modified to ensure they are completed. Within CC, the Board has the authorization to modify projects as necessary. There are 43 completed projects to date. Rasmussen highlighted a few projects including: the renovation of picnic tables at Brooks and Buckeye, replacement of chemical toilets with vault toilets, and Environmental Education Center exhibit and lighting all at Tilden Regional Park, and the Atlas Road Bridge at Point Pinole. Rasmussen reported staffing funded by Measure CC includes: operations, police fire and resource protection at McLaughlin Eastshore State Park, year-round operation of Crab Cove Visitor Center at Crown Memorial State Beach, and vegetation management for wildfire prevention in East Bay Hills.

Rasmussen stated there is a 10% reserve ($4.7 million dollars) included as part of Measure CC for the Board to allocate to special high priority projects. To date, the Board has appropriated funds for three projects: $1,106,245 for the Atlas Road Bridge and Public Access Project, $1,000,000 for initial funding of the Point Pinole Visitor Center and $1,500,000 for the Bay Trail along Doolittle Drive. $1,090,055 in unallocated reserve funds remain for future high priority opportunities.

Rasmussen stated there is one project modification to the spending plan. The transfer of $25,000 from the Redwood Stream Trail re-route to Roberts Park for redwood tree protection and interpretation. Staff wants to protect and interpret some of the old growth stumps in the park. Skaredoff inquired about the reasoning behind the transfer of funds from the Redwood Regional Park Stream Trail to Roberts Park. Rasmussen explained the FEMA disaster of 2017 wiped out much of the creek and the trail work will now be funded by FEMA.

PAC member Tsutsui asked about the anticipated start date for the Measure CC extension. Pfuehler replied the vote to extend will be in November, but the revenue won’t begin until 2020.

Kern stated his support for the recommendation, but believes there should be serious consideration to ensure stakeholders are more solidified in their support of the Measure’s extension. Kern asked this be incorporated in the recommendation for consideration by the Board of Directors.

Recommendation: Motion to recommend the 2019 Measure CC budget and spending plan was made by PAC member Wilkins. PAC member Tsutsui seconded the motion to approve and recommend the Board of Directors approve the 1) Measure CC 2019 budget and spending plan, 2) the $1,090,055 in reserve funds remain unallocated for future high priority opportunities, 3) modification of Measure CC project description and transfer of $25,000 for redwood stump conservation. The recommendation passed unanimously. e. VAC-CON- Kelly Barrington, Chief of Maintenance and Skilled Trades (MAST) Barrington provided details about the purchase of the VAC-CON. The VAC-CON can operate under conditions that current District owned machinery are unable. Barrington listed some of the

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benefits: sewer line/system clean-outs; reduced dependence on Roto-Rooter; increased capacity and efficiency; safe excavation of utilities or other critical infrastructure; safely “pot-hole” and locate unmarked utilities; reduce impact on the environment; improved vault and lift station maintenance; and improved worker safety.

Barrington explained maintaining the District’s sanitary sewer system is a key function of the Sanitation Unit. In the past, $64,000 dollars has spent yearly on Roto-Rooter services. Hydro- jetting culverts with the VAC-CON on a regular basis would maintain the culverts and prevent rust. With the VAC-CON, the nozzle on the truck can be used to expose utilities cleanly and in a safe manner. In addition, the VAC-CON can clean out sewer lift stations to the bottom, clean completely and replace with fresh water. The VAC-CON can safely excavate unmarked utilities without doing any damage to pipes. This same nozzle can be increased and make clean cuts on asphalt.

The VAC-CON unit can clear a culvert without allowing downstream sedimentation to occur. The District would still need to report out to the regulators under current permit conditions, but this technique has no impact on stream banks, inlets or outflows. It significantly reduces the impact on the environment while completing necessary and important maintenance activities. Using this method will also extend the life of District culverts and prevent MAST/roads and trails from needing to dig up and replace or reset them once clogged. Roads and trails that are already in place will also be better preserved. The VAC-CON has a 11.5 cubic yards capacity to haul dirt or septage, 1,100 gallons of water capacity, is self-cleaning and makes work safer for crews. The purchase price for the VAC-CON is $421,946.00.

PAC member Mercurio asked the expected lifespan is for this vehicle. Barrington replied 18-20 years with regular maintenance. Sanwong asked if this is new technology. Barrington replied no, it has been available for several years. Skaredoff asked if one vehicle is enough to manage the whole Park District. Barrington replied no, there are other vehicles currently in use that will still be used to perform work, especially in remote places. Ho asked where the maintenance shops are located in the District. Barrington replied there are three locations: Pacheco, Tilden and South County at Public Safety in Castro Valley.

Wieskamp said she is very impressed with this piece of equipment, and it is worth the purchase price.

Recommendation: This is an informational item.

7. PAC Member Comments Ho commented about a citizen concern that one of the Measure CC projects is to gravel the Wildcat Creek trail. It is a trail that parallels Wildcat Creek in West County from Wildcat Canyon into Tilden Regional Park. The trail is set at the top and a little bit back from the creek bank. The existing trail is a dirt fire road that’s 10-12 feet wide with varying amounts of tree canopy and gets muddy. The trail has been graveled, but it was placed much wider than the original trail. The citizen was concerned that it changed the character of the trail, and it looked more like a utility road. Ho asked if there are any trails for emergency access, and what the standards are for these trails. O’Connor replied he has been to the site and is researching the issue.

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PAC member Gregory asked about the government’s proposed use of the Concord Naval Weapons Station as a detainee area for illegal immigrants/children. Gregory asked if the District has responded. Pfuehler replied staff are in communication with Congressman DeSaulnier’s office regarding this issue, and will reach out to the Navy directly. No one has seen the document.

PAC member Robinson attended the Board of Directors meeting held at Big Break. She attended the Board Field trip in East County.

8. Report from Chair – None

9. Board Committee Reports – None

10. Old Business – None

11. New Business – None

12. Adjournment – The meeting was adjourned 9:03 p.m.

Summary of Actions: 1. The PAC approved the May 21, 2018 minutes. 2. The PAC recommended that the Board support the approval of the renaming of the North Woods Loop Trail in Pleasanton Ridge 3. The PAC recommended that the Board support the approval of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) 4. The PAC recommended that the Board support the approval of the Measure CC Budget and Spending Plan

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon Clay Confidential Secretary

8 Attachment 1

PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE Meeting of July 23, 2018

TO: Parks Advisory Committee

STAFF REPORT PREPARED BY: Julie Bondurant, Principal Planner

SUBJECT: Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Draft Land Use Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Report

Julie Bondurant, Principal Planner, will provide presentation on this agenda item.

RECOMMENDATION Recommend certification of the Draft Environmental Impact Report and adoption of the Draft Land Use Plan Amendment for Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve.

BACKGROUND

This Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA) for Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve will serve as a long-range guide for the Project area incorporating the McCosker Parcel and the Western Hills Open Space. The LUPA evaluates existing park resources and facilities, documents legal agreements and restrictions, recommends programs for managing and conserving resources, and identifies future recreation uses and service facilities.

This Plan will update the 1985 Land Use Development Plan for Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve through the incorporation of the recommendations in this 2018 LUPA.

The LUPA process was initiated in 2016, and the first community meeting was held on April 6, 2016. At this meeting, the District introduced the project and presented baseline conditions. Subsequently, several additional community meetings were held to inform the public about the project prior to the issuance of the Notice of Preparation (NOP): two community meetings, including a CEQA scoping meeting on January 18, 2017, two youth engagement meetings, and two on-site tours of the McCosker sub-area. Meeting notifications included mailings, email notifications, website postings, press releases, and social media outreach.

Concurrently, staff is also working with the City of Orinda, and the developer for the Wilder residential development, on the transfer of the Western Hills Open Space to the District in accordance with District Resolution No. 2006-12-280 – Approval of Resolution of Intention for the Formation of Gateway Valley Zone of Benefit AB6.

LUPA Recommendations and Improvements

Project recommendations are described for three sub-areas totaling 1,318 acres: 1) Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve (Preserve); 2) Western Hills Open Space (Western Hills); and 3) the McCosker Parcel (McCosker), along with the 240-acre Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve. Project recommendations include two main components: 1) McCosker sub-area creek restoration and enhancement; and 2) recreation and public access improvements throughout the project area. The recreation and public access improvements include six main elements: 1) improvements to existing staging areas, 2) improvements to existing park roadways, 3) bridge installation, 4) trail system expansion, 5) recreation facility development, and 6) improvements to utility infrastructure. The recommendations summarized below.

CREEK RESTORATION AND ENHANCEMENT Approximately 2,130 linear feet of the deteriorating and culverted Alder Creek that connects directly into San Leandro Creek, and 770 linear feet of a side tributary, referred to as Leatherwood Creek, will be daylighted and restored. The reconstructed creeks will incorporate a mix of cascades, step pools, and resting pools, including pocket pools in steeper areas. Potential spawning sites for rainbow trout will be incorporated into Alder Creek restoration design. A new riparian habitat environment will be established throughout the length of the restored channel and tributary.

RECREATION AND PUBLIC ACCESS IMPROVEMENTS Improvements to Existing Staging Areas. A total of six staging areas will help to distribute use throughout the project area. In the Preserve sub-area improvements will include expansion of the existing parking capacity from 34 spaces to approximately 73 spaces in the Sibley Main Staging Area parking lot and 13 spaces to approximately 33 spaces at Old Tunnel Road. Incorporation of the Western Hills Open Space will provide two access points, increasing access opportunities to the Preserve from the Lafayette-Orinda-Moraga (Lamorinda) area. Parking will also be increased at the Mccosker site.

Improvements to Existing Park Roadways, including Bridge Installation. Internal circulation improvements within the McCosker sub-area will include: roadway improvements, installation of three new bridges, and ADA trail access from the staging area to the developed recreation area and along the restored creek.

Trail System Expansion. The trail system will add 8.3 miles of trails to the Project area for a total of 22.2 miles and will incorporate trails in the three sub-areas, as well as connections into Huckleberry Preserve. The expanded trail system will include: existing trails, new narrow, natural surface trails, and changes in trail uses on existing trails to improve circulation and provide greater connectivity with other District lands and neighboring residential communities.

Recreation Facility Development. Recreation facility development in the McCosker sub-area will include two sites: Fiddleneck Field and Fern View Terrace. Fiddleneck field will include a recreation area designed to accommodate interpretive programs and rustic camping for up to 50 people with parking for approximately 43 vehicles. The Fern View Terrace will offer an informal picnic site that will incorporate existing concrete walls remaining from the former construction and quarrying business. Landscaping in the recreation areas will augment existing habitat located at the perimeter of these sites, as well as provide screening, shade, and aesthetic value for park visitors. Soil excavated to “daylight” or create an open, natural creek channel, will be placed as engineered fill to create the combined camping and interpretive area.

Parks Advisory Committee Staff Report P a g e | 2

Improvements to Utility Infrastructure. Utility infrastructure improvements in the Preserve sub-area will include installation of a water tank to service the existing backpack camp. In the McCosker sub-area infrastructure improvements will include installation of prefabricated toilets, development of potable water supply, and connections to existing electrical and communications services to meet recreation and maintenance needs at the combined group campsite and interpretive program area.

CEQA – Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)

Notice of Preparation. On June 19, 2017, a Notice of Preparation (NOP) to prepare a draft EIR on the proposed project was submitted to the State Clearinghouse. The State Clearinghouse distributed the NOP to Responsible Agencies, agencies involved in funding or approving the project, and Trustee Agencies responsible for natural resources affected by the project. The NOP was filed with the County Clerk of the Board. One hundred seventy-nine (175) notices were sent via email. Copies of the NOP were also provided to the Board of Directors and Park Advisory Committee and mailed to 575 community members and local government entities, including libraries. The NOP was also posted on the District’s website. The comment period closed on July 19, 2017. The District received 12 comment letters in response to the NOP.

Notice of Availability and Community Presentation. On July 5, 2018, a Notice of Availability (NOA) of the DEIR for the Robert Sibley Volcanic Land Use Plan Amendment (Project) was submitted to the State Clearinghouse. The State Clearinghouse distributed the NOA and copies of the DEIR to Responsible Agencies, agencies involved in funding or approving the project, and Trustee Agencies responsible for natural resources affected by the project. The NOA was also filed with the County Clerk of the Board. One hundred ninety-five (195) notices were sent via email. Copies of the NOA were also provided to the Board of Directors and Park Advisory Committee and mailed to 666 community members and local government entities, including libraries. The NOA, the LUPA and the DEIR were also posted on the District’s website and distributed to the Board of Directors. Copies of the NOA, the LUPA and the DEIR were provided to community libraries and the Canyon Post Office for the community to review.

One public meeting on this LUPA and DEIR will be held during the review period, to receive comments on the document. The meeting will be held at Richard C. Trudeau Conference Center, 11500 Skyline Blvd, Oakland, on Wednesday, July 25, 2018, 6:30-8:30 PM.

Environmental Effects. In the analysis undertaken to develop this Draft EIR, each of the subject areas identified in the CEQA Guidelines was analyzed. Pursuant to CEQA, the District has determined that the following environmental issue areas are not expected to have significant impacts resulting from implementation of the Project: agricultural resources, land use and planning, mineral resources, and population and housing. Potential significant impacts were identified for the following environmental topics: aesthetics, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources-cultural tribal resources, geology and soils, greenhouse gas emissions, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, noise, public services, recreation, traffic and transportation, and utilities and service systems. The analysis undertaken in support of this draft EIR has determined that Project impacts for these topic areas are less than significant or could be mitigated to below the threshold of significance.

Parks Advisory Committee Staff Report P a g e | 3

EIR Certification - Public Hearing. Following the close of the Draft EIR comment period and preparation of a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR), the District’s Board of Directors will hold a public hearing to consider certification of the EIR, adoption of findings, and project approval.

LUPA Implementation Timeline

The projected start of the McCosker Sub-area creek and public access components of the Project is anticipated for the summer of 2019 pending adoption of the LUPA, certification of the EIR, and securing the necessary environmental and local agency permits. The goal is to also complete the Western Hills Open Space land transfer in this same timeframe.

ATTACHMENT

1. Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve LUPA Executive Summary 2. Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve EIR Executive Summary

Parks Advisory Committee Staff Report P a g e | 4

Exhibit 1

Draft Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve June 2018 LUPA Draft Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve June 2018 LUPA Chapter 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-1 June 2018 Draft LUPA Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-2 June 2018 Draft LUPA Chapter 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.1 Land Use Plan Amendment Purpose and Contents

The purpose of this Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA) is to append new recommendations to the 1985 Land Use Development Plan Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve (LUDP) resulting from the addition of two properties referred to as Western Hills and McCosker. The LUPA presents the results of resource inventories, site evaluations, and recommendations for amending the 1985 LUDP.

1.2 Land Use Plan Amendment Area

The LUPA area is located on the crest of the East Bay Hills at the boundary of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties between Tilden Regional Park and Redwood Regional Park. It includes three sub-areas totaling 1,318 acres that would constitute Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve: 1) Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve (Preserve); 2) Western Hills Open Space (Western Hills); and 3) the McCosker Parcel (McCosker), along with the 240-acre Huckleberry Regional Preserve. Refer to Figure 1 - Project Location, and Figure 2 - Land Use Plan Amendment Project Area for Project location.

1.3 Overview of Recommendations

This LUPA considers a set of improvements that include: habitat restoration, public access, and interpretive and recreation facility improvements. Recommendations include: • Creek restoration • Improvements to existing staging areas • Improvements to existing roadways and utilities

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-3 June 2018 Draft LUPA Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-4 June 2018 Draft LUPA Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-5 June 2018 Draft LUPA • Bridge installation • Trail system expansion • Recreation facility development

Overall, the proposed improvements would add: 2,900 linear feet of restored creek habitat, two new vehicle access points providing a total of 193 single vehicle and three, two-horse trailer spaces, one new walk-in access, one new camping area, a new nature trail and an interpretive gathering area. The Project would also add: approximately 4.3 miles of existing ranch roads and 3.9 miles of new narrow trails for public use to the existing 13.9-mile trail system, including the 3.1 miles of existing trails in Huckleberry Preserve, for a total of 22.1 miles.

The total acreage devoted to recreation/staging area units would be approximately 12.4 acres (including approximately five acres of public access and recreation features in the McCosker sub- area and one-half acre in the Western Hills sub-area) or approximately one percent of the total Project acreage. This would represent an increase of 5.5 developed acres to the current developed area of 6.9 acres.

Considering the 639 additional acres that would be added to Robert Sibley Regional Preserve with the McCosker and Western Hills sub-areas, the Preserve parkland acreage would nearly double, while overall developed area density would decrease by approximately 13 percent and trail density as measured by miles per acre would decrease by approximately forty percent.

Table 1-1 provides a comparative summary of the proposed actions with existing conditions. Figure 3 - Land Use Plan Amendment Project Overview provides an illustrative overview of the existing and proposed actions within the Project area. Figures in Chapter 4 - Land Use Recommendations identify the locations of each of the LUPA recommendations in more detail. 1.4 Ongoing Programs and Services

1.4.1 Ongoing Land/Habitat Management Programs

The Project area contains a wide range of natural communities, including grassland, shrub habitat, and riparian habitat, much of which has been substantially altered over time by human activities that have included quarrying, road and trail construction, residential habitation, introduction of non-native species, and the suppression of wildfires.

Ongoing land management actions throughout the Project area have been designed to benefit special status species, natural communities, biological diversity, and ecosystem function, including: preserving habitat; enhancing grassland to promote native biological diversity through continuation of ongoing grazing and integrated pest management programs; and enhancing habitat for pallid manzanita (Arctostaphylos pallida) through development of best management practices as set forth in the pallid manzanita management plan.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-6 June 2018 Draft LUPA TABLE 1-1 COMPARISON OF PROPOSED ACTIONS WITH EXISTING CONDITIONS

PROPOSED EXISTING CONDITIONS POTENTIAL NEW CONDITIONS ACTION

PUBLIC ACCESS Preserve Western Hills McCosker Preserve Western Hills McCosker Access Points 2 vehicle n/a 1 vehicle 2 vehicle 2 vehicle 1 vehicle access access pts.- access pts. - access access pts. pts. Sibley Main Wilcox None added 1 District None added and Old (Eastport) trailhead Tunnel 1 Neighborhood trailhead

Parking Spaces 38 Sibley n/a 10 Wilcox 38 Ex. Main 10 New Wilder 10 Ex Eastport Main (Eastport) 35 New Main City Park 5 New Eastport 13 Old Tunnel 13 Ex. Tunnel 19 New 43 New Fiddleneck 20 New Tunnel Western Hills Field 1- 2-horse 1- 2-horse 2- new 2- horse trailer - Sibley trailer - Ex. trailers - Main Main Western Hills TOTAL VEHICLE EX. - 62 n/a EX. - 10 NEW - 55 NEW - 31 NEW - 48 PARKING TOTAL107 TOTAL - 31 TOTAL - 58 EX. – 72 / NEW - 134 TOTAL - 196 Bridges n/a n/a 3 - culverted n/a n/a 2-new vehicle vehicle crossings crossings (replacing culverted crossings)

RECREATION FACILITY DEVELOPMENT Preserve Western Hills McCosker Preserve Western Hills McCosker Camping 1 Camping n/a n/a 1 Ex Camping n/a 1 New Camping Site, Capacity Site, Capacity Site, Capacity 50, 15 Sibley 15 Sibley Main Fiddleneck Field Main None added Interpretive 1 Pavilion n/a n/a 1 Ex Pavilion n/a 1 New Interpretive Sibley Main Sibley Main Program Gathering Area Fiddleneck Field None added New interpretive panels Alder Creek & Fern View INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT RECREATION Preserve Western Hills McCosker Preserve Western Hills McCosker Water System n/a n/a New - 1,000- n/a 1 New 4,000- gallon water gallon water tank tank Sibley and 3,200 lf water Main to line McCosker to support support recreation camping activities & fire suppression Underground n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a New - 1,100 lf Utilities utility lines McCosker

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-7 June 2018 Draft LUPA PROPOSED EXISTING CONDITIONS POTENTIAL NEW CONDITIONS ACTION

TRAIL SYSTEM OPEN TO PUBLIC USE – ALL SUB-AREAS Ranch Roads 8.3 miles 12.6 miles Narrow Trails 5.6 miles 9.5 miles TOTAL 13.9 miles 22.1 miles TRAIL USE – ALL SUB-AREAS Hike 13.9 miles 22.0 miles Horse 12.2 miles 20.8 miles Bike 8.7 miles 18.0 miles Dogs on Leash 4.2 miles 11.8 miles Dogs off Leash 8.0 miles 8.4 miles

1.4.2 Operations and Maintenance

Staff from the District’s Operations and Public Safety Departments provide for the safety and protection of park visitors and staff; the protection of natural resources and park facilities; and the protection of adjacent neighbors and their property. Park staff serve as the primary presence in the park on a day-to-day basis.

1.4.3 Interpretive and Recreation Services

The District’s Interpretive and Recreation Services Department seeks to connect visitors to the natural environment through stimulating experiences that instill an appreciation of the region’s resources, and motivate participants to conserve and protect them. In this effort, the District provides a variety of programs and services for school groups, families, and adult visitors.

1.4.4 Public Safety – Police and Fire Services

1.4.4.1 Police Services

The District provides police protection services to the Project area out of its Public Safety Headquarters at Lake Chabot Regional Park in Castro Valley. District police vehicles and helicopters patrol the Project area daily.

1.4.4.2 Fire Services

The District provides fire prevention, fire suppression, and life safety services to the Project area. The closest District fire substation to Sibley Preserve is located at Tilden Regional Park. In addition to District staff, the District has entered into a Mutual Response Area (MRA) Agreement with the Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District, which sets forth plans for coordinated responses to emergencies and service requests in defined areas of the District and the Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District, including the Project area.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-8 June 2018 Draft LUPA Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-9 June 2018 Draft LUPA 1.5 Project Considerations

Following is a summary of considerations that have played a part in shaping this LUPA.

1.5.1 Topography, Soils and Water Quality

Steep slopes and erosive soils dominate the landscape of the Project area. Where erosive soils are found on moderately to extremely steep slopes they lend themselves to debris flows and soil creep, particularly in the spring when soil moisture is at its highest. In these areas recreation activities are limited to trail activities and new construction is limited to narrow, natural surface trails and trenching to accommodate new water lines. In the valley floor of the McCosker sub- area creek channels have largely been filled and culverted and are now deteriorating and causing ersion that could result in transport of sediments downstream. In this area, the LUPA provides recommendations for restoring tributaries that contribute flows into San Leandro Creek.

1.5.2 Habitat and Special Status Species

The Project area contains habitat for the following federal and State listed species: Pallid manzanita (Federally Threatened, State Endangered); Alameda whipsnake (Federally Threatened, State Threatened, Critical Habitat; and California red-legged frog (Federally Threatened). LUPA recommendations include project goals, objectives and strategies directed at protecting and supporting natural communities and habitat through conservation and enhancement of riparian corridors, wetlands, and wildlife linkages, including habitat for special status species. In addition, recommendations include the creation of approximately 3,061 linear feet of new and enhanced riparian habitat along creek channels that are largely contained in deteriorating buried pipes in a watershed area that includes approximately 10,085 linear feet of undisturbed riparian habitat in natural drainage channels.

1.5.3 Fire Hazards

As the Project is in a high fire hazard area, the LUPA includes a description of staffing and procedures currently in place to monitor public use, minimize potentially hazardous situations, respond to emergencies, and implement fuels management programs. In addition, the LUPA recommends precautionary design features to address fire hazard risks including: 1) installation of a water system with a 4,000-gallon water storage tank in the McCosker sub-area; 2) installation of emergency communication lines near the McCosker sub-area camping area; 3) design of the McCosker sub-area combined camping and interpretive program area to also serve as an emergency response staging area; and 4) added emergency ingress and egress points with the incorporation of the Western Hills sub-area into Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve.

1.5.4 Planning for Climate Change

The LUPA goals address climate adaptation and resiliency measures into the creek restoration and recreational facility design, and program development through the inclusion of strategies directed at adaptive vegetation management practices, carbon sequestration though added riparian habitat creation, reuse of materials where feasible and appropriate, and promotion of interpretive programming that highlights climate adaptation and resiliency.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-10 June 2018 Draft LUPA

1.5.5 Recreation Development

To minimize areas of new disturbance and the potential to over develop the McCosker sub-area, LUPA recommendations limit new development to previously disturbed areas. Concept plans illustrate how program elements can be combined, parking can be screened, access can be controlled along restored creek channels, and wayfinding and interpretive signage and design features would be incorporated to minimize intrusion into sensitive habitat.

1.5.6 Trail Uses and Trail Inclusivity

Trails adjoining the Project area contain varying use designations ranging from hiker-only to fully multi-use accommodating hiking, bicycling, equestrian use, and dog-walking. To provide trail trips that provide continuity when traveling from one area to another, as well as addressing concerns that various trails uses may conflict with each other, and/or with policies of the adjoining lands, the LUPA includes a section on designating trails and ranch roads for a variety of uses.

To encourage use by visitors with a range of skills and mobility, the LUPA includes recommendations for the design of ADA compliant amenities in developed recreation area in the McCosker sub-area and adherence to District universal access policies on trails throughout the Project area.

1.5.7 Traffic Safety

During the planning process issues were raised concerning traffic and visitor and community safety around the Project area, specifically along Pinehurst Road and Wilder Road. To promote safety upon entering and existing the Project area the LUPA recommends restricting parking along the road where visibility is restricted, dispersing use, adding parking, and encouraging use of alternative modes transportation where feasible and appropriate to reduce congestion that could result from a single point of entry. Wayfinding signs would also be installed to identify a clear path of arrival to the various entry points.

1.5.8 Interagency Coordination

1.5.8.1 Wilder Development

Accommodations for future hiking, biking, equestrian, and dog access from Wilder Park and the Wilder subdivision into the Western Hills Sub-area was determined through interagency coordination between the District, the City of Orinda and the Wilder developer, OGLLC, as set forth in the 2004 Second Supplemental EIR for the Montanera Project and City of Orinda Resolution 13-05.

1.5.8.2 East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)

Access along sections of the Skyline National Historic Regional Trail that traverse EBMUD lands to the north and south of the Project area are managed by the District for recreation use through a license agreement.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-11 June 2018 Draft LUPA

1.5.8.3 Other Obligations and Agreements

Other agreements and obligations are discussed in Section 3.4.3 Obligations, Maintenance Easements Agreements and Licenses.

1.6 Land Use Plan Amendment Recommendations

1.6.1 Resource Restoration and Enhancement

Creek restoration activities in the McCosker sub-area would involve restoration and enhancement of: an unnamed tributary herein referred to as Alder Creek, including construction of the Alder Creek Nature Trail, and restoration and enhancement of a secondary tributary herein referred to as Leatherwood Creek.

1.6.2 Public Access, Recreation Facility and Infrastructure Improvements

The LUPA recommendations for public use of Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve focus on “lower intensity” recreational uses and facilities limited to access improvements, trails, rustic camping, interpretive programs and exhibits, and infrastructure improvements to support these recreation amenities.

1.6.2.1 Recreation Facility Development

McCosker Sub-area

Recreation improvements in the McCosker sub-area would involve development of two sites; Fiddleneck Field and Fern View Terrace.

Fiddleneck Field would be designed to accommodate up to 50 people for reservation-only interpretive programs and group camping activities. Facilities would include an open meadow for camping and interpretive program activities, cook area, picnic pavilion, parking for up to 43 vehicles, and restrooms.

The Fern View Terrace would be designed as an informal site for picnicking and interpretive exhibits (e.g., interpretive panels and information panels) to support interpretive programs and/or self-guided activities.

1.6.2.2 Improvements to Existing Staging Areas

Preserve Sub-area

Staging area improvements in the Preserve sub-area would include additional parking at the two existing staging areas. Improvements to the Sibley Staging Area parking lot in the Preserve sub- area would involve expanding the existing parking capacity from 38 spaces to approximately 73 spaces. Improvements at Old Tunnel Road would involve repairing and repaving the existing service road access to increase capacity from 13 to 33 spaces, and add vehicle turn-arounds, bike parking and replacement of a portable toilet with a vault toilet.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-12 June 2018 Draft LUPA McCosker Sub-area

Improvements to the Eastport (formerly Wilcox) Staging Area in the McCosker sub-area would involve: 1) installing a new entry sign with the name “Eastport Staging Area”; 2) replacing an existing gate with an equestrian-friendly, self-closing gate; 3) adding up to five additional parking spaces and installing a new storm treatment feature.

1.6.2.3 Improvements to Existing Roadways and Utilities

Preserve Sub-area

Utility improvements would include installation of a prefabricated water tank to service the existing backpack camp.

McCosker Sub-area

Roadway improvements in the McCosker sub-area would involve: 1) improvements to the existing ranch roads to provide access for visitors and staff vehicles to the developed recreation areas; and 2) reconstruction and repaving the existing the park residence access road and development of a hammerhead turn-around at the terminus of this drive to improve emergency vehicle circulation.

Utility improvements would include: 1) installation of a new water line, water tank and water treatment system to service the Fiddleneck Filed Recreation area and 2) extending and undergrounding utility lines connecting to Fiddleneck Field recreation area; and 3) installing a temporary irrigation system to establish new plantings.

1.6.2.4 Bridge Installation

McCosker Sub-area

Circulation improvements in the McCosker sub-area would include three crossings of Alder Creek: 1) Ninebark Public Vehicle Bridge; 2) Fern View Terrace Bridge; and 3) Alder Creek Bridge.

1.6.3 Trail System Expansion

The trail system would incorporate: 1) existing trails in Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve; 2) the trail system set forth in the Western Hills Open Space Long Term Management Plan; and 3) new trails proposed within the three sub-areas with connections through the eastern side of Huckleberry Preserve. This expanded trail system would improve circulation within the Project area and provide greater connectivity with other District lands and adjoining residential communities.

Proposed actions would include: 1) minor changes in use on ranch road trails; 2) opening existing narrow and ranch road trails; 3) constructing new narrow trails to enhance connectivity between the Preserve, Western Hills and McCosker sub-areas and other District parklands; 4) reconstructing new ranch roads as part of the recreation and public access improvements in the McCosker sub-area; 5) realigning, closing and restoring an over steep trail connecting Huckleberry Botanic and Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserves.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-13 June 2018 Draft LUPA 1.6.4 Property Conveyance

As the Western Hills sub-area is: 1) largely contained within an established conservation easement extending eastward from the ridgelines of the East Bay Hills to the western boundary of the Wilder residential development as described in the District Resolution No: 2006-01-13, the District and OG Property Owner LLC 2008 First Amendment to Donation Agreement by and between the East Bay Regional Park District and Property Owner, OGLLC, the 2004 Second Supplemental EIR for the Montanera Project and City of Orinda Resolution 13-05; and 2) the staging area has also been established through prior development plans analyzed in the 2004 Second Supplemental EIR for the Montanera Project, the proposed actions in the Western Hills sub-area would be limited to opening existing facilities (staging area and trails) for public use once the land is conveyed to the District. Trail development proposed beyond that which is currently described in the conservation easement and covered in the 2004 Second Supplemental EIR for the Montanera Project is described in Chapter 4 - Section 4-7.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve 1-14 June 2018 Draft LUPA Exhibit 2

Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve

DRAFT LAND USE PLAN AMENDMENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT SCH# 2017062055

Incorporating the McCosker Parcel and Western Hills Open Space 2018

Planning and GIS Department Acquisition, Stewardship and Development Division East Bay Regional Park District 2950 Peralta Oaks Court Oakland, California 94605

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has been prepared pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to inform: the lead agency, East Bay Regional Park District (District) Board of Directors; Responsible Agencies, agencies involved in funding or approving the project; Trustee Agencies, agencies responsible for natural resources affected by the Project; and the public, about the potential significant environmental effects of the 2018 Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment (Project).

The Project purpose is to: 1) append the 1985 Land Use Development Plan (LUDP) to incorporate the Western Hills and McCosker sub-areas and developed local trails into Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve; and 2) preserve the rich heritage of natural and cultural resources and provide open space, trails, and safe and healthful recreation and environmental education in accordance with the District 2013 Master Plan. ES.1 Project Location

The Project is in the East Bay Hills at the boundary of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties between Tilden Regional Park and Redwood Regional Park and includes three sub-areas totaling 1,318 acres that would constitute Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve: 1) Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve (Preserve); 2) Western Hills Open Space (Western Hills); and 3) the McCosker Parcel (McCosker), along with the 240-acre Huckleberry Regional Preserve. Refer to Figure ES-1, Project Location. ES.2 Proposed Actions

Project recommendations include two main components: 1) McCosker sub-area creek restoration and enhancement; and 2) recreation and public access improvements. The recreation and public access improvements include six main elements: 1) improvements to existing staging areas, 2) improvements to existing roadways, 3) bridge installation, 4) trail system expansion, 5) recreation facility development, and 6) improvements to utility infrastructure as illustrated in Figure ES-2, Land Use Plan Amendment Project Overview.

Table 2-1, Proposed Actions by Location and the discussion below provide a summary of these actions. Figure 2-5, Proposed Actions Preserve Sub-area, Figure 2-6, Proposed Actions Western Hills Sub-area, Figure 2-7, Proposed Actions McCosker Sub-area, Figure 2-8, McCosker Creek Restoration Area, and Figure 2-9, Proposed Actions Huckleberry Sub-area identify the locations of each of the Project actions. Table 2-3, Comparison of Proposed Recreation and Public Access Actions with Existing Conditions provides a comparison of the proposed recreation and public

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-1 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-2 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-3 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

access actions with existing conditions. Table 2-6, Construction Activities for Proposed Actions identifies factors involved in completing each of the Project elements.

Overall proposed improvements would add: 3,061 linear feet of restored creek habitat, two new vehicle access points providing a total of 196 parking spaces and three two-horse trailers, one new walk-in access, one new camping area, and a new nature trail and interpretive gathering area. The trail system would provide: approximately 4.3 miles of existing ranch roads and four miles of new narrow trails for public use to the existing 13.9-mile trail system, including 3.1 miles of trails in Huckleberry Preserve, for a total of 22.2 miles. Considering the 639 additional acres that would be added to Robert Sibley Regional Preserve with the McCosker and Western Hills sub-areas, the Preserve parkland acreage would nearly double, while overall trail density as measured by miles per acre would decrease by 0.4 percent.

ES.2.1 Summary of Project Actions Creek Restoration Creek restoration activities in the McCosker sub-area would involve restoration and enhancement of: Alder Creek, including construction of the Alder Creek Nature Trail, and restoration and enhancement of Leatherwood Creek. Restoration work would involve: 1) excavating approximately 30,300 cubic yards of soil to daylight the creek and create a stable channel; 2) reconstructing approximately 2,900 linear feet of the creek bed with a mix of boulder cascades and step pools, including access for rainbow trout to Alder Creek; 3) replacing the soil on existing graded terraces to create the Fiddleneck Field recreation area; 4) removing approximately 2,720 linear feet of buried culverts ranging in diameter from 12 inches to 60 inches and concrete debris off-site and abandoning approximately 460 linear feet of culverts in place along Leatherwood Creek; and 5) re-establishing riparian habitat along the two creek channels.

Improvements to Existing Staging Areas Improvements to the Sibley Staging Area parking lot in the Preserve sub-area would involve expanding the existing parking capacity from 38 spaces to approximately 73 spaces. Improvements to the Old Tunnel Road site would involve repairing, repaving and restriping the existing site to improve the existing road conditions and increase parking capacity from 13 to approximately 33 vehicles. Improvements to the Eastport Staging Area in the McCosker sub-area would involve: 1) installing a new entry sign with the name Eastport Staging Area; 2) performing minimal grading to add up to five parking spaces and direct drainage to a stormwater treatment feature; and 3) replacing an existing gate with equestrian-friendly, self-closing gate. Wayfinding signs directing uses to each of the staging areas is also proposed.

Improvements to Existing Roadways and Utilities Improvements are proposed for two existing roadways, referred to herein as the Ninebark Trail and the Meadow Barley Trail in the McCosker sub-area. The Ninebark Trail would provide a connection between the Eastport Station Staging Area and the Fiddleneck Field parking area to accommodate visitors and maintenance and emergency vehicle access. The Meadow Barley Trail road section improvements would include: reconstructing an all-weather gravel road, stabilizing

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-4 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

and repaving an existing roadway section, and developing a hammer-head turn-around near the residence to facilitate emergency and maintenance vehicle circulation, as well as serving as part of the recreation trail system. Grading associated with these improvements would occur in conjunction with the creek restoration work and the installation of the bridges.

Utility improvements would include installation of one 4,000-gallon water tank, 3,200 linear feet of new water line, and undergrounding 1,100 linear feet of utility lines connecting to Fiddleneck Field in the McCosker sub-area; and installing a 1,000-gallon water tank at the existing backpack camp in the Preserve sub-area.

Bridge Installation Circulation improvements in the McCosker sub-area would include three crossings of Alder Creek: 1) Ninebark Public Vehicle Bridge 2) Fern View Terrace Maintenance Vehicle Bridge, and 3) Alder Creek Maintenance Vehicle Bridge. The three structures would be designed as arched bridges with natural creek bottoms.

Trail System Expansion The Project trail system would incorporate: 1) existing trails in Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve; 2) the trail system set forth in the previously permitted Western Hills Open Space Long Term Management Plan; and 3) new trails proposed within the three sub-areas with connections through the eastern side of Huckleberry Preserve. This expanded trail system would improve circulation within the Project area and provide greater connectivity with other District lands and adjoining residential communities.

Proposed actions would include: 1) 2.6 miles of minor changes in use on ranch road trails (0.4 miles of added bike use in the Preserve sub-area and 2.2 miles of added dogs-on-leash use in the McCosker sub-area); 2) opening 5.2 miles of existing narrow and ranch road trails; 3) constructing 3.9 miles of new narrow trails to enhance connectivity between the Preserve, Western Hills and McCosker sub-areas and other District parklands; 4) reconstructing 0.14 miles of new ranch road to complete connections in the McCosker sub-area; 5) realigning 0.4 miles of narrow trail and closing and restoring 0.6 miles of over steep trail; and 6) constructing a new 0.4- mile hiker-only nature trail.

Recreation Facility Development Recreation facility development for this area would occur in two main areas in the McCosker sub-area: the 2.8-acre Fiddleneck Field and 0.3-acre Fern View Terrace, and would include: a combined group camp/interpretive destination site, restrooms, interpretive and picnic facilities, parking, and operations facilities. These areas and facility types would meet the criteria of a Recreation/Staging Unit.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-5 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

ES.3 Projects Incorporated by Reference ES.3.1 CEQA Provisions CEQA encourages incorporation by reference to eliminate repetitive discussions and to focus the CEQA analysis of this draft EIR on issues that have not been previously addressed. Consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15150, various technical studies, analyses and reports were used in the preparation of this draft EIR and are incorporated herein by reference. The documents and other sources used in preparation of this draft EIR are identified in Chapter 6- Report Preparation Organizations and Persons Consulted.

Copies of these referenced documents are maintained at the District administration office where they can be reviewed by the public on request in accordance with the CEQA Guidelines Section 15150(b).

ES.3.2 Summary of Actions Covered under Previous CEQA Analysis A summary of the actions previously analyzed under CEQA are described below. By building on the work contained in the following documents, and providing additional analysis as necessary, this EIR provides public agencies, decision-makers, and interested parties the information needed to evaluate Project.

1985 Robert Sibley Volcanic, Huckleberry Botanic, and Claremont Regional Preserves Land Use Development Plan (LUDP) and EIR The 1985 LUDP and EIR emphasizes education/research/study, designates quarry faces as a Geologic Special Protection Feature, and identifies improvements, including the development of an interpretive facility related to the site volcanic and geologic features, a backpack camp for 12- 16 persons, a park residence, and enlargement of the Main Staging Area to accommodate 60 cars and allow for a bus turn-around and a group gathering place. The interpretive facility, park residence, a gathering area at the interpretive pavilion, and backpack camp have been completed. The existing staging area allows for a bus turn-around, but currently accommodates only 38 parking spaces. The District certified the EIR and adopted the LUDP on September 26, 1985, Resolution 1985-09-281.

2006 Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA) and Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) The 2006 LUPA and MND rescinded the 300-person/60-parking space group camp use from Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve proposed in a 2004 draft LUPA, while retaining the following recommendations that have since been completed: parking along Old Tunnel Road, trail improvements, designation of special protection features, and establishment of park security residence-office.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-6 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

2004 Second Supplemental EIR for the Montanera Project The 2004 Second Supplemental EIR for the Montanera Project (Wilder residential development) provided for an on-site open space area known as the 389-acre area west of the residential development and adjacent to the Preserve sub-area referred to as the Western Hills Open Space Area, a new trailhead at the (former) Art and Garden parking area (referred to herein as the Red- tailed Hawk Staging Area) and the 250-acre Texas parcel (referred to herein as McCosker sub- area) to be transferred to the District. The City of Orinda certified the 2004 Second Supplemental EIR for the Montanera Project on February 5, 2005 with Resolution 13-05. ES.4 Summary of Impacts

Under CEQA Section 15382, a significant impact in the environment is defined as “…a substantial, or potentially substantial, adverse change in any of the physical conditions with the area affected by the Project including land, air, water, minerals, flora, fauna, ambient nice, and objects of historic or aesthetic significance. A social or economic change by itself shall not be considered a significant effect on the environment.”

ES.4.1 Significant Unavoidable Impacts As discussed in Section 3, Project Analysis, build out of the Project would not result in any significant unavoidable impacts with implementation of the mitigations.

ES.4.2 Potential Areas of Known Controversy to the District This draft EIR addresses the areas of environmental sensitivity known to the District, and/or raised by agencies and the public during the scoping process. There are seven primary areas of controversy that have been raised in relation to the Project.

Habitat and Special Status Species The Project area contains habitat for the following federal and State listed species: Pallid manzanita (Federally Threatened, State Endangered); Alameda whipsnake (Federally Threatened, State Threatened, Critical Habitat); and California red-legged frog (Federally Threatened). There are concerns that implementation of the Project would impact the designated critical habitat for these species. Section 3.4, Biological Resources, contains mitigation measures that would reduce potentially significant impacts to plants and/or wildlife that may occur from the implementation of the Project to below the level of significance.

Trail Demand There is a demand for multi-use trails to accommodate the variety of uses within the Project area including hiking, equestrian, cyclist, and dog walking. Currently, there are few narrow, natural surface trails and a lack of trails generally that provide connectivity for mountain bike cyclists within the Project area. Chapter 2.0 Project Description, includes components for designating trails and roadways for the variety of uses, including development of narrow, natural surface, multi-use trails. Section 3.4, Biological Resources evaluates potential impacts to plants and wildlife and provides mitigation measures that would reduce the potentially significant impacts

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-7 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

that may occur from the implementation of the Project to below the level of significance. Section 3.14, Public Services, Section 3.15, Recreation and Section 3.16, Transportation and Traffic discuss trail uses and bicycle, pedestrian and transit facilities within and connecting to the Project area that would enhance trail system connectivity and serve to distribute use over the Project area and provide mitigation measures that would reduce the potentially significant impacts that may occur from the implementation of the Project to below the level of significance

Trail Uses Trails adjoining the Project area contain varying use designations ranging from hiker-only to fully multi-use accommodating hiking, cycling, equestrian use, and dog-walking. Issues have been raised relative to providing trail trips that provide continuity when traveling from one area to another, as well as concerns that various trails uses may conflict with each other, and/or with policies of the adjoining lands. Chapter 2.0, Project Description, includes components for designating trails and roadways for the variety of uses, including development of narrow, natural surface, multi-use trails. Section 3.4, Biological Resources, Section 3.14, Public Services, Section 3.15, Recreation and Section 3.16, Transportation and Traffic evaluate potential impacts relating to trail uses and provides mitigation measures that would reduce the potentially significant impacts that may occur from the implementation of the Project to below the level of significance.

Over Development There are issues raised concerning overdeveloping the recreation development area within the McCosker sub-area. Chapter 2.0, Project Description, provides a description of the development as being limited to previously disturbed areas and contained within Recreation/Staging Units that make up approximately one percent of the parkland area consistent with the District designation of a Regional Preserve. This Chapter also illustrates how program elements can be combined, parking can be screened, and access can be controlled along restored creek channels to minimize the area that would be developed for recreation, while providing design features, posted regulations, and permitted recreation uses in some areas to control use. Section 3.4, Biological Resources; Section 3.8, Hazards and Hazardous Materials; Section 3.14, Public Services; Section 3.15, Recreation; and 3.16, Transportation and Traffic evaluate potential impacts relating to the development of recreation facilities and provides mitigation measures that would reduce the potentially significant impacts that may occur from the implementation of the Project to below the level of significance.

Fire Hazards There are issues raised concerning fire hazards associated with development of a destination recreation area that includes camping within the McCosker sub-area. Chapter 2.0, Project Description, provides a description of precautionary design features and fuel management programs for minimizing fire hazards. Section 3.14, Public Services, and Section 3.8, Hazards and Hazardous Materials describe staffing and procedures already in place to monitor public use, minimize potentially hazardous situations, and respond to emergencies. These sections, along with Section 3.6, Geology and Soils and Section 3.9, Hydrology and Water Quality evaluate potential impacts relating to the development of recreation facilities and provide mitigation

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-8 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

measures that would reduce the potentially significant impacts that may occur from the implementation of the Project to below the level of significance.

Water Quality There are issues raised concerning water quality and sediment transport associated with development of the McCosker sub-area. Chapter 2.0, Project Description, provides a description of design features for restoring tributaries that contribute flows into San Leandro Creek that have largely been filled and culverted and are now deteriorating. Section 3.6, Geology and Soils and Section 3.9, Hydrology and Water Quality describe procedures that would be put in place in place in accordance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program to protect water quality during and post construction that would reduce the potentially significant impacts that may occur from the implementation of the Project to below the level of significance.

Traffic Safety There are issues raised concerning traffic and visitor and community safety around the Project area. Chapter 2.0, Project Description, describes components for creating a safer environment, which include restricting parking along roadways near staging areas where visibility is restricted, dispersing use, adding parking, and encouraging use of alternative modes transportation where feasible and appropriate to reduce congestion that could result from a single point of entry. Installation of wayfinding signs is also recommended to identify a clear path of arrival to the various entry points. Section 3.16, Transportation and Traffic evaluates potential impacts relating to traffic safety relative to implementing the Project.

ES.4.3 Potential Impacts Found Not to be Significant In the analysis undertaken to develop this Draft EIR set forth in Section 3.0, Project Analysis, the District determined that there are several environmental issue areas pursuant to CEQA that are not expected to have significant impacts resulting from implementation of the Project. These issue areas are agricultural resources, land use and planning, mineral resources, and population and housing. These issues are briefly described below.

Agriculture and Forestry Resources The zoning for the Project area does not include any agricultural uses, and surrounding land use does not include farmland. No prime farmland, unique farmland, or farmland of statewide importance is present. Therefore, no significant impacts on agricultural resources are anticipated.

Land Use and Planning The Project would not divide or disrupt the physical arrangement of an established community; neither would it produce a significant impact on applicable land use plans or policies adopted by state and federal agencies. Implementation of the Project would result in the District assuming responsibility for management of the established Western Hills Open Space Conservation Easement in accordance with the 2004 Second Supplemental EIR for the Montanera Project, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Opinion, and a Long Term Management Plan previously permitted and approved by environmental regulatory agencies. Improvements within the Project

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-9 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

area would be compliant with pre-approved land use requirements and would not be expected to constitute a substantial alteration of the present or planned land use for the area. Therefore, no significant impacts to land use and planning are anticipated.

Mineral Resources Although extraction of mineral resources has played an important historical role of the lands now contained within the Preserve, there are currently no mining activities within the Project area and the Project does not propose any mineral extraction activities in the future. Interpretation of past mineral extraction activities currently covered for the Preserve sub-area would be expanded upon in District interpretive programs and exhibits in the future. Reestablishment of mining operations for the extraction of mineral resources is not a part of the Project. Therefore, no significant impacts to mineral resources are expected.

Population and Housing The Project elements would be wholly contained within District lands and would result in implementation of restoration, conservation and recreation activities that are consistent with the District Master Plan. These activities are not expected to impact population and housing growth in the area. No new residential homes are planned as a part of the Project. The Project site is contained within existing designated open space boundaries. As such, implementation of the Project would not be expected to displace housing. Improvements within the Project area would not be expected to affect existing housing or create demand for additional housing. Therefore, no significant impacts to population and housing are anticipated.

ES.4.4 Potential Project Impacts Implementation of the Project has the potential to result in adverse environmental impacts. If an impact is significant, CEQA requires feasible measures to minimize the impact. Mitigation of significant impacts must lessen or eliminate the physical impact that the project will have on the resource. CEQA requires that all feasible mitigation be undertaken, even if it does not reduce impacts to a less than significant level of impact CCR Title 14(3) §15126.4 (a)(1).

Potential significant impacts were identified for the following environmental topics: aesthetics, air quality, biological resources, cultural resources-cultural tribal resources, geology and soils, greenhouse gases, hazards and hazardous materials, hydrology and water quality, noise, public services, recreation, traffic and transportation, and utilities and service systems. The analysis undertaken in support of this draft EIR has determined that impacts for these topic areas are less than significant or could be mitigated to below the threshold of significance.

Table ES-1, Summary of Impacts and Mitigation Measures, presents potentially significant impacts related to each issue area analyzed that would be expected to result from implementation of the Project. This table also presents mitigation measures and level of significance after mitigation for each issue area analyzed in the draft EIR.

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Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-10 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

TABLE ES-1 SUMMARY OF IMPACTS AND MITIGATIONS

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation

AESTHETICS Impact AES-3: Visual Quality S Mitigation Measure AES-3-1: Recreation/Stating Area Units - Grading Plans LTS and Character Prior to completion of final plans and specifications for improvements in the Recreation/Staging Units, the District Project improvements could shall review the grading plans to ensure that the new grades will minimize impacts on the surrounding environment. substantially alter the existing During construction grading techniques shall be employed to create natural appearing landforms and avoid visual character or quality of the excessive contrast between graded areas and existing surroundings. Completion of this measure shall be site and its surroundings. monitored and enforced by the District. Mitigation Measure AES-3-2: McCosker Sub-area - Site Structure Design The District shall require that new structures in the McCosker sub-area be finished in unobtrusive colors and materials that fit with the natural character of the surrounding area, as a means of minimizing potential effects to the visual characteristics of the site. Prior to completion of final plans and specifications, the District shall review these documents to ensure that new structures are designed to blend in with their surroundings to the extent practicable. Completion of this measure shall be monitored and enforced by the District. Mitigation Measure AES-3-3: Project-wide - Construction Staging The District shall require construction contractors to stage construction vehicles and equipment in designated staging areas outside the view area of the Pinehurst Road when not in use. Vehicles shall be kept clean and free of mud and dust before leaving the Project site (Refer to Measure Air-2). Completion of this measure shall be monitored and enforced by the District. Also Refer to Mitigation Measure BIO2-b: Project-wide: Habitat Mitigation and Monitoring to Mitigate for Temporary Impacts to Riparian Habitat AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY RESOURCES

There are no impacts related to Agriculture and Forestry Resources. AIR QUALITY Impact AIR-2: Generate Air S Mitigation Measure AIR-2-1: Project-wide - Basic Construction Mitigation Measures LTS Pollutant Emissions The EBRPD and project contractor shall implement the Basic Construction Mitigation Measures during construction Project construction would activities as follows: generate air pollutant emissions • All exposed surfaces (e.g., parking areas, staging areas, soil piles, graded areas, and unpaved access roads) that could violate air quality shall be watered two times per day. standards. • All haul trucks transporting soil, sand, or other loose material off-site shall be covered. • All visible mud or dirt tracked-out onto adjacent public roads shall be removed using wet power vacuum street sweepers at least once per day. The use of dry power sweeping is prohibited. • All vehicle speeds on unpaved roads shall be limited to 15 mph. • All roadways and driveways to be paved shall be completed as soon as possible. Building pads shall be laid as soon as possible after grading unless seeding or soil binders are used.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-11 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation • Idling times shall be minimized either by shutting equipment off when not in use or reducing the maximum idling time to 5 minutes (as required by the California airborne toxics control measure Title 13, Section 2485 of California Code of Regulations [CCR]). Clear signage shall be provided for construction workers at all access points. • All construction equipment shall be maintained and properly tuned in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications. All equipment shall be checked by a certified mechanic and determined to be running in proper condition prior to operation. • Post a publicly visible sign with the telephone number and person to contact at the EBRPD regarding dust complaints. This person shall respond and take corrective action within 48 hours. The BAAQMD’s phone number shall also be visible to ensure compliance with applicable regulations. BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES Impact BIO-1: Habitat S Mitigation Measure BIO-1a - Project-wide: General Conservation Measures to Protect Habitat Quality for All LTS Modifications Special-status Species. The Project could have a The District’s construction contractor(s) shall implement the following general avoidance and minimization substantial adverse effect, measures to protect federally listed species and their habitats during construction: either directly or through habitat • Before starting ground disturbing activities within construction sites and along each part of the proposed trail modifications, on any species routes, the District shall clearly delineate the boundaries of the construction area with fencing, stakes, or flags. identified as a candidate, Contractors shall be required to restrict all construction-related activities to within the fenced, staked, or flagged sensitive, or special status areas. Contractors shall maintain all fencing, stakes, and flags until the completion of construction-related species in local or regional activities in that area. plans, policies, or regulations, or by the California Department • Prior to construction, Lead Biologist shall oversee the delineation of the habitat of the CRLF and AWS within of Fish and Wildlife or U.S. Fish the construction sites with posted signs, posting stakes, flags, and/or rope or cord, and place fencing as and Wildlife Service. necessary to minimize the disturbance of CRLF and AWS and pallid manzanita habitat. Sensitive habitat areas, including CRLF and AWS habitat and known populations, and jurisdictional waters, shall be clearly indicated on the Project plans. • To prevent CRLF and AWS from moving through the construction area, the District or its contractors would install temporary wildlife exclusion fencing in the McCosker sub-area and the Preserve Sub-area (i.e., Sibley parking expansion). Final fence design and location shall be determined in consultation with USFWS and CDFW. • Where wildlife exclusion fencing is not installed and ground disturbing activity is occurring (e.g., trail construction), the Lead Biologist will clear the area prior to the start of ground disturbing activity. • A USFWS-approved biological monitor would be on-site during installation of the fencing to relocate (as authorized in the Biological Opinion) any CRLF or AWS outside the construction area. The fencing shall be inspected by the qualified biological monitor on a daily basis during construction activities to ensure fence integrity. Any needed repairs to the fence shall be performed on the day of their discovery. After construction has been completed, the exclusion fencing would be removed within 72 hours. • Any construction-related disturbance outside of these boundaries, including driving, parking, temporary access, sampling or testing, or storage of materials, shall be prohibited without explicit approval of the Lead Biologist. New access driveways shall not extend beyond the delineated construction work area boundary. Construction vehicles shall pass and turn around only within the delineated construction work area boundary or local road network. Where new access is required outside of existing roads or the construction work area, the route shall

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-12 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation be clearly marked (i.e., flagged and/or staked) prior to being used, subject to review and approval of the Lead Biologist. • Excavated soils shall be stockpiled in disturbed areas lacking native vegetation. • All detected erosion caused by Project-related impacts (i.e., grading or clearing for new roads) shall be remedied immediately upon discovery. • The introduction of exotic plant species shall be avoided first through prevention, followed by physical or chemical methods. Construction equipment shall arrive at the Project area free of soil, seed, and vegetative debris to reduce the likelihood of introducing new weed species. Weed-free rice straw or other certified weed- free straw shall be used for erosion control. All earth-moving equipment, gravel, fill, or other materials will be weed-free. Construction operators will ensure that clothing, footwear, and equipment used during construction is free of soil, seeds, vegetative matter or other debris or seed-bearing material before entering the park or from an area with known infestations of invasive plants and noxious weeds. Weed populations introduced into the site during construction shall be eliminated by chemical and/or mechanical means approved by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). • Use of herbicides as vegetation control measures shall be used only when mechanical means have been deemed ineffective. All uses of such herbicidal compounds shall observe label and other restrictions mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, California Department of Food and Agriculture, and state and federal legislation as well as additional Project-related restrictions deemed necessary by the CDFW and/or USFWS. No rodenticides shall be used. • The introduction of soil-borne pathogens shall be avoided by following the District’s Pathogen Controls Best Management Practices, described in Section 3.4.1 Regulatory Framework. • If federal listed wildlife species are found on the site during Project construction, construction activities shall cease in the vicinity of the animal until the animal moves on its own outside of the Project area (if possible). The wildlife resource agency(ies) with jurisdiction over the species shall be consulted regarding any additional avoidance, minimization, or mitigation measures that may be necessary if the animal does not move on its own. A report shall be prepared by the Lead Biologist to document the activities of the animal within the site; all fence construction, modification, and repair efforts; and movements of the animal once again outside the exclusion fence. This report shall be submitted to the District and pertinent wildlife agencies with jurisdiction over the wildlife species. • Immediately prior to conducting vegetation removal or grading activities inside fenced exclusion areas, the Lead Biologist or a qualified biologist shall survey within the exclusion area to ensure that no federal or state listed species are present. The Lead Biologist or a qualified biologist shall also monitor vegetation removal or grading activities inside fenced exclusion areas for the presence of federal listed species. • Before steep-walled holes or trenches are filled, they shall be thoroughly inspected for trapped animals. If trapped animals are observed, escape ramps or structures shall be installed immediately to allow escape. If listed species are trapped, the USFWS and/or CDFW, as appropriate, shall be contacted to determine the appropriate method for relocation. • All construction pipes, culverts, or similar structures that are stored at a construction site for one or more overnight periods and with a diameter of 4 inches or more shall be inspected for federal listed species before the pipe is subsequently buried, capped, or otherwise used or moved in any way. If a listed species is discovered inside a pipe, that section of pipe shall not be moved until the appropriate resource agency, with jurisdiction over that species, has been consulted to determine the appropriate method for relocation. If necessary, under the direct supervision of the biologist, the pipe may be moved once to remove it from the path of construction activity until the animal has escaped.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-13 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation • All vehicles and equipment shall be in proper working condition to ensure that there is no potential for fugitive emissions of motor oil, antifreeze, hydraulic fluid, grease, or other hazardous materials. Contractor equipment shall be checked for leaks prior to operation and repaired when leaks are detected. Fuel containers shall be stored within appropriately-sized secondary containment barriers. The Lead Biologist shall be informed of any hazardous spills within 24 hours of the incident. Hazardous spills shall be immediately cleaned up and the contaminated soil shall be properly disposed of at a licensed facility. If vehicle or equipment maintenance is necessary, it would be performed in the designated staging areas. • All temporarily disturbed areas shall be returned to pre-project conditions or better. • Project-related vehicles would observe a 15-mile-per-hour speed limit on unpaved roads within the limits of construction. Mitigation Measure BIO-1b: Project-wide: Avoidance, Minimization, and Compensation for Impacts to Special-Status Plants. The District will implement measures to avoid and minimize potential adverse effects on special status plants. Prior to conducting work and during work, the following measures will be implemented. • A complete botanical survey of the action area will be completed using the Service's Guidelines for Conducting and Reporting Botanical Inventories for Federally listed, Proposed and Candidate Plants (USFWS, 2000) and CDFW Guidelines for Assessing the Effects of Proposed Projects on Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants and Natural Communities (CDFG, 2000). Surveys shall maximize the likelihood of locating special-status species, be floristic in nature, include areas of potential indirect impacts, be conducted in the field at the time of year when species are both evident and identifiable, and be replicated and spaced throughout the growing season to accurately determine what plants exist on the site. The purpose of these surveys will be to identify the locations of special-status plants. The extent of mitigation of direct loss of or indirect impacts on special- status plants will be based on these survey results. • Locations of special-status plants in proposed construction areas will be recorded using a global positioning system (GPS) unit, and flagged in the field. The GPS data will be used to create digital and hardcopy maps for distribution to construction inspectors and contractors to inform them of areas where disturbance is prohibited. • If initial screening by a Service-approved biologist identifies the potential for special­ status plant species to be directly or indirectly affected by a specific project, the biologist will establish an adequate buffer area to exclude activities that would directly remove or alter the habitat of an identified special-status plant population or result in indirect adverse effects on the species. • Access may be restricted around special-status plant populations through appropriate management plans. This may include signage, buffers, seasonal restrictions, and design or no access, depending on the sensitive species in question. • The Project proponents will oversee installation of a temporary, plastic mesh-type construction fence (Tensor Polygrid or equivalent) at least 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall around any established buffer areas to prevent encroachment by construction vehicles and personnel. A Service-approved biologist will determine the exact location of the fencing. The fencing will be strung tightly on posts set at maximum intervals of 10 feet (3 meters) and will be checked and maintained weekly until all construction is complete. The buffer zone established by the fencing will be marked by signs prohibiting disturbance of special status plants. • No grading, clearing, storage of equipment or machinery, or other disturbance or construction activity will occur until all temporary construction fencing has been installed by the District, and inspected and approved by the qualified biologist.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-14 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation • Any special-status species observed during surveys will be reported to the Service and CDFW so observations can be added to the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB). • If avoidance is not feasible, rare plants and their seeds shall be salvaged and relocated, and habitat restoration shall be provided to replace any destroyed special-status plant occurrences at a minimum 1:1 ratio based on area of lost habitat. Compensation for loss of special-status plant populations may include the restoration or enhancement of temporarily impacted areas, and management of restored areas. Restoration or reintroduction may be located on-site (i.e., within the project footprint) or at a nearby suitable off-site area. At a minimum, the restoration areas shall meet the following performance standards by the fifth year: ˗ The compensation area shall be at least the same size as the impact area. ˗ Native vegetation cover shall comprise at least 70 percent of the vegetation cover in the impact area. ˗ Monitoring shall demonstrate the continued presence of rare plants in the restoration area. ˗ Invasive species cover shall be less than or equal to the invasive species cover in the impact area. Additionally, restored populations shall have greater than the number of individuals of the impacted population, in an area greater than or equal to the size of the impacted population, for at least three (3) consecutive years. Mitigation Measure BIO-1c: Project-wide: California Red-legged Frog Avoidance and Minimization Measures. The District will implement measures to avoid and minimize potential adverse effects to California red-legged frog (CRLF) within suitable habitat for this species (scrub, grassland, oak woodland, mixed woodland, riparian woodland, eucalyptus woodland and ruderal and agricultural/ornamental habitat). Prior to conducting work and during work, the following measures will be implemented. • Instream disturbances shall be performed during the dry season when McCosker Stream flows are minimal (e.g., May 15 to October 15). • A qualified biologist shall perform a preconstruction survey of the Project area prior to construction to determine whether CRLF or other special status species are present in work areas. General minimum qualifications for the qualified biologist are a 4-year degree in biological sciences or other appropriate training and/or experience in surveying, identifying, and handling CRLF. • If special-status wildlife species are known to occur in the Project area, immediately prior to the start of work each day, a qualified biologist will conduct a visual inspection of the construction zone and adjacent areas, as appropriate. If a special-status wildlife species is found on the Project site, work in the vicinity will be delayed until the species moves out of the site on its own, or is relocated by a qualified biologist with permission from the wildlife agencies. • In construction areas containing CRLF or other special status species habitat, a qualified biological monitor shall perform periodic inspections of the Project site to verify the absence of CRLF and other special status species. • If a CRLF is located, work shall cease in the immediate area and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service shall be notified before work is reinitiated. Additional measures including fulltime or spot check biological monitoring and/or exclusion measures for CRLF may be implemented during the remainder of construction following consultation with the Service. • The USFWS-approved biologist will remove and destroy from within the Project area any individuals of non- native species, such as bullfrog, crawfish, and cetrarchid fishes, to the maximum extent possible.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-15 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation

Mitigation Measure BIO-1d: Project-Wide: Alameda Whipsnake Avoidance and Minimization Measures The District will implement measures to avoid and minimize potential adverse effects to Alameda whipsnake (AWS) within suitable habitat for this species (scrub, grassland, oak woodland, mixed woodland, riparian woodland, and ruderal and agricultural/ornamental habitat). The District will develop and implement an AWS protection and monitoring plan, to be approved by the USFWS during informal consultation under FESA. The following protective measures will be included: • The District shall provide the names and credentials of a biologist qualified to act as a construction monitor to USFWS for approval at least 15 days prior to commencement of work. • The USFWS-approved biologist will survey the site two weeks prior to the onset of work activities and immediately prior to commencing work. If AWS is found, work in the vicinity will be delayed until the species moves out of the site on its own, or the approved biologist will contact the USFWS to determine whether relocating the species is appropriate. • Ground disturbing work shall be performed during the period when AWS are active, April 1 to October 31, to minimize potential impacts to hibernating snakes. • Exclusion fencing will be placed near the grading limit for the duration of the grading and construction, and removed within 72 hours of completion of work, to prevent AWS from entering the Project site. • No monofilament plastic will be used for erosion control. • Sites within AWS habitat will be hand-cleared of vegetation, or a qualified biologist will survey the area immediately prior to equipment clearing • Upland habitats used by AWS will be restored as feasible, and the lost habitat will be compensated according to a ratio agreed upon with wildlife agencies. Mitigation Measure BIO-1e: Project-Wide: Prepare and Implement a Revegetation Plan for Temporary Impacts to California Red-legged Frog and Alameda Whipsnake Habitat. To restore temporarily impacted habitat for California Red-legged Frog (CRLF) and Alameda Whipsnake (AWS), the District shall prepare and implement a Revegetation Plan (Plan) with detailed specifications for minimizing the introduction of invasive weeds and restoring all temporarily disturbed areas, and shall ensure that the contractor successfully implements the Plan. The Plan shall indicate the best time of year for seeding to occur. To facilitate preparation of the Plan, the District shall ensure that, prior to construction, a botanist (experienced in identifying sensitive plant species in the Project area) performs additional preconstruction surveys of the areas to collect more detailed baseline vegetation composition data, including species occurrence, vegetation characterization (tree diameter size, etc.), and percent cover of plant species. Photo documentation shall be used to show pre-project conditions. The HMMP shall outline measures to restore, improve, or re-establish upland habitat for CRLF/AWS on the site, and shall include the following elements: 1. Name and contact information for the property owner of the land on which the mitigation will take place. 2. Identification of the water source for supplemental irrigation, if needed. 3. Identification of depth to groundwater. 4. Topsoil salvage and storage methods for areas that support special-status plants. 5. Site preparation guidelines to prepare for planting, including coarse and fine grading.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-16 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation 6. Plant material procurement, including assessment of risk of introduction of plant pathogens through use of nursery-grown container stock vs. collection and propagation of site-specific plant materials, or use of seeds. 7. Planting plan outlining species selection, planting locations and spacing, for each vegetation type to be restored. 8. Planting methods, including containers, hydroseed or hydromulch, weed barriers and cages, as needed. 9. Soil amendment recommendations, if needed. 10. Irrigation plan, with proposed rates (in gallons per minute), schedule (i.e. recurrence interval), and seasonal guidelines for watering 11. Site protection plan to prevent unauthorized access, accidental damage and vandalism 12. Weeding and other vegetation maintenance tasks and schedule, with specific thresholds for acceptance of invasive species 13. Performance standards by which successful completion of mitigation can be assessed in comparison to a relevant baseline or reference site, and by which remedial actions will be triggered; 14. Success criteria, which at a minimum require the restoration or compensation sites meet the following performance standards by the fifth year following restoration, as outlined in Table 3.4-8: • Temporarily impacted areas are returned to pre-project conditions or greater • Native vegetation cover shall be at least 70 percent of baseline/impact area native vegetation cover • No more cover by invasive species than the baseline/impact area 15. Monitoring methods and schedule. 16. Reporting requirements and schedule. 17. Adaptive management and corrective actions to achieve the established success criteria. 18. Educational outreach program to inform operations and maintenance departments of local land management and utility agencies of the mitigation purpose of restored areas to prevent accidental damages.

TABLE 3.4-8 MINIMUM SUCCESS CRITERIA FOR VEGETATION RESTORATION

Parameter Field Indicator/Measurement

Vegetative Non-native Grassland, Coyote Brush Scrub, Riparian Woodland, Mixed Woodland, Cover Ruderal, Agricultural/Ornamental: 70 percent relative cover (relative cover is cover compared with baseline) of typical native and naturalized species known from the McCosker region by the end of the fifth monitoring year. Individual Native Trees: 65 percent survivorship by the fifth monitoring year. Invasive At the end of the fifth monitoring year, a restoration area shall have no more cover by Species invasive species than the baseline. Invasive plant species shall be defined as any high-level species on the California Invasive Plant Council Inventory.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-17 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation

Mitigation Measure 1f: Project-wide: Avoid and Minimize Impacts to Nesting Migratory Birds and Raptors. All construction activity associated with restoration and development of recreational infrastructure will avoid take of migratory birds and their eggs and nests, including golden eagles and other raptors, according to the restrictions of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Project activities will not remove any trees during nesting season (February 1 through July 31) unless first inspected by a qualified biologist and determined to be lacking active nests. Preconstruction nesting surveys shall be conducted during nesting season within 14 days of the start of construction activities. If pre-construction surveys identify nesting birds, construction activities near these trees will not commence until the young have fledged, as determined by a qualified biologist. A suitable avoidance buffer will be determined in consultation with CDFW, depending on the species of nesting bird. Completion of this measure shall be monitored and enforced by the District. Mitigation Measure BIO-1g: Project-Wide: Avoid and Minimize Impacts to Dusky-footed Woodrat. A USFWS-approved biologist will conduct a preconstruction survey for San Francisco dusky-footed woodrats and other species that may be inhabiting woodrat nests no more than 24 hours before construction in suitable habitat and will be onsite during construction activities in potential habitat to ensure that woodrats and their nests encountered during construction are avoided. To the greatest extent practicable, no vegetation should be removed within 5 meters (16.4 feet) of the perimeter of a woodrat den to provide full natural cover in the area directly adjacent to the den. Where it is necessary to remove vegetation within a radius of 5 to 15 meters (woodrat core area territory), clear cutting in this area shall be avoided, but some thinning of vegetation may proceed. Fifty-five percent of the woody understory and a minimum of 60 percent of the woody overstory shall be retained. Completion of this measure shall be monitored and enforced by the District. Mitigation Measure BIO-1h: McCosker Sub-area: Avoid and Minimize Impacts to Special-status Bat Species. In advance of tree and structure removal, a preconstruction survey for special-status bats shall be conducted by a qualified biologist to characterize potential bat habitat and identify active roost sites within the Project site. Should potential roosting habitat or active bat roosts be found in trees and/or structures to be removed under the project, the following measures shall be implemented: • Removal of trees and structures shall occur when bats are active, approximately between the periods of March 1 to April 15 and August 15 to October 15, and outside of bat maternity roosting season (approximately April 15 – August 31) and outside of months of winter torpor (approximately October 15 – February 28), to the extent feasible. • If removal of trees and structures during the periods when bats are active is not feasible and active bat roosts being used for maternity or hibernation purposes are found on or in the immediate vicinity of the Project site where tree and structure removal is planned, a no-disturbance buffer of 100 feet shall be established around these roost sites until they are determined to be no longer active by the qualified biologist. • The qualified biologist shall be present during tree and structure removal if active bat roosts, which are not being used for maternity or hibernation purposes, are present. Trees and structures with active roosts shall be removed only when no rain is occurring or is forecast to occur for three days and when daytime temperatures are at least 50°F. • Removal of trees with active or potentially active roost sites shall follow a two-step removal process: 1. On the first day of tree removal and under supervision of the qualified biologist, branches and limbs not containing cavities or fissures in which bats could roost, shall be cut only using chainsaws. 2. On the following day and under the supervision of the qualified biologist, the remainder of the tree may be removed, either using chainsaws or other equipment (e.g. excavator or backhoe).

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-18 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation • Removal of structures containing or suspected to contain active bat roosts, which are not being used for maternity or hibernation purposes, shall be dismantled under the supervision of the qualified biologist in the evening and after bats have emerged from the roost to forage. Structures shall be partially dismantled to significantly change the roost conditions, causing bats to abandon and not return to the roost. Mitigation Measure BIO-1i: McCosker Sub-area - Avoid and Minimize Impacts to Fish If worksites require dewatering, fish shall be captured and relocated to avoid injury and mortality and minimize disturbance during the construction season. The following guidelines shall apply: • The District shall consult with CDFW to provide preservation and avoidance measures commensurate with the CDFW standards. • Prior to and during the initiation of construction activities, a qualified CDFW-approved biologist and other approved fisheries biologists shall be present during installation and removal of clear-water creek diversions. • For sites that require flow diversion and exclusion, the work area will be blocked by placing fine-meshed nets or screens above and below the work area to prevent state or federally listed species from re-entering the work area. To minimize entanglement, mesh diameter will not exceed 5 mm. The bottom edge of the net or screen will be secured to the channel bed to prevent fish from passing under the screen and avoid scour by flow. Exclusion screening will be placed in low velocity areas to minimize impingement. Screens will be checked weekly and cleaned of debris to permit free flow of water. • Before removal and relocation begins, the qualified fisheries biologist will identify the most appropriate release location(s). In general, release locations should have water temperatures similar to (<3.6°F difference) the capture location and offer ample habitat (e.g., depth, velocity, cover, connectivity) for released fish, and should be selected to minimize the likelihood of reentering the work area or becoming impinged on exclusion nets or screens. • The means of capture will depend on the nature of the work site, and will be selected by a qualified fisheries biologist. Complex stream habitat may require the use of electrofishing equipment (e.g., Smith-root LR-24 backpack electrofisher), whereas in outlet pools, aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates may be captured by pumping down the pool and then seining or dipnetting. Electrofishing will be used only as a last resort. • When feasible, initial fish relocation efforts will be performed several days prior to the scheduled start of construction. To the extent feasible, flow diversions and species relocation will be performed during morning periods. The fisheries biologist will survey the flow exclosures throughout the diversion effort to verify that no state or federally listed fish or aquatic invertebrates are present. Afternoon pumping activities should generally not occur and pumping should be limited to days when ambient air temperatures are not expected to exceed the limits allowed by NMFS guidelines. Air and water temperatures will be measured periodically, and flow diversion and species relocation activities will be suspended if temperatures exceed the limits allowed by NMFS guidelines. • Handling of fish and aquatic invertebrates will be minimized. When handling is necessary, personnel will wet hands or nets before touching them. • Prior to translocation, fish that are collected during surveys will be temporarily held in cool, aerated, shaded water using a five-gallon container with a lid. Overcrowding in containers will be avoided; at least two containers will be used and no more than 25 fish will be kept in each bucket. Aeration will be provided with a battery-powered external bubbler. Fish will be protected from jostling and noise, and will not be removed from the container until the time of release. A thermometer will be placed in each holding container and partial water changes will be conducted as necessary to maintain a stable water temperature. Fish will not be held more

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-19 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation than 30 minutes. If water temperature reaches or exceeds NMFS limits, the fish and other aquatic species will be released and relocation operations will cease. • If mortality during relocation exceeds three percent, relocation will cease and CDFW will be contacted as soon as feasible. Mitigation Measure BIO-1j: Preserve Sub-area Eucalyptus Woodland: Avoidance and Protection of Overwintering Monarch Butterfly Colonies. Construction activities in and around potential butterfly overwintering sites shall occur outside of the overwintering season (November 1 to March 31), to the greatest extent feasible, to avoid potential impacts on monarch butterfly overwintering habitat. However, when it is not feasible to avoid the overwintering season and construction activities take place during this time, the following measures shall apply: • Preconstruction surveys shall be conducted for overwintering monarch butterfly sites within 100 feet of the construction areas. • Surveys for overwintering aggregations of monarch butterflies shall be conducted over the winter season (November to first week of March) prior to construction activities. A minimum of two surveys shall be conducted: one during Thanksgiving week and the other during the week of January 1. Surveys shall follow survey methods specified by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation (Xerces, 2004). • If an active overwintering site is located, work activities shall be delayed within 100 feet of the site location until avoidance measures have been implemented. Appropriate avoidance measures shall include the following measures (which may be modified as a result of consultation with the CDFW to provide equally effective measures): ˗ If the qualified wildlife biologist determines that construction activities would not affect an active overwintering site, activities may proceed without restriction. ˗ A no-disturbance buffer may be established around the overwintering site to avoid disturbance or destruction until after the overwintering. The extent of the no-disturbance buffers shall be determined by a qualified wildlife biologist in consultation with the CDFW. ˗ Throughout the year, the District shall avoid removing or trimming trees utilized by monarch butterflies or trees adjacent to the winter roost to prevent indirect changes to the humidity, wind exposure, and temperature within the immediate vicinity of the roost site. Any routine tree trimming shall be done between April and August to eliminate the risk of disturbance to monarch colonies, and shall be conducted under the guidance of a qualified monarch butterfly specialist if butterflies have been documented in the Project area. Impact BIO-2: Riparian S Measure BIO-2: Project-wide: Minimize Disturbance to Riparian Habitat LTS Habitat For work occurring adjacent to riparian habitat, riparian areas shall be clearly delineated with flagging by a qualified The Project could have a biologist. Riparian areas shall be separated and protected from the work area through silt fencing, amphibian- substantial adverse effect on friendly fiber rolls (i.e., no monofilament), or other appropriate erosion control material. Material staging, and all any riparian habitat or other other Project-related activity shall be located as far possible from riparian areas. If riparian areas cannot be sensitive natural community avoided, any temporarily impacted areas shall be restored to pre-construction conditions or better at the end of identified in local or regional construction (see Mitigation Measure BIO-2b: Habitat Mitigation and Monitoring Plan). plans, policies, regulations or Mitigation Measure BIO-2b: Project Wide: Habitat Mitigation and Monitoring to Mitigate for Temporary by the California Department of Impacts to Riparian Habitat Fish and Wildlife or US Fish and Wildlife Service. If temporary disturbance to riparian habitat within the Project area cannot be avoided, the Revegetation Plan (Plan) discussed in Mitigation Measure BIO-1e: Prepare and Implement a Revegetation Plan for Temporary Impacts to California Red-legged Frog and Alameda Whipsnake Habitat, shall be implemented at all riparian habitat

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-20 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation temporarily impacted by construction activities. The Plan shall outline measures to restore, improve, or re-establish riparian habitat on the site.

Impact BIO-3: Wetlands S Mitigation Measure BIO-3a: Project-wide: Avoid and Minimize Impacts to Wetlands and Waters of the U.S. LTS This Project could have a and of the State substantial adverse effect on A jurisdictional wetland delineation shall be conducted to determine the extent of waters of the U.S. and waters of federally protected wetlands as the state within the Project component footprints and anticipated construction disturbance area. defined by Section 404 of the The Project shall be designed to avoid and/or minimize direct impacts on wetlands and/or waters under the Clean Water Act (including, but jurisdiction of the USACE, RWQCB, and CDFW to the extent feasible. not limited to, marsh, vernal pool, coastal, etc.) through Mitigation Measure BIO-3b – Project-wide: Habitat Mitigation and Monitoring to Mitigate for Temporary direct removal, filling, Impacts to Wetlands and Waters of the U.S. and of the State hydrological interruption, or If temporary disturbance to wetland habitat within the Project area cannot be avoided, the Revegetation Plan (Plan) other means. discussed in Mitigation Measure BIO-1e: Prepare and Implement a Revegetation Plan for Temporary Impacts to California Red-legged Frog and Alameda Whipsnake Habitat, shall be implemented at all wetlands or waters of the U.S. or of the State temporarily impacted by construction activities. The Plan shall outline measures to restore, improve, or re-establish wetland habitat on the site. CULTURAL AND TRIBAL RESOURCES Impact CUL-1: S Mitigation Measure CUL-1: Project-wide - Unanticipated Discovery Protocol for Archaeological Resources LTS Archaeological Resources If prehistoric or historic-era archaeological resources are encountered during Project implementation, the District The Project could cause a and/or its contractors shall immediately cease all construction activity within 50 feet of the find and flag off the area substantial adverse change in for avoidance (in accordance with EBRPD Board Resolution No. 1989-4-124 and State law). The District and a the significance of an qualified archaeologist, defined as one meeting the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications archaeological resource Standards for Archeology, shall be immediately informed of the discovery. The qualified archaeologist shall inspect pursuant to CEQA Guidelines § the find within 24 hours of discovery and notify the District of their initial assessment. Prehistoric archaeological 15064.5 materials might include obsidian and chert flaked-stone tools (e.g., projectile points, knives, scrapers) or toolmaking debris; culturally darkened soil (midden) containing heat-affected rocks, artifacts, or shellfish remains; and stone milling equipment (e.g., mortars, pestles, handstones, or milling slabs); and battered stone tools, such as hammerstones and pitted stones. Historic-era materials might include building or structure footings and walls, and deposits of metal, glass, and/or ceramic refuse. If the District determines, based on recommendations from the qualified archaeologist, that the resource may qualify as a historical resource or unique archaeological resource (as defined in CEQA Guidelines § 15064.5), or a tribal cultural resource (as defined in PRC § 21074), the resource shall be avoided if feasible. Avoidance means that no activities associated with the Project that may affect cultural resources shall occur within the boundaries of the resource or any defined buffer zones. If avoidance is not feasible, the District shall consult with appropriate Native American tribes (if the resource is Native American-related), and other appropriate interested parties to determine treatment measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any potential impacts to the resource pursuant to PRC § 21083.2, and CEQA Guidelines § 15126.4. This shall include documentation of the resource and may include data recovery or other measures. Treatment for most resources would consist of (but would not be not limited to) sample excavation, artifact collection, site documentation, and historical research, with the aim to target the recovery of important scientific data contained in the portion(s) of the significant resource. The resource and treatment method shall be documented in a professional-level technical report to be filed with the California Historical Resources Information System (CHRIS). Work in the area may commence upon completion of approved treatment and under the direction of the qualified archaeologist.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-21 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation Additionally, any such archaeological resources are to be documented in the District’s GIS database (Cultural Site Atlas) and, as practical, the information shall be provided to the CHRIS for a Primary number and/or trinomial. Impact CUL-2: S Mitigation Measure CUL-2a: Project-wide - Paleontological Monitoring and Mitigation Plan LTS Paleontological Resources The Project proponent shall retain a qualified paleontologist, defined as one meeting the standards of the SVP The Project could directly or (2010), to develop and implement a Paleontological Monitoring and Mitigation Plan (PMMP) for the Project. The indirectly destroy a unique PMMP shall include a Worker Environmental Awareness Program (WEAP) to be conducted by the qualified paleontological resource or site paleontologist for all construction crew members involved in Project-related ground-disturbing activities. The PMMP or unique geologic feature. shall also include paleontological monitoring and provisions for the event of fossil discovery. Mitigation Measure CUL-2b: Project-wide - Paleontological Monitoring Full-time paleontological resources monitoring shall be conducted for all ground-disturbing activities occurring in previously undisturbed sediments of geologic units with high paleontological sensitivity. Within the Project area the deeper layers (greater than 2 meters deep) of Alluvium (Qa) and all depths of areas mapped as the Orinda Formation (Tor) and the Monterey Formation (Monterey Shale [Ts] and Sobrante Sandstone [Tso]) have high paleontological sensitivity. Paleontological resources monitoring shall be performed by a qualified paleontological monitor, defined as one meeting the standards of the SVP (2010) under direction of a qualified paleontologist, defined as one meeting the standards of the SVP (2010). Monitors shall have the authority to temporarily halt or divert work away from exposed fossils in order to recover the fossil specimens. Any significant fossils collected during Project-related excavations shall be prepared to the point of identification and curated into an accredited repository with retrievable storage. Monitors shall prepare daily logs detailing the types of activities and soils observed, and any discoveries. The qualified paleontologist shall spot check the excavation on an intermittent basis and recommend whether the frequency or depth of monitoring should be revised based on his/her observations. The qualified paleontologist shall prepare a final monitoring and mitigation report to document the results of the monitoring effort. Mitigation Measure CUL-2c: Project-wide - Unanticipated Discovery Protocol for Fossils If paleontological resources are discovered during activities associated with implementation of the Project, all work within 50 feet of the discovery shall be redirected until the qualified paleontologist, defined as one meeting the standards of the SVP (2010), can assess the significance of the find. The qualified paleontologist shall make recommendations regarding the treatment of the discovery. Project personnel shall not collect or move any paleontological resources. If the paleontological resources are determined to constitute a unique paleontological resource, pursuant to CEQA, the qualified paleontologist shall provide recommendations for the collection and curation of the paleontological resources with an accredited institution, such as the University of California Museum of Paleontology. The qualified paleontologist shall prepare a report documenting evaluation and/or additional treatment of the resource. The report along with related notes, maps, and photographs, shall be filed with the District, Contra Costa County, and the repository. Completion of this measure shall be monitored and enforced by the District. Impact CUL-3: Human S Mitigation Measure CUL-3: Project-wide- Unanticipated Discovery Protocol for Human Remains LTS Remains If human remains are uncovered during Project construction, the District and/or its contractors shall immediately The Project could disturb any halt all work, contact the Contra Costa county coroner to evaluate the remains, and follow the procedures and human remains, outside of protocols set forth in CEQA Guidelines § 15064.5(e)(1). If the county coroner determines that the remains are formal cemeteries Native American, the District and/or its contractors shall contact the NAHC, in accordance with HSC § 7050.5(c), and PRC § 5097.98. Per PRC § 5097.98, the District shall ensure that the immediate vicinity, according to generally accepted cultural or archaeological standards or practices, where the Native American human remains are located is not damaged or disturbed by further development activity until the District and/or its contractor has discussed and

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-22 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation conferred, as prescribed in this section (PRC § 5097.98), with the most likely descendants regarding their recommendations, if applicable, taking into account the possibility of multiple human remains. Impact CUL-4: Tribal Cultural S Mitigation Measures CUL-1 and CUL-3 LTS Resources Impacts would be reduced to a less than significant level with implementation of Mitigation Measures CUL-1 and The Project could uncover an CUL-3 (see discussions for Impacts CUL-1 and CUL-3, above). unknown tribal cultural resource as defined in PRC § 21074 GEOLOGY AND SOILS

With implementation of required NPDES General Construction Activities Permit and District Technical Specifications BMPs there are no significant impacts related to Geology and Soils requiring mitigation. GREENHOUSE GASES GHG-1: LTS Refer to Mitigation Measure AIR-2-1: Project-wide - Basic Construction Mitigation Measures LTS Project construction activities Implementation of the BAAQMD Basic Construction Mitigation Measures, as required by Mitigation Measure AIR-2- would generate approximately 1, above would further reduce greenhouse gas emissions during the construction period to ensure impacts remain

160 metric tons of CO2e. less than significant. HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS Impact HAZ-1: S Mitigation Measure HAZ-1a: McCosker Sub-area - Soil Contaminants LTS Project construction could Potential exposure of construction workers to contaminants in soils during grading and construction in areas of create a significant hazard to McCosker Sub-area shall be minimized through the requirement to test for contaminants and establish and construction workers implement a remediation plan as part of the grading. If contaminated soils are found to be present in the encountering contaminates in construction areas, the District shall complete remediation or treatment prior to the institution of grading. The soils or live utility lines District shall be responsible for notifying all construction contractors undertaking tank removal and grading activities the potential for exposure to contaminated soils and require adherence to all applicable federal, state, and local standards. Mitigation Measure HAZ-1b: Project-wide – Health and Safety Plan All work shall be performed in accordance with a Site Health and Safety Plan that includes: 1) methods to assess risks prior to starting onsite work; 2) procedures for the management and disposal of waste soils generated during construction activities or other activities that might disturb contaminated soil; 3) monitoring requirements; 4) storm water controls; 5) record-keeping; and; emergency response plan. Mitigation Measure HAZ-1c: Project-wide - Utility Avoidance Prior to any excavation activities, the Contractor shall coordinate with a utility line locator to ensure avoidance of utility lines. HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY

With implementation of required NPDES General Construction Activities Permit and District Technical Specifications BMPs there are no significant impacts related to Hydrology and Water Quality requiring mitigation.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-23 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation

LAND USE AND PLANNING

There are no impacts related to Land Use and Planning. MINERAL RESOURCES

There are no impacts related to Mineral Resources. NOISE Impact NOI-4: S Mitigation Measure NOI-1: Project-wide: Basic Construction Mitigation Measures LTS Construction of the Project The Project contractor shall implement the following Best Management Practice measures during construction of could result in a substantial the Project: temporary or periodic increase • Equip all construction equipment, fixed or mobile, with properly operating and maintained mufflers consistent in ambient noise levels in the with manufacturers' standards. project vicinity above levels existing without the project. • Place all stationary construction equipment so that emitted noise is directed away from sensitive receptors nearest the active Project site. • Locate equipment staging in areas that would create the greatest possible distance between construction- related noise sources and noise-sensitive receptors nearest the active project site during all Project construction. • Prohibit extended idling time of internal combustion engines. • The hours of work shall be any 8.5-hour block as mutually agreed upon between the Contractor and the EBRPD between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. No night work shall be permitted. • Designate a "disturbance coordinator" at EBRPD who would be responsible for responding to any local complaints about construction noise. The disturbance coordinator would determine the cause of the noise complaint (e.g., starting too early, bad muffler) and would determine and implement reasonable measures warranted to correct the problem. POPULATION AND HOUSING

There are no impacts related to Population and Housing. PUBLIC SERVICES Impact PUB-1: S Mitigation Measure PUB-1-1: Project-wide - Noticing and Outreach Plan LTS The Project could result in Temporary impacts to recreation uses resulting from temporary closure of existing recreational facilities, including temporary disruption o of park staging areas, trailheads and trails, during: 1) repair and maintenance work in the Preserve sub-area; and 2) services during construction construction of the creek restoration project and development of recreational facilities within the McCosker sub-area activities shall be minimized through advance communication and redirection to the nearest comparable facilities. Noticing and outreach shall include the following components: • The District shall post notices at key access points in the Project area that identify the closure area and provide information on the nature of the closures and the anticipated duration. • Public Affairs staff shall be briefed as to Project construction-related closures and disruptions, such as added noise and dust in a normally tranquil setting, occasional traffic disruptions, or potential reduction in available parking at park staging areas and access points.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-24 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

Significance Significance before with Significant Impact Mitigation Mitigation Measures Mitigation • The District shall provide notice of construction activities on its website as the Project is implemented. • Prior to acceptance of construction documents, the District shall review the plans and specifications ensure that they contain language requiring the construction contractor to post signs at entrances in the Project area at least one month in advance of construction, indicating the construction schedule and alternative recreation facilities (including location and hours of operation) located in the service area that can be used during the construction period. This measure will be monitored and enforced by the District. RECREATION Impact REC-1: S Mitigation Measures AES-3-1, HAZ-1a, HAZ-1b, and HAZ-1c LTS The Project would include the Impacts would be reduced to a less than significant level with implementation of Mitigation Measures AES-3, HAZ- construction and expansion of 1a, HAZ-1b, and HAZ-1c and implementation of required NPDES General Construction Activities Permit and recreational facilities that would District Technical Specifications BMPs (see discussions for Impacts AES-3, HAZ-1a, HAZ-1b, and HAZ-1c above). change the physical the environment TRANSPORTATION AND TRAFFIC

There are no significant impacts related to Transportation and Traffic UTILITIES AND SERVICE SYSTEMS Impact UTI-7: S Mitigation Measure UTL-1: Solid Waste Disposal during Construction LTS Project implementation would Prior to completion of the plans and specifications, the District shall review the plans to ensure that they include a generate a substantive quantity solid waste recovery plan. This recovery plan shall be in compliance with the District’s adopted sustainability policy, of solid waste that would need which is directed minimizing disposal of solid waste generated during construction in accordance with applicable to be deposited at a landfill state and county codes. The recovery plan shall address, at a minimum, recycling of asphalt and concrete paving facility materials, lumber and metal and concrete pipes and tanks, and balancing graded soil on site to the maximum extent feasible.

Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-25 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Executive Summary

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Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve Land Use Plan Amendment ES-26 EBRPD Draft EIR July 2018 Attachment 2 PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE Meeting of July 23, 2018

TO: Parks Advisory Committee STAFF REPORT Ira Bletz, Interpretive and Recreation Services Northwest PREPARED BY: Regional Services Manager Jeremy Saito, Recreation Supervisor

SUBJECT: Community Services and Volunteer Update

Ira Bletz, Interpretive and Recreation Services Northwest Regional Services Manager, and Jeremy Saito, Recreation Supervisor, will provide an update of the District-wide Community Services and Volunteers Program.

The presentation will include a recap of volunteer activities, highlights from 2017, and the introduction of a new pilot program to expand volunteer opportunities for community and corporate groups working with park operations staff in the field.

In 2017, over 24,000 volunteers contributed 168,700 hours for volunteer park activities. That represents a 13% increase in volunteers from 2016, with a 12% increase in hours contributed. Furthermore, District-wide volunteer programs have increased by over 49% in the last five years. Requests for group volunteer projects has also increased by 20% from last year.

To build on the volunteer program’s success and provide more volunteer opportunities, staff held a Volunteer Program Discussion with park supervisors and managers from all the units of the Operations Division and staff from the Regional Parks Foundation. This volunteer summit, held in November 2017, included a brief history of the District’s volunteer program, a volunteer program update, and a brainstorming discussion of ideas to expand volunteer projects for groups.

The result is a new pilot program launched this year to offer volunteer project days within each park unit over the course of the year. This allows for improved coordination of in-park projects between park units, the Community Services and Volunteers Program staff, and interested volunteer groups. Each unit is scheduling volunteer project days throughout the year. Volunteer groups, especially corporate groups, are funneled into these preset projects and dates, optimizing the help of volunteers to best fit the needs of different parks.

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Attachment 3

(revised 7.18.2018)

PAC 2018 WORK PLAN

JAN 22 FEB 26 MAR 26 APR 23 MAY 21 JUN 25 JULY 23 SEP 24 OCT 22 NOV 26 DEC 10

Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Waespi Rosario Corbett Rosario Wieskamp Corbett Lane Coffey ****************** ****************** ****************** ****************** ****************** ****************** ****************** ******************

Climate Action Community Year in Review Measure WW Multi-cultural Renaming of Sibley LUPA Trails Update (I) Goals 2018 (R) 2019 Proposed Holiday Team – Impacts Relations Plan (I) – Doyle Urban Creeks Advisory North Woods (R) - Bondurant - Dougan – Kern, Budget (R) – Dinner – of Climate (I) – Koh, program and Committee Loop Trail (R) – Pfuehler Auker Contra Costa 2018 Change – Johnson Youth update (I) – report Dougan, Review County District’s Employment Rasmussen (I) – Koh Schirmer Volunteer Review Trail Black Diamond Mountain Bikes

Resilience and Community Initiatives (I) - Program (I) – Safety Patrol Mines LUPA and Other PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMMITTEE ADVISORY PARK Sustainability Engagement Walsh Permitting Healthy Parks, CAFR (R) – Kassebaum programs (I) – (R) – Breines Jurisdictions initiatives (I) – update (I) – Challenges Healthy People Auker Gilfillan report (I) – Alvarez, Johnson, Nisbet Prop 68 update (I) – update (I) – Koh Dougan Pfuehler Update (I) – Graul Measure WW Trail User Regional Pfuehler update (I) – Survey (I) – Planning and Infrastructure Measure CC Dog Use Policy Wildfire Hazard Adventure Crew Rasmussen Pfuehler, Funding Study report (I)

Extension (I) – report (R) – Reduction and Program (I) – Dougan Measures (I) – - Rasmussen Pfuehler, Kern, Bueren Resource Zuckerman Measure CC Holt, Pfuehler Baldinger Management Budget and Plan review (I) Spending Concord Hills Legislative – Theile, Graul Plan(R) - LUP (R) - Holt Priorities (I) – Rasmussen Pfuehler, Baldinger VAC-CON (I) – O’Connor, Work Plan (R ) Barrington

– Kern, Buren, Pfuehler

Field Trip - Exec. Comm. Vargas Plateau BBQ Meeting – Exec. Comm. Finance Subcommittee – June 9, 2018 Fern Cottage Subcommittee Subcommittee Work Plan (R) - Goals 2017 (R) 2017 Budget Pfuehler Finance – Pfuehler. (R) - Auker Subcommittee Bueren CAFR (R) - Auker

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Attachment 4

PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE 2018 Status of Recommendations

The following is a record of items, which have come from the PAC during the year beginning January 1, 2018.

1. The PAC recommended moving forward the 2018 PAC Work Plan to the Board for approval. (January 23, 2018)

STATUS: The Board voted to approve the 2018 Park Advisory Committee Goals and Work Plan. (Resolution 2018-01-008)

2. The PAC approved a motion to recommend to the Board of Directors approval of the Dog Use Policy Report. (February 26, 2018)

STATUS: Transmitted to the Executive Committee of the Board.

3. The PAC approved a motion to recommend to the Board of Directors approval of the renaming of the North Woods Loop Trail in Pleasanton Ridge (June 25, 2018)

STATUS: Pending Board approval.

4. The PAC approved a motion to recommend to the Board of Directors approval of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) (June 25, 2018)

STATUS: The Board voted to approve the 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) (2018-07-171)

5. The PAC approved a motion to recommend to the Board of Directors approval of Measure CC Budget and Spending Plan (June 25, 2018)

STATUS: Pending Board approval.

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Attachment 5

ARTICLES & CORRESPONDENCE

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The California Report

Tiny Alameda Beach to Get Funds to Restore Rare Bay Area Sand Dunes

A little more than a quarter-acre of dunes stretches across the shoreline at Encinal Beach. (Joe Sullivan/East Bay Regional Park District)

This is part of our ongoing series about where taxpayer funds from 2016's Measure AA to restore the San Francisco Bay are going. Find all the stories here.

In the city of Alameda, there’s a beach so small you might miss it. In fact, I did when I first tried to find it. All 2 acres of it.

“It's a hidden gem but the locals know it very well,” says Joe Sullivan, program manager for the Encinal Dune Restoration and Shoreline Stabilization Project. “It's a popular fishing spot. And it's also a really popular beach for non-motorized boats.”

Encinal Beach is on the former naval weapons station at Alameda Point. Sullivan says that, back in the day, the Navy built a structure called a breakwater to protect its base from the bay, and in a happy accident, the breakwater created a small beach.

Over the years, this beach formed sand dunes. Sullivan says dunes like these have largely disappeared from the Bay Area because of urbanization.

“There aren’t many little dune areas in the Bay and this is one that happened to be created here,” Sullivan says. “It is obviously a result of human activity, but it's unique.”

This beach is popular with fishermen and kayakers, despite the bay debris that litters the shore. (Joe Sullivan/East Bay Regional Park District)

Thanks to Measure AA, $450,000 will go toward restoring these rare dunes, which are now overrun with invasive ice plants. Sullivan says these plants may look nice, but it doesn’t allow any other vegetation to grow in the area.

“It's good at what it does, which means you get this monoculture of one invasive species,” Sullivan says. “It doesn't provide any beneficial habitat to any wildlife at all.”

Once the dunes are re-established with native plants, the area will be prime habitat for several threatened bird species like the snowy plover, the California least tern and the red knot.

This "diamond in the rough," as Sullivan calls it, will also get a much-needed face-lift. Some aged chain-link fencing, an old rusty barge and general debris — like washed-up creosote logs — will be removed.

And overall access to the beach park will be improved, too, with a new parking lot, an upgraded boat launch platform, signage (no more getting lost trying to find it!) and restrooms.

Concord Naval Weapons Station on list for Trump immigration camp POSTED: 06/23/18, 7:00 PM PDT | UPDATED: 1 DAY AGO | By Tatiana Sanchez, bayareanewsgroup.com

In a proposal that could bring the uproar over President Trump’s controversial “zero tolerance” immigration policy to the Bay Area, the Navy is considering converting a shuttered Concord naval base into a detention facility to hold up to 47,000 immigrants apprehended at the southern border, according to a draft memo obtained Friday by TIME.

The revelation stunned residents in the Contra Costa County community and sent local and federal officials into a frenzy as they tried to track down details on the plan to convert the former Naval Weapons Station that has long been eyed as a development to ease the city’s housing crunch.

The memo under consideration by the Secretary of the Navy listed the Concord base among sites to construct “temporary and austere” tent cities in California, Alabama and Arizona as the Trump administration scrambles to cope with a crisis to house the wave of people being arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border under its recent crackdown on illegal immigration.

U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, who learned of the memo in the TIME report Friday, said he strongly opposes the plan, calling it, “madness.”

“It’s what you get when you have an administration that doesn’t believe in planning or thoughtfulness,” he told this news organization. “Most of the base has been closed for 15 years. We know the infrastructure is nonexistent.”

“You don’t do policy this way,” he added. “This is unprecedented.”

The proposal comes just days after President Trump reversed a controversial policy that separated more than 2,000 children from their parents, many of whom are asking for political asylum in the U.S. to flee violence in Central America. But federal immigration officials are continuing to show “zero tolerance” at the border and instead say they will keep families together in detention until their cases can be heard in immigration court.

Chief Navy Spokesman Capt. Gregory Hicks would not comment on the planning memo to build tent cities, saying on Friday “it would be inappropriate to discuss internal deliberative planning documents.”

In a statement Friday, Department of Defense spokesman Johnny Michael said it is “conducting prudent planning and looking at all available regions should the (Department of Homeland Security) ask for assistance in housing adult illegal immigrants. At this time there has been no request from DHS.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.

Concord Mayor Edi Birsan said Friday he was caught off guard when he learned of the report and spent the afternoon seeking facts from the region’s elected officials in Washington, D.C. “This is so bizarre and a topic that is always in such flux. At first I thought it was fake news,” Birsan said.

City spokeswoman Jennifer Ortega said the city does not have jurisdiction over the federally owned property but said city officials were “very concerned” about the Navy’s possible plans.

The federal government has been in talks with the city for 12 years to transfer the land on Concord’s east side for plans to build 12,200 housing units and 6.1 million square feet of commercial space on about 2,300 acres of the former weapons station property. The East Bay Regional Park District also is slated to receive 2,600 acres for the future Concord Hills Regional Park.

Birsan said he didn’t want to speculate on what a temporary tent city could mean for the city’s transfer plans because the detention facility proposal could “change in four different tweets from now.”

Birsan said “as far as we know,” the base is still federal property. However, he wondered if the Navy proposal may have actually meant the active military facility next door — Military Ocean Terminal Concord.

Regardless, city officials did not welcome the Trump administration’s proposal.

“Last September, the City of Concord passed a resolution affirming (its) commitment to being a welcoming, inclusive, tolerant and supportive community for all,” Ortega said. “We do not feel that a detention center within city limits represents those values.”

The city is working with DeSaulnier and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to gather more information.

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The memo suggested the military will be playing a larger role in the Trump Administration’s effort to continue its hard line at the U.S.-Mexico border, as talks over immigration reform stall on Capitol Hill. Trump turned up the rhetoric Friday, capping a tumultuous week on the issue as he met with families of crime victims of illegal immigrants, inviting them to tell their stories of being “permanently separated from their loved ones.”

The Department of Defense is also studying housing illegal immigrants in tent cities at airfields in Alabama and at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, according to the memo.

As of Friday, there was no evidence that the Department of Homeland Security has sent any children separated from their parents to any Bay Area facilities, though at least one shelter in the Contra Costa County city of Pleasant Hill houses unaccompanied minors.

Members of the Contra Costa County Immigrant Rights Alliance were “very outraged” by news of Friday’s proposal.

“But we aren’t surprised. This is consistent with the track record of the Trump administration’s racist, anti-immigrant agenda,” said Van Nguyen, spokesperson for the alliance. “This is inconsistent with our values of compassion and equality here in California. We need to look at the humanity of all Californians, including immigrants.”

Public meeting set for Wildcat Creek Restoration and Greenway project June 22, 2018 The city of San Pablo plans to provide community members with an update on the developing designs for the Wildcat Creek Restoration and Greenway Project.

The community meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 26, in the Wildcat Community Room of the San Pablo Library, 13751 San Pablo Ave. Spanish translation and snacks will be provided.

The project will restore the creek between Vale Road and Church Lane and provide a Class I shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians.

Construction is estimated to begin in January 2019 and last about a year.

Spanish translation during the presentation will be provided.

San Pablo Library at 13751 San Pablo Ave.

The project, funded through state and local sources, will restore 2,200 linear feet of Wildcat Creek and include refuge areas for fish, a modified floodplain to accommodate larger flow volumes, a widened creek corridor and the re-planting of native plants on the restored bank.

A new right bank slope configuration will help the creek accommodate larger flow volumes and reduce erosion. Water quality will improve by reducing concrete in the creek and installing bioswales to filter water. And the community will be able to enjoy the view of all this from a shared-use bike and walking path that will feature lookouts, benches and tables, and security features such as lighting and cameras.

Construction is estimated to begin in January and last about a year.

The project is being made possible by a contribution of $1.3 million from the California Coastal Conservancy, $1 million from the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, $800,000 from East Bay Regional Park District, and $689,222 from the California Natural Resources Agency.

For more information about the project, go here.

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Imagine the Future San Francisco Bay Shoreline by Zach St. George on June 18, 2018 Resilient By Design teams stand on Cougar Mountain and gaze across San Pablo Bay to the San Francisco skyline in October 2017. (Photo by Karl Nielsen) On October 29,

2012, Hurricane Sandy washed into the eastern United States. The storm killed 191 people, razed much of the Jersey Shore, flooded part of Lower Manhattan, and damaged or destroyed 600,000 homes. All told, it caused something like $65 billion in damages and economic loss. Sea level rise alone wasn’t responsible for the destruction, but sea level rise made it worse.

Since 1900, the world’s oceans have risen about eight inches, due both to thermal expansion of the warming waters and to meltwater from glaciers and the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. The scientists of the United Nations’ International Panel on Climate Change estimated that by the end of this century, the waters might rise another three feet, and quite possibly more than that. Higher water means bigger surges during storms, which push masses of water ahead of them. Surveying Sandy’s wake, federal and state officials realized that rebuilding the coast as it existed before the last storm wouldn’t help prepare it for the next one.

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development launched a contest it titled Rebuild by Design, calling for architects and design firms to pitch their ideas on how to design a more disaster-ready shoreline in New York City and New Jersey, with an eye to protecting particularly impoverished or otherwise disadvantaged communities. Now, five years later, the seven winning project proposals are on their way to real life. One will improve flood protection in Hunts Point in the Bronx; one will create a series of breakwaters offshore of Staten Island; another will reshape the entire southern edge of Lower Manhattan. “Rebuild by Design is leading the way in the development of resilience projects that are not just about brick and mortar,” says New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, quoted in a commemorative book about the project. “They create jobs, promote business and education, and ensure safety in waterfront communities.”

The contest was the kind of feel-good success story that translates well, disaster or no. After Gil Kelley, the then-director of the planning department in San Francisco, attended a conference about the contest, he returned to the Bay Area wondering if the region could pull off a similar contest of its own. So far, the rising Bay’s visible effects are mostly limited to the occasional king-tide flooding at the Ferry Building—but eventually the rising waters would begin to cause real trouble here, too. Maybe a contest like Rebuild by Design could ultimately help make rebuilding unnecessary.

He put Diana Sokolove, another planning department employee, in charge. She began a research campaign about the Bay, talking to various county governments and regional organizations. “I tried to take the temperature of the region,” she says. “Are people ready for this? Do they want it to happen?” They were, and did. The city partnered with the Coastal Conservancy, the Bay Area Regional Collective, the Rockefeller Foundation, and others and hired the Rebuild by Design nonprofit as a consultant. In June 2017, at a conference on the Oakland waterfront, Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf, Berkeley mayor Jesse Arreguín, Richmond mayor Tom Butt, and other local officials gathered to announce the launch of the “Resilient by Design Bay Area Challenge.”

The contest organizers set out ambitious and idealistic goals: Over the next year, ten teams of architects, engineers, and designers would identify ten especially vulnerable sites around the Bay and would propose design solutions. The teams would bear in mind the connections between healthy ecosystems and healthy communities, between sea level rise and social inequity, between displacement in the future and displacement in the present. They would gather input from scientists, economists, politicians, and local community members, and they would design projects that could actually be built. They would raise awareness of climate change and sea level rise, and they would be creative. The new Resilient by Design put out a request for qualifications, and also a request for suggestions from community members about areas for the designers to focus on. It was a heady moment. Schaaf was quoted in a release from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (she is also an MTC commissioner): “Now is the time,” she said, “for cities to rise up, and for regions to collaborate.”

In the prospectus that Resilient by Design sent out, it vaguely dangles prizes. “A generous awards program to honor the winning project(s) is currently in development,” it says, “and will be publicly announced as soon as the details are confirmed.” This was perhaps in lieu of lucrative design contracts, because, as the prospectus also noted, “funding has not been identified for the implementation of these designs.” The East Coast’s Rebuild by Design contestants were vying for a slice of roughly $1 billion in disaster relief funding. “The big difference between this process and Rebuild by Design,” Amanda Brown-Stevens, the managing director of the Resilient by Design nonprofit, told me, “is that we don’t have a huge pot of disaster recovery funds.” After the contest was over, the projects might get built, or they might not.

That uncertainty didn’t seem to deter designers, though. By August, more than 50 teams of designers had applied. The Resilient by Design jury (which included designers, urban planners, policy makers, and scientists) selected 10 teams, with members from the Bay Area, Los Angeles, the East Coast, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark, and elsewhere. The teams submitted their ideas for potential projects, which included artificial lagoons connecting to the Bay, plus lagoonside housing; “hyper-creeks,” which are basically just the creeks that already exist, but rehabilitated; an “infra-cloud,” which is basically just infrastructure except in the cloud, somehow; “micro-deltas,” where creeks (or hyper-creeks) enter the Bay; a new trans-Bay tube from Oakland and Alameda to San Francisco; and many others. Judges matched each team to one “Design Opportunity” out of 10 Bay Area communities or regions for which each would design a polished, final project: Marin City, North Richmond, San Leandro Bay, Alameda Creek, South Bay, South San Francisco, Islais Creek, San Rafael, and San Pablo Bay. The teams would have until May 2018 to come up with one or more projects to improve their location’s resilience and to rally local support, so that the projects would have some chance of continuing after the contest was over. Then they were off.

At the corner of Giaramita Street and Grove Avenue in Richmond, houses on small vacant lots supported by a community land trust would strengthen the North Richmond community, says the Home Team. Lowering the barriers to home ownership helps ensure residents can be involved and invested in responding to climate change. “Home ownership is important for us out here because that’s another way of building community,” says Courtney Moore, Urban Tilth Watershed Program manager and Home Team advisory board member. “It’s something to live for. It’s something you can leave your loved ones, your children.” (Design drawing courtesy The Home Team) In effect, preparing for sea level rise means calling a retreat from the water even before it’s obvious to most people that the battle has started. Our impulse for most of the last 150 years has been to do the exact opposite, to charge forward, to get as close to the water as possible. Once, the Bay was ringed by tidal flats and marshes, but by the late 1990s, little of this original shoreline remained, having been diked or developed, turned to pasture or salt ponds. As of 1979, the original 850 square miles of marsh that ringed the Bay were reduced to just 32 square miles. Discontent with the boundaries nature provided, we’ve even piled up fill in the Bay’s shallow edges, building buildings, treating this stolen space as solid ground. The Bay once covered nearly 800 square miles; it now covers just 550.

But the Bay may reclaim much of its lost territory. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s sea level rise online viewer shows one vision of the future. As you slide the sea-level rise button to one foot above its present level, the space to the west of North Richmond, between Wildcat and San Pablo creeks, is immersed, along with the space north of San Pablo Creek. The sea also nibbles the edges of Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Bruno, Santa Venetia, Novato. At three feet of sea level rise, which is about the median level that the scientists of the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change predict by 2100, the runways at the San Francisco Airport disappear under the water, along with parts of Treasure Island and most of Suisun City. The water approaches Napa, Petaluma, and Martinez; Belvedere Island, at present more of a peninsula, begins to live up to its name. At six feet, which is the maximum shown by the viewer but is still less than the most extreme projections of sea level rise by the end of the century, the water has reached Richmond Parkway. It’s flooded large swaths of West Oakland and Alameda, the Oakland Airport, the Coliseum, and San Francisco’s eastern shore. The Louisiana shore has retreated back to Baton Rouge, and Miami is part of an archipelago.

Mark Stacey, a professor of environmental engineering at UC Berkeley, described one of the ways that Bay Area communities might collectively respond to the rising waters. He pointed to Foster City, a town of about 34,000, located on the west end of the San Mateo Bridge. The entire town is built on fill. In 2014, the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which designates which parts of the United States are flood zones, informed the town’s government that its riprap levee wouldn’t protect it in the event of a 100-year storm. (FEMA’s levee failure prediction was based on improved modeling, not sea level rise, says Patrick Clancey, a FEMA project manager, but Stacey says the example here applies all the same.) If FEMA designated the town as a flood zone, owners of any homes with federally backed mortgages would need to carry flood insurance, which could cost them thousands of dollars every year. To prevent both that unpleasant cost to its residents and the even more unpleasant possibility of the entire town flooding, the city council voted in March to put on the ballot a $90 million bond to raise the levee. City engineer Jeff Moneda says the bolstered levee would protect the town through at least 2050. In June townspeople overwhelmingly voted in support the bond.

Foster City’s response, Stacey says, is the logical thing to do: “The financial risk is new and immediate. They’re going to raise their levee a little bit. It’s a completely rational decision for them to make.” He says the following set of events would also be completely logical: Sea level continues to rise, and one by one, each bayside community faces a situation similar to that of Foster City, maybe with actual flooding or maybe just the threat of rising flood insurance. One by one, they all build or bolster their levees and seawalls. But then, finally, the entire shoreline of the Bay is ringed in by levees and seawalls, and we find ourselves in an accidental New Orleans, completely cut off from the Bay, forced to work harder and harder to defend ourselves from it. It’s a place nobody wants to build that we might build anyway. Highway 37 edges San Pablo Bay and already undergoes flooding, a problem that will only worsen with sea level rise. The design team Common Ground envisions elevating the highway by 20 feet to create a scenic causeway that allows both tidal flows and marsh migration as the Bay rises while a multitude of users — walkers, bikers, and vehicles — traverse the scenic wetlands. (Design drawing courtesy Common Ground)

In mid-April, I attend a community meeting at the Multicultural Senior and Family Center in North Richmond, northeast across the Bay from Foster City. The neighborhood was built during World War II, settled mostly by African Americans who came to Richmond to work in the shipyards. Fenced in on the east side by the railroad tracks and the west by Richmond Parkway, the low-lying area is unincorporated, a Vatican City–style island contained within the City of Richmond. It relies on Contra Costa County for infrastructure and emergency services. Two creeks run through the community—San Pablo to the north and Wildcat to the south. Sea level rise will reduce the downhill grade of the creeks, making them more likely to back up during storms and overflow into town.

The meeting is put on by one of the design teams, the Home Team, headed by Mithun, a design firm with offices in Seattle and San Francisco. When I arrive, about 20 people are huddled around three long tables. Along with the usual senior center information about bus passes and Internet training, one of the signs on the wall summarizes what would happen during a chemical leak from one of the area’s refineries; in 2012 the nearby Chevron refinery caught fire, sending gouts of black smoke washing over the town.

The people at the tables include members of Mithun, employees of Contra Costa County, and members of the community advisory committee that the Home Team has assembled (and paid stipends) to get their input on their resilience projects. This is their fifth and final time meeting before the Home Team presents its projects to the Resilient by Design jury. Right now, they’re studying colorful posters that show three of the projects the Home Team is proposing. The first is a “horizontal levee,” a wide, gently sloping strip of coastal land that would serve the same purpose as a more traditional, wall-type levee, but would also provide space for buffering coastal marshes to migrate inland as the Bay water rises. This would go between Wildcat and San Pablo creeks, at the very edge of the Bay, and would protect both a wastewater treatment plant and an industrial park to the west of town. The second project is an upgrade of the trail that runs along Wildcat Creek. An improved trail would connect the Richmond BART station and the center of Richmond to the east and the Bay Trail to west via a new pedestrian bridge over Richmond Parkway (four to six lanes, speed limit 50 mph). The third project is simply an effort to provide more affordable, community-owned housing, as well as “20,000 Trees of Justice,” to be planted along Richmond Parkway and in groves throughout the community.

Right now, it seems that sea level rise is not the most concerning thing about living in North Richmond. When the meeting breaks into group discussion, a man in a maroon suit named Henry Clark, whom everyone calls Dr. Clark, points out that the pedestrian bridge over Richmond Parkway might attract sketchy characters. North Richmond, he says, is where people come to pick up prostitutes, to buy drugs. The community is plagued by violence. “We haven’t talked too much about the public safety aspect of it,” he says. “That has to be part of it.” After the general discussion people around the room take turns talking about what they are most excited about, which, mostly, is affordable housing. “I definitely like all the ideas,” says Princess Robinson, one of the community advisers. “I just had a question—can you do all three? Or are you just choosing one out of the three?” “I think all three have ways forward,” says Debra Guenther, a partner and landscape architect at Mithun, “but it’s definitely going to be a collective effort to figure out how that happens.”

At times, the design team and the people they are designing for seem to be working toward somewhat different goals. Partway through the discussion, Guenther asks what the group thinks of the title the Home Team came up with for the project: “R-Home.” The letter R, Guenther explains, can be read as either “our” or “Richmond” or “reclaiming.” “We’d love to hear if that sounds right to people,” she says.

“I feel like it’s less important,” says Sequoia Erasmus, director of community engagement in the office of Richmond mayor Tom Butt. “It helps your branding, but I don’t know if it should be decided right now.”

“I’m not too sure about the catchy phrase,” Dr. Clark says.

After the meeting, I ask Dr. Clark about sea level rise. He was born in North Richmond in 1944 and has lived here ever since. “I don’t think a lot of people in this community really know about sea level rise in a global sense,” he says. “But they do know about flooding.” Until about 10 years ago, when the county raised a levee around the north edge of town and widened the creekbed, San Pablo Creek often overflowed, flooding part of the town. “Every time it rained,” he says.

In South San Francisco the HASSELL+ team turned a former historic bank building into a design and education center for the public. Placing an enlarged photo of the city that shows Colma Creek flowing under Highway 101 toward the Bay, they invited residents to tell stories about area flooding using Post-it notes. The team ultimately proposed a variety of ideas, including widening the canal to prevent flooding and create access to Colma Creek, as well as a parkway from Orange Memorial Park to the Bay. (Design drawing courtesy HASSELL+) I have to confess: a part of me wonders about the whole Resilient by Design contest. I wonder—in a world of climate change and melting ice sheets and extinction and overpopulation and political stagnation—about how a design contest with no money attached to it really changes the balance. I wonder whether a few months is actually enough time for the teams to come up with anything meaningful and new, and also whether there will ever actually be something called a hyper-creek. I wonder whether anyone but a designer gets excited about a design contest.

I ask Andy Gunther, a member of the contest’s scientific advisory panel, whether the contest really matters, and he acknowledges that some people would be cynical about it. “Designers, they’re really good at drawing these pictures. There’s always smiling people in these pictures,” he says. But Gunther, like most everyone else I spoke with about Resilient by Design, sees the contest in a more charitable light. He says it would be useful even if none of the projects get built: “In 10 years, we’ll look back and say, ‘Are any of these designs under construction?’ I don’t know, but I do think the images they create, the designs they create, are going to help us think in new ways about the future Bay Area, and I think that is a very valuable product.”

John Rahaim, the San Francisco planning director, agrees. “Some of the designs will be quite bold, and people will roll their eyes and say we can’t do them,” he says. But by pushing the bounds of what’s realistic, he adds, the designers might come up with something new and useful. “The entire planet will have to deal with this in some fashion, so as a starting point, why not get some great minds on it?” Robin Grossinger, an S.F. Estuary Institute senior scientist and member of the scientific advisory panel, cautions against judging the contest’s success by the number of its projects that get built. “It’s going to take an inordinate amount of resources, money, public will, adaptability, flexibility, creativity to solve the challenge of redesigning the shoreline,” he says. “We don’t have all that assembled yet. So I think, [regarding] Resilient by Design, it’s not fair to ask them to solve that whole problem.” Instead, he suggests, judge the contest by the usefulness of its ideas. It’s easy to imagine how we wind up further cut off from the Bay, living in accidental New Orleans, surrounded by water but separate from it, hostage to it. The task of Resilient by Design, in a sense, is just to imagine how we don’t.

The members of the Home Team, at least, seem earnest about the solutions they are proposing. A week after my visit to the North Richmond community meeting, I join Mithun’s Debra Guenther and Tim Mollette-Parks at the company’s offices in San Francisco’s Financial District. They discuss small tweaks to their plans, incorporating suggestions from community members. They talk about steelhead-spawning habitat and traffic dynamics at crosswalks, county zoning and native trees, eelgrass and potential sources of sediment for marsh construction, along with the video that they’ll use to present their projects to the Resilient by Design contest judges. Sea level rise, it’s worth pointing out again, is tremendously complicated.

As the meeting is wrapping up, Sandy Mendler, a principal at Mithun, comes into the room to tell me about the firm’s plans for creating affordable housing in North Richmond. By subdividing plots to create denser housing, taking advantage of the area’s wealth of abandoned buildings, and using local labor, she explains, the community would boost local ownership, begin a “cycle of reinvestment,” and hopefully prevent the gentrification and displacement that often accompanies redevelopment. Community-owned housing isn’t a new idea, exactly, but she explains it with an intensity and depth of detail that defies skepticism.

But again, there is the problem of funding. This is less certain. Some of the money might come from federal housing grants, Mendler says, or be lent by banks. There are local housing programs, too, that might help pay for some of the work. Earlier, when I asked Amanda Brown-Stevens, the Resilient by Design managing director, about where the contest’s projects might find funding, she mentioned Caltrans climate adaptation grants and Measure AA. The measure, which Bay Area voters passed in 2016, uses a $12 parcel tax to raise $500 million over the next two decades for shoreline projects around the Bay. “The region was willing to tax itself for restoration and climate efforts,” she says. “That really showed the potential to actually implement projects without relying on disaster relief funding.”

Larry Goldzband, executive director of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), says members of the commission plan to meet with Resilient by Design teams, to help advise them on how to carry their projects forward. “We want them to graduate from the project and have somewhere to go,” he says. Compared to the entries in Rising Tides, a design contest that BCDC put on a decade ago, Resilient by Design’s projects seem both useful and feasible, he adds. (One of the entries in the earlier competition was an inflatable bladder that would seal off the entry to San Francisco Bay.)

Still, even with widespread support, funding willing likely be a challenge. “This is an enormous problem that will come with an enormous cost,” John Gioia says, a Contra Costa County supervisor whose district includes North Richmond; the Resilient by Design contestants aren’t the only ones who may struggle to find funding. But Gioia wouldn’t rule out some of the projects actually getting built. “We can’t get the money if we haven’t fully planned what we want to do,” he notes. “So you know, we start one step at a time.” Encompassing 20 miles of South Bay shoreline from Menlo Park to Santa Clara, the concept proposed by the Field Operations Team would restore tidal marsh (or create a “sponge”) to large amounts of low-lying areas through land swaps, building up soil levels around important real estate, dense urban development, and restoring creeks with added parks. (Design drawing courtesy The Field Operation Team)

In early May, I make another trip to Richmond, this time to Point Pinole. At the urging of Paul Detjens, a senior civil engineer at the Contra Costa County flood control and water conservation district, I walk from the parking lot, across a bridge over the railroad tracks, and out along the Bay Trail to the Dotson Family Marsh. The marsh, long the target of developers, was acquired by the East Bay Regional Park District in 2008 and reopened in the spring of 2017, after a $14 million restoration. As part of the restoration, workers graded the marsh so that its floral inhabitants could slowly migrate uphill, like in the horizontal levee that the Home Team is proposing for the area north of San Pablo Creek. As the sea level rises, the plants will push inland toward the railroad tracks, but won’t disappear, at least not in the next 80 years. “It’s a park that’s going to be resilient for generations to come,” Detjens says. “They put a lot of thought into that.”

Today, the elevated concrete walk that runs across the inland edge of the marsh, parallel to the railroad tracks, is nearly empty. Back across the tracks, I can see the rooftops of low-lying Parchester Village. To the south, I can see the spires of the Chevron refinery. The marsh itself, at present four or five feet below the walk, looks natural, in the normal scrubby-marshy way; if Detjens hadn’t told me it was also a carefully sculpted park, I wouldn’t have figured it out on my own. Little alluvial channels run toward the Bay, a couple feet deep, showing the distance to sea level.

I look out across the water, at the point of Mount Tamalpais, then down at the edge of the Bay, now 400 miles long but getting longer. The Resilient by Design teams unveiled their projects on May 17 in San Francisco. They proposed upgraded schools and paths, expanded parks and elevated roadways, and, of course, a hyper-creek. Some of the projects might be built as proposed. Some might be used as inspiration for other, later projects. Some might even be replicated around the Bay, as the marsh/horizontal levee behind me will likely be. Others will probably be just a pretty design.

I climb over the pieces of asphalt, descending a final few feet. I’d hoped to reach the Bay itself, to stand at the place where the sea meets the land, but the tide is out and there’s just mud. The water is still far away.

Zach St. George is a reporter in Oakland. He writes about science and the environment and is currently working on a book about the future of forests.

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Desaulnier, Harris, Feinstein introduce bill to give Contra Costa Canal to water district By Aaron Davis | [email protected] | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: June 15, 2018 at 5:10 pm | UPDATED: June 15, 2018 at 7:24 pm Dan Rosenstrauch /BANG Archives

A bicyclist rides along the Contra Costa Canal trail in Contra Costa County. Contra Costa Water District officials want to upgrade the 48- mile aqueduct that serves half a million county residents but want to first take ownership of it before investing hundreds of millions of dollars in the aging system.

MARTINEZ — The Contra Costa Water District is looking to upgrade the 48-mile aqueduct that serves half a million county residents, but to invest millions in the aging system, it first wants to own it.

Last week the state’s U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris introduced SB 3001 to Congress alongside parallel legislation in the House — HR 6040 — by U.S. Reps. Mark Desaulnier, Mike Thompson and Jerry McNerney. Both bills would transfer ownership of the 80- year-old canal system to the water district.

The water district has operated the system since 1972 and fully paid off the canal, the Shortcut Pipeline, two reservoirs and other facilities in 2010, a district news release said. Now it’s looking to get started on its next-generation project: the Main Canal Modernization, which would replace a 26-mile stretch of the canal from the district’s Rock Slough intake in Oakley to Clyde with a metal pipeline.

“For those investments to be made, CCWD is awaiting ownership of the canal system,” CCWD Board President Lisa Borba said in a news release.

The canal was built between 1937 and 1948 as part of the Central Valley Project and conveys Delta water from its intake in eastern Oakley through the four East County cities over to Clyde as part of the Main Canal. Then the Loop Canal runs down Central County to Walnut Creek and back up to the Martinez Reservoir.

Its original intention was for irrigation for the farms and orchards that dotted the landscape in the 1930s. After World War II, developments replaced the farms. The open canal was great for farming, but the urbanization of the area has created problems. In its 80-year-history, 81 people have drowned in the canal after misjudging the aqueduct’s fast current and slick walls. Storm runoff spills silt and pollutants from the increasing amount of pavement and roofs.

Landslides and earthquakes damage the canal and evaporation takes 6 percent of the water along the way, officials estimate.

In July of 2017, officials estimated that the project could cost up to $480 million and that $1.8 million had already been spent.

Canal replacement work has been ongoing at the district for the past nine years. In 2009, the district replaced 1,900 feet of canal from the Pumping Plant No. 1 in Oakley to Marsh Creek in the east for a price of $19.3 million, with $14 million of that coming from grants. The second segment replaced 6,000 feet of canal from Marsh Creek to Sellers Avenue for $20.7 million, of which $9.9 million was from grants.

Work on the third and fourth segments, which run from Sellers Avenue and East Cypress Road in Oakley, will finish up in December and will have replaced 5,500 feet of canal with a 10-foot diameter reinforced pipe. The total cost of the third and fourth segments will be $19.4 million, with $14 million coming from Proposition 84 funding.

Though some work has begun, the district is still wary of investing $480 million in a canal system that would be owned by the federal government.

“When you’re talking in the hundreds of millions, especially when you’ve paid off the facility, we would feel more comfortable investing in it, and hopefully customers will too if we had ownership,” said Jennifer Allen, public affairs director for CCWD.

The two bills also have support from the East Bay Regional Park District and local recreation managers, since transferring it to local owners would assure local maintenance work is done. The canal system has recreational trails, including the Contra Costa Canal Regional Trail in Concord and Contra Loma Reservoir and Regional Park in Antioch.

The Bay Area's Best Hikes by Region By Outdoor Project | Jun 15, 2018 The Bay Area is a hiker's paradise (duh, that's why most of us live here). Countless trails weave and wander through chaparral, oak savannah and redwood–filled ravine landscapes. From one bend of a trail to the next, you'll see remnants of old redwood forests and sweeping ocean views.

In our Mediterranean-like climate, flowers bloom year round and the high-pitched chirps of hummingbirds are never far away. And while it's rare to find yourself all alone on a trail, the crowds are well dispersed with so many hikes to choose from.

The biggest concern for many people is the proliferation of poison oak, especially in impacted areas and on overgrown sections of trail, so wear long pants if you're vulnerable to the plant's effects.

The following trails are some of the best to visit in the Bay Area. They've been organized into three areas, the San Francisco Peninsula including the Santa Cruz Mountains, Marin and Point Reyes north of San Francisco, and the East Bay outside of Oakland and Berkeley.

Mt. Diablo summit tower.(Aron Bosworth)

East Bay

Mount Diablo is the highest point in the East Bay, reaching 3,849 feet. The Summit Visitor Center stone rotunda can be reached by hiking via various trails or driving up to Mount Diablo's summit; one hike from Mitchell Canyon is a wonderfully scenic but surprisingly arduous 6.8- mile hike to the top. And if you want to avoid crowds and still get an amazing hike in Mount Diablo State Park, the Eagle Peak Loop is another good climb with great East Bay views. In the hills east of Berkeley, Tilden Park has some of the best views of the Bay Area. From here, you can look out across Berkeley and see both the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge as they frame to San Francisco's skyline. The hikes are by no means arduous, but what they lack in effort they make up for with those magnificent views. The Nimitz Way Trail and Arroyo Trail in are two great options. Briones Regional Park, northeast of Berkeley, is another East Bay gem with lots of trails and hills covered in wildflowers.

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June is traditionally the month for weddings. And the East Bay Regional Park District offers a variety of beautiful settings, both indoors and outdoors, for the day of days.

Probably the most popular indoor venue is the Brazilian Room at Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley. Originally the Brazilian government's exhibit at the World's Fair on Treasure Island in 1939, the building features beautiful wood paneling, a WPA-built stone exterior, and a patio with views across a spacious lawn to surrounding hills.

However, the Brazilian Room tends to be booked for events months in advance. In fact Saturdays are booked through October 2019, though some Friday and Sunday dates are still available. Other great indoor venues are the Beach House at Temescal Regional Recreation Area in Oakland, Fern Cottage at Kennedy Grove in El Sobrante, and the Shoreline Center at Martin Luther King, Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland.

If you are planning an outdoor wedding, there are beautiful lawns and gardens at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. Other popular sites include Newt Hollow, a shady picnic area and small amphitheater at Briones Regional Park near Orinda; several picnic areas at Kennedy Grove; Lichen Bark picnic area at Del Valle Regional Park south of Livermore; and Loma Island at Contra Loma Regional Park in Antioch. There are also scenic picnic areas at Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley. And there are attractive sites at Redwood Regional Park in Oakland.

These are just a few of the venues available. All can be reserved, or more information can be obtained, by contacting the Park District's Reservations Department at 888-327 -2757, option 2. The reservations staff is always glad to help with information and recommendations. * * * The Park District's Trails Challenge program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. And it's not too late to enroll in this free, self-guided, enjoyable way to explore new regional parks on foot, bicycle or horseback.

While supplies last, the printed guidebook and T-shirt are available at Park District visitor centers, though you should call first to be sure. You can download the guidebook from the Park District website, www. ebparks.org. Go to http://www.ebparks.org/TC for more information and to use the AllTrails app.

No registration is necessary. Just complete any five of the listed trails, or 26.2 miles of listed trails, and turn in your log to receive a commemorative pin.

For an easy hike, check out the Meadowlark Ridge Loop at Waterbird Regional Preserve off I- 680 near Martinez. The Calaveras Ridge Trail at Dublin Hills Regional Park is a bit more strenuous. And for a really challenging trek, take on the Ringtail Cat/Madrone/Las Trampas Ridge/Corduroy Hills loop at Las Trampas Regional Wilderness in San Ramon. Pack lunch and water for that one; it's all steep up and down. * * * Apart from weddings, June brings all kinds of programs to the regional parks. For example, Outdoor Discoveries is in session from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Mondays, June 11 and 18 at Sunol Regional Wilderness. It's a pre-school and home school nature series led by naturalist Ashley Adams.

Deer are the topic on June 11; the sun is featured on June 18. The programs are free, but registration is required. To register, call 888-327-2757. Select option 2 and refer to program 20705 for deer, 20708 for the sun.

Or you can take Dad to Sunol for a 3.5-mile hike from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Father's Day, June 17.

Sunol is at the end of Geary Road off Calaveras Road, five miles south of 1-680 near the town of Sunol. Call 510-544-3249 for information.

Hiking -- a Deus family tradition Murietta Falls stands out in Father's Day memories Uploaded: Thu, Jun 14, 2018, 5:56 pm | by Dolores Fox Ciardelli / Pleasanton Weekly John and Tom Deus on a Father's Day hike to Velma Lakes in Desolation Valley west of Lake Tahoe. (Contributed photo)

John Deus took this photo of Murietta Falls after the arduous hike revealed it cascading in all its glory Feb. 18, 2009. (Contributed photo)

Pleasanton resident John Deus and his son Tom began a tradition years ago to enjoy hikes together every Father's Day, sometimes even backpacking the entire weekend.

"One of our most interesting Father's Day backpacking trips was a three-day trip around and up to the tree line of Mount Hood in Oregon," John Deus recalled.

Tom now lives in Portland, where he specializes in walking tours of the area; he also spends six months of each year traveling the world, which is documented on his adventure website: www.wanderlustmoments.com/traveling-the-world.

John Deus wrote this piece about his climb to the local Murietta Falls in the Ohlone Regional Wilderness when the falls were running rapidly, and he noted that he had also made the hike with his son Tom on Father's Day 2006.

"We arrived at Murietta Falls only to find it flowing at barely a trickle," he wrote. "Despite this big disappointment, we still had a great time and a great day together."

Murietta Falls, a hidden gem By John Deus

Little known and only rarely seen, the Bay Area's highest waterfall lies hidden away in the southern Alameda County wilderness where few venture.

Murietta Falls, named after Joaquin Murietta, a legendary outlaw of the 1800s, is set in the Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness, where a free-flowing creek falls through a rocky gorge, in all a 100-foot waterfall, the longest waterfall in the Bay Area.

Upstream, more small pools and cascades await, and along with Murietta Falls, they make this a destination like nowhere else in the East Bay. The key, of course, is hitting it right when the waterfall is a cascading torrent and the view of it is breathtaking. The good news is that the trail is well-signed, and a map is provided with your wilderness permit by the East Bay Regional Park District.

Hit it wrong and none of that will matter long. The only thing breathtaking will be the climbs required to reach the spot and get back.

Why do so few people know about this place? Getting there requires a butt- kicker of a hike: It's 5.5 miles one way, most of it climbing a terribly steep ridge. You'll first ascend 1,600 feet in just 1.5 miles, the worst stretch of the Ohlone Wilderness Trail.

The route tops out at Rocky Ridge, drops 500 feet in 0.5 miles into Williams Gulch, then climbs again even higher, another 1,200 feet toward Wauhab Ridge. From the trailhead, you will gain as much as 3,300 feet in elevation before turning right on the Springboard Trail (signpost 35).

From there it's one mile to the waterfall. Walk along a ridge about a quarter of a mile, then turn left on the Greenside Trail, which descends into a valley and to the falls.

Unfortunately, you can't get a clear view of Murietta Falls from the Greenside Trail. A cutoff route is available that leads to a good viewing area. This unsigned side road/trail off the Greenside Trail is located past the stream. Turn right on this road/trail, which drops in a looping turn down to the floor, providing a better view of the cascade feeding through a rocky gorge into the plunge pool.

When Murietta Falls first comes into view, it stands in contrast to the East Bay hills, a grassland/oak habitat where one does not expect to find steep cliffs and waterfalls. But there it is, all 100 feet.

In the springtime the rapidly greening hills frame the falls, providing a spark of freshness, only a few miles from suburbia, concrete and traffic jams. But given the difficulty of the hike, many are disappointed by how little water there can be here. It can be like a bad joke, where you stay with it all the way to the end only to be disappointed.

Even in big rain years, the creek is reduced to a trickle by early summer and sometimes even goes dry. In addition, it gets hot out here in the summer, really smokin', like 100-plus degrees.

By July the hills are brown, the waterfall has disappeared, and only the ghost of Murietta remains to laugh as you struggle on the 3,300-foot climb.

Uploaded: Wed, Jun 13, 2018, 11:40 am City working to update Trails Master Plan Community hike next Wednesday part of public input process by Jeremy Walsh / Pleasanton Weekly

Pleasanton city officials and consultants are continuing their efforts to modernize the city's Trails Master Plan, the policy document that outlines objectives and strategies for Pleasanton's entire public trail system.

The initial master plan draft is available online now for resident review and comment through the end of this month, with the goal of finalizing the draft in the weeks afterward and recirculating it for more public input before bringing the final document to the City Council for consideration by year's end, according to city staff.

"There is a lot here, and a lot's been accomplished," Vice Mayor Arne Olson said when the City Council received an update on the plan drafting process last month.

"My view is this really speaks to the quality of this community, that we've got residents, prior councils, a current council and we've got staff that really cares about this. It really says a lot about Pleasanton," Olson added.

The city's first Community Trails Master Plan was created in 1993, designed to serve as a guide for future trail development and a tool for long-range planning. Pleasanton now has about 90 miles of trails, with another 60 miles proposed.

Last year, the council adopted the new Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which included some focus on Pleasanton's on-street trails among other transit topics, but city leaders also recognized the need for holistic planning for the trails system, on- and off-road.

"A lot has changed in Pleasanton in the 25 years since the last Trails Master Plan was adopted and we wanted to ensure that our trail system receives the attention it deserves," city landscape architect Matt Gruber said in a statement after presenting to the council May 15.

"The Trails Master Plan addresses the off-street trails and is intended to supplement the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan so that we have a seamlessly integrated system of trails, paved and unpaved alike. This will not only encourage alternative methods of commuting but also entice residents and visitors alike to get outside and get active," he added.

The Trails Master Plan, being drafted by city staff with consultant firms TrailPeople and Fehr & Peers, will include background on the city's trail system, city goals and objectives, proposed policies, trail system design, implementation steps, project rankings and more.

A key trails priority will be connections, whether closing gaps among regional trails (such as connecting Iron Horse Regional Trail to Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area) or improving trail connections between schools, around bridges and to the Pleasanton Ridge, Gruber said. "The way we connect those (city trails), and we connect those regionally, I think we'll have a wonderful trails system. So I really look forward to this master plan," Councilman Jerry Pentin said last month.

Having an updated plan in place will also help the city become more competitive for county and state funding available for trails project, sources such as Senate Bill 1 transportation funds, Proposition 68 parks bond and Regional Measure 3 monies, Gruber said.

The 200-plus-page initial draft features months of research and public input compiled since last year, in addition to direct outreach to city's parks and bike-ped committee, East Bay Regional Park District and Tri-Valley Conservancy.

An online survey was issued last winter, and city staff have hosted community hikes at local trails as part of gathering feedback from residents. The next community input hike is set for next Wednesday (June 20) at 9 a.m. at the Marilyn Murphy Kane Trail main parking lot at 3200 West Lagoon Road.

Comments can also be posted online through June at www.pleasantontrails.com, where a copy of the initial master plan draft can be accessed. There will be more chances for citizen input in the months ahead when the final draft is released and shared at public meetings before the council debates adopting the master plan in late fall or early winter.