Long Range Plan
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Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District (GCRCD) 2019-2024 Long Range Plan INTRODUCTION The purpose of the Guadalupe-Coyote Resource Conservation District’s (”District”) Long Range Plan is to describe the District, identify its priority natural resource issues, establish long-range district goals, and develop a framework to identify priorities for annual district activities. The long range plan also serves as a method of providing information to government agencies, community-based organizations, watershed stakeholders and individual members of the public regarding District programs and goals. The 2019-2024 Long Range Plan establishes the areas of focus for the District using the Board’s knowledge and understanding of current and forecasted circumstances, and lists goals and strategies for addressing these priority areas. The Board then develops an annual work plan each year listing scheduled and planned activities to guide implementation of the strategies during the course of each fiscal year. ABOUT GCRCD Mission The District’s mission is to provide education and technical assistance to constituents and watershed stakeholders to sustainably manage soil, water and wildlife with the best available science. Organization The District is a non-regulatory independent special district of the state of California dedicated to the conservation of natural resources within Santa Clara County. The District is regulated by Division 9 of the California Public Resources Code, and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. State law provides for the Board of Directors to be elected to 4-year terms, but as an alternative to the election of directors, the board of directors may, by a resolution presented to the board of supervisors of the principal county, request the board of supervisors to appoint directors.1 On June 1, 2004, in response to increasing County charges to the District for biennial elections, the District’s Board of Directors passed Resolution 2-4-requesting that the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors make appointments to the Board of Directors in lieu of an election2. The District also has volunteer associate directors who provide additional expertise to the Board, including but not limited to the areas of: natural resources conservation and management; agricultural and grazing management 1 California Public Resources Code Section 9314(b)(1) 2 County of Santa Clara Maddy Report (Local Appointments List) GCRCD 2019-2024 Long Range Plan Page 1 of 8 practices; environmental health; land use; engineering; physical and life sciences; public outreach and education; and local government policy and procedures. California's resource conservation districts (RCDs) are leaders in locally-led conservation work throughout the State. RCDs implement on-the-ground projects, provide technical assistance, and help educate the public to improve their local communities. They have a historic relationship of collaboration and partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), formerly known as the federal Soil Conservation Service. History The District is one of two resource conservation districts in Santa Clara County, the other being Loma Prieta RCD, located in south county. The District’s has its roots in two of the county’s original conservation districts, the Black Mountain Soil Conservation District and the Evergreen Soil Conservation District. The Black Mountain Soil Conservation District was organized in 1943 to cover some 5,500 acres of land in the Calabazas Watershed on the west side of Santa Clara Valley. It later expanded to cover most of the hilly land on the west side of the valley from the San Mateo County line to Loma Prieta Mountain and the boundary of the Loma Prieta Soil Conservation District. Most urban lands at the time, as well as the lands of Stanford University, were excluded from the District. The Evergreen Soils Conservation District was formed in 1944 and originally covered about 10,000 acres on the east side of the Santa Clara Valley, largely the Silver Creek Watershed. It later expanded to include most of the land on the east side of the Santa Clara Valley, largely the Coyote Creek Watershed from Morgan Hill to the Alameda County line, excluding the then urban city lands, although city expansions have meant some urban city lands now lie with District limits. In 1972, the Evergreen Soil Conservation District changed its name to the Evergreen Resource Conservation District. In 1977, the Black Mountain Soils Conservation District merged with the Evergreen Resource Conservation District, keeping the Evergreen name until 1995. At the time, the District changed its name to more closely identify with the two largest watersheds in the District. District Profile The District encompasses Y T N ALAMEDA COUNTY U V O A C a r S V l r le o U a , A k S y L UNTY e l y A o S A CO p c r I D e am r M N E e o M r o A A C o T L C r y S A ra A e c Cale r o l e C h Calaveras a e r o m e Reservoir eda C k e approximately 583 square miles re k ek Palo Cal aver as C Alto re e ek k do C re ra olo Milpitas H C o k k e n P lph e d u u and has an estimated service e i S r e n r o G r o u C , C C lc A r h o a e e r %&t( B s r Felt tad e e s r e Ma r ry o k AHË y Lo Lake Cre e k o n ia g c n B e r Mountain Up enit A a p h e r P r n r c B c %&p( l o h o y u View n o G ard C population of 300,577. The District i g e Ag t r r u a g u e a a e n k k C g C e Los o Los e oy I r o u s e B L e a G t e b e r e e u l k C a C Altos Altos d r C e a e r t e e Sunnyvale lu k e n p k e h Hills e abb g k C n R B r e u a e i th e e C Santa v k o b k e S u l J o r ee m e il r v o r u d r er k S S e m A e C C re Ba covers a large portion of the g yo P s Clara , Arr p a o o z yo o a H ff b F nt Cre C a li e k l re a an F e S S e k k C San lip e a e e n C r C A r r e hu n Jose e lp t u o k k S e n Cupertino T i e o r h k o northwestern, northeastern and e C C e m r p r C %&j( s s S o e rt o n e te a t C k v gn a re e e G e n k s R s KÍ k C r Sw reek L o e iss C e ek Yerb a Bu en e S a Cre r k ek C u Stevens n e Campbell t k Creek o H y o central portions of the County, o Reservoir l C l o k S r w mit k o h ree G C F t u Y Saratoga s l c T a k E h N ree Co U C arat k s w S o s C O o g e R C ?ÂE r a e e y ek r l zz Cr e O C i r C e r E e e k Monte k G Y s T including urbanized areas within the T a A M N n Sereno M ?¾E i id U s a u Vasona d N m A q O o l A T e C Reservoir S F n o Z r a k s Creek k Co U e S re C anoa y R C o e t C e p A u C l T Los r a N e d ek A a S Gatos u ek ter Gu City of San Jose and portions of the G re a lch C C a d W M le o r i o o s , w s A k is r c s ro i y a p o p P Lit tle C i o y C o r s te e g C Guadalupe k g r oo e Guadalupe Coyote ri e H ver C C B ek e r e r k Reservoir e ek e r e k historic Coyote Valley. It includes C k Lexington e S Resource Conservation District re s o C to Anderson da Reservoir on i Sp c m Calero ri n a Reservoir n i l g N R A s n Reservoir C yo o City Limits (Incorporated Areas) a n r Hook t ?âE er Gulch h F or ek k P Lakes and Reservoirs re a rt C C c be o most of the hilly and mountainous H er ek Ro h re y e n u c s C gh G o o o u t a lc e C y g h Creeks a re n l C L e a Morgan r k e Lake C e t k e Guadalupe Coyote Resource Conservation District Elsman r Hill r a B Chesbro Loma Prieta Resource Conservation District Uva land surrounding the Santa ittle s L C Reservoir r e ek L 0 0.5 1 2 3 4 ittle L Miles la g Coyote This map created by the Santa Clara County Planning Office.