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Resource Management Policies Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District

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Resource Management Policies Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICIES MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT August 2021 RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICIES MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT Board of Directors: Ward 1, Pete Siemens Ward 2, Yoriko Kishimoto Ward 3, Jed Cyr Ward 4, Curt Riffle Ward 5, Karen Holman Ward 6, Larry Hassett Ward 7, Zoe Kersteen-Tucker General Manager: Ana Maria Ruiz TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ................................................................................................. II I. DISTRICT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ................ 1 II. VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ................................................... 6 III. WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT ........................................................ 12 IV. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT ....................................... 17 V. WATER RESOURCES .............................................................. 22 VI. GEOLOGY AND SOILS ............................................................. 30 VII. SCENIC AND AESTHETIC RESOURCES ................................ 34 VIII. CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ................................ 37 IX. RESEARCH AND COLLECTION OF INFORMATION .............. 45 X. PUBLIC INTERPRETATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION .............................................................................. 48 XI. CONSERVATION GRAZING MANAGEMENT ............................. 51 XII. FOREST MANAGEMENT .......................................................... 62 XIII. ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION ................................................... 71 XIV. HABITAT CONNECTIVITY ........................................................ 74 XV. WILDLAND FIRE MANAGEMENT ............................................ 80 XVI. CLIMATE CHANGE ................................................................... 88 XVII. GLOSSARY ............................................................................... 92 XVIII. REFERENCES ......................................................................... 107 APPENDIX A. CEQA CRITERIA .......................................................... 108 i PREFACE ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT Document Purpose This Resource Management Policies (RMPs) document defines the poli- cies and practices used by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (District) to protect and manage resources on District lands. The word resources as used in this document includes plants, animals, water, soil, terrain, geologic formations, historic, scenic, and cultural features. Rec- reational resources are described in other documents.1 The purpose of the RMPs is to: ♦ Set the framework for the District's resource management program; ♦ Provide general guidance for issue-specific and site-specific planning; ♦ Provide staff and Board a tool for informed, consistent, and effective re- source management decision making; ♦ Inform the public of the purpose and intent of the District's resource man- agement program; ♦ Provide a basis for evaluating the District's progress in reaching its re- source management objectives. This document does not provide detailed plans for management of individ- ual preserves or resources. Other more specific master plans, site plans, and resource management plans will supplement these policies to further refine and resolve the implementation strategies on a site-specific basis. The suitability and scope of implementation of a specific RMP can only be effectively determined on a site-specific or issue-specific basis given the 1 These documents include Use and Management Plans for individual preserves, Trail Use Guidelines and Mitigation Measures, Land Use Regulations and the Visitor's Guide to the Open Space Preserves. ii MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT RESOURCE MANGEMENT POLICIES PREFACE circumstances and conditions to be addresses. The suitability or effective- ness of a RMP may depend on a number of factors. These may include evaluation of potential environmental impacts associated with the RMP, physical or other constraints, availability of funding, and feasibility of im- plementation. Therefore, the determination of whether and to what extent a RMP is implemented in whole or in part will be made on a site-or issue- specific basis. In some circumstances, deviations from an RMP will repre- sent a more effective resource management approach given applicable factors. In addition, carrying out and implementing RMPs will be achieved over time, and is subject to funding availability and competing District needs and overall feasibility. Competition for District funds requires balancing the expense of resource management with the cost of continued land acquisi- tion, project planning, and the cost of access and facilities improvements. Document Organization The RMPs are organized into chapters by subject and resource category. The chapter format generally consists of a background section and a sec- tion containing goals, policies, and implementation measures. The back- ground section provides rationale for the goal and policies that follow. The goal is phrased as a broad, general statement describing the desired state or condition to be achieved. The policies state what steps the District will take in order to attain that goal. Policies are numbered according to chap- ter with the first letter of each of the fist two words of the Chapter title followed by a number (e.g. VM-1 is Vegetation Management Policy 1). Each policy includes one or more recommended implementation measures, highlighted by bullets (). Implementation measures specify action items the District will strive to carry out to apply the policies to the landscape where feasible. Implementation measures are referenced in- ternally according to bullets. For instance, VM-1: Measure 2 refers to the second bulleted measure under VM-1. Informational sidebars identify cur- rent knowledge and practices regarding resource conservation. Key words are noted in bold and definitions for each can be found in the Glossary. The District will apply the RMPs to every day District functions and opera- tions from the planning of new trails and facilities to the evaluation of new iii MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT RESOURCE MANA GEMENT POLICIES PREFACE prospective land acquisitions, to routine Preserve maintenance. It will draw upon varied expertise to balance resource needs and public inter- ests. The annual action plan will describe existing and proposed resource management plans and projects, and progress towards resource manage- ment goals. Document Review and Amendment The RMPs comprise a "living" document that will grow and change regu- larly, based on new experience and information. It will be reviewed and updated every five to ten years and chapters amended as needed to re- spond to ever-changing resource conditions (e.g. insect or disease out- breaks, large cataclysmic events, climate change etc.). The staff or Board may decide to amend the document for a significant single purpose at any time. vi I. DISTRICT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (District) is a public agency that owns and manages 26 open space preserves totaling over 59,000 acres of land (as of 2011). Created by a voter initiative in 1972, the Dis- trict's mission statement is “To acquire and preserve a regional greenbelt of open space land in perpetuity; protect and restore the natural environ- ment; and provide opportunities for ecologically sensitive public enjoyment and education.” District boundaries enclose an area of 227,900 acres in northern Santa Clara and southern San Mateo counties, and a small portion of Santa Cruz County. The District’s Sphere of Influence, or the area within which the District is likely to expand, includes an additional 12,333 acres. Extending from Montara in the north to the Lexington Hills in the south, the District directly serves more than 25 communities having a combined population of over 700,000. Preserves vary in size from 59 acres (Stevens Creek Nature Study Area) to over 17,000 acres (Sierra Azul). Elevations range from sea level in the baylands preserves to 3,486 feet atop Mount Umunhum in the Sierra Azul Range. The District manages land primarily to preserve a regional greenbelt of open space land. There are few improvements, other than parking areas, some rest rooms, and informational signs. Over 220 miles of public trails invite activities such as hiking, biking, jogging, horseback riding, dog walk- ing, and picnicking limited only as required. The preserves are open to the public every day, free of charge. Because the preserves are “close to home,” they serve as popular weekday and weekend recreational destina- tions. District lands protect a variety of habitats rich in both numbers and variety of plants and animals. The District preserves tidal salt marshes in the east, home to the endangered clapper rail and salt marsh harvest mouse and 1 MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICIES DISTRICT RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM used by thousands of migratory birds. The heart of the District straddles the eastern and western flanks of the Santa Cruz Mountains. These lands are covered in a diverse mix of oak woodland, grassland, chaparral, coastal scrub, and both evergreen and coniferous forests that form an impressive scenic backdrop for the densely populated San Francisco Bay Area and Central California Coast. Creeks and streams that run through District lands provide refuge area for endangered coho salmon and threat- ened steelhead trout. The natural setting of District preserves
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