To: Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation & Open Space District Board of Directors
Department or Agency Name(s): Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
Staff Name and Phone Number: Karen Gaffney / 565-7344
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): County-wide
Title:
Title
CA Department of Conservation Grant - Riparian Corridor Conservation on Agricultural Land
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Adopt a resolution authorizing the General Manager of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to enter into an agreement with the California Department of Conservation for $195,000 in grant funding to develop a strategy and outreach plan to protect riparian corridors on agricultural lands in Sonoma County.
end
Executive Summary:
The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, in collaboration with Gold Ridge and Sonoma Resource Conservation Districts, has been awarded a grant from the Department of Conservation to develop a detailed outreach and implementation plan to increase the number of high priority riparian corridors and agricultural lands protected via permanent conservation easement, to inform the Sonoma County General Plan update, and to document the multiple benefits of working and natural lands conservation for the community, elected officials and partner agencies. Subcontracts of $49,000 will be issued to each of the Resource Conservation Districts to support the effort, with the remaining funding allocated to Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District staff time. Matching funds - though not required - are derived from a variety of federal and private partners as well as in-kind staff time.
Discussion:
From 1984 to 2010, California lost one million acres of agricultural land, and is projected to lose another 1 million acres by 2030. Since 2000, over 34,000 acres of Sonoma County agricultural lands have been converted or developed. Following are some of the reasons why agricultural land is being converted to other uses or undergoing an intensification of use:
A) Aging of the farming and ranching population, with few incoming farmers and ranchers to replace them
B) Sonoma County is close to the rapidly urbanizing Bay Area and is a popular location for second homes - agricultural lands are being purchased as estate homes and taken out of agriculture
C) Cost of land is prohibitive for new farmers and ranchers, and the value of agricultural lands for development or estate homes may incentivize long-term agricultural landowners to sell.
D) Climate change has made farming and ranching ever more volatile
E) There is increased pressure for intensification of use on agricultural lands - including wineries, event centers, and other forms of related agricultural use that may reduce the amount of land in agriculture and increase greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, water supply, and biodiversity impacts.
Given the reasons outlined above, the current economic vitality of the Bay Area and Sonoma County, as well as recent pressure on housing stocks due to the recent fire disasters, the conversion pressure on agricultural lands is not expected to abate, and is likely to increase. Farmland loss and conversion continues to threaten the viability of local agriculture as well as the many climate and biodiversity co-benefits associated with healthy working lands.
Similarly, it is estimated that over 95% of floodplain riparian habitat in California has been lost since European settlement, with significant negative implications for native fish and wildlife, as well as impacts to human community benefits such as water quality, water supply, flood attenuation, carbon sequestration, extreme event resiliency, and both commercial and recreational fisheries. Preliminary studies in Sonoma County document a loss of floodplain riparian habitat similar to statewide estimates. Sonoma County floodplains and stream ecosystems are home to three species of federally listed salmonids, as well as numerous other species of rare, threatened, and endangered plants and animals. Several floodplain riparian corridors in Sonoma County overlay important farmland as well as high priority groundwater basins that are critical to Sonoma County’s municipal and agricultural water supply.
The proposed project will address these conversion and intensification risks by placing permanent conservation easements over agricultural lands, with specific protections for sensitive riparian corridors and the many benefits they provide. The main focus of this grant-funded project is landowner outreach, identification of landowners interested in working with Ag + Open Space on riparian corridor easements, and the development of new tools for the protection of riparian corridor easements (such as spatially explicit riparian corridor easements). Areas will be identified where riparian conservation easements will expand the extent of riparian habitat via natural regeneration or active ecological restoration. Identified properties will be prioritized for protection under the Ag + Open Space land conservation program, and outside funding will be identified to augment Ag + Open Space taxpayer dollars. This program will keep land in agriculture, reduce regulatory pressure and uncertainty associated with threatened and endangered species, and provide financial incentives for landowners to remain in agriculture rather than selling to an individual or entity that will convert the land or leave it fallow. Modeling and mapping will inform Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space) priorities for riparian corridor conservation on agricultural lands as well as the nature of the easement structure designed to protect agriculture, climate benefits, and ecosystem function. This planning and implementation will include future fluctuations in functional riparian corridors given the increasingly volatile weather patterns associated with a changing climate and the increased frequency and magnitude of storm events. Through a protected system of riparian corridors, landowners can mitigate the impacts of extreme events such as fire, flood, and drought, helping to increase their resiliency through land use planning and management.
This grant application is requesting $195,000 matched by $230,929 from Ag + Open Space in-kind staff time, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Bechtel Foundation.
Prior Board Actions:
May 2, 2006: Board Action #22 Board approved the District 2006 Acquisition Plan, Connecting Communities and the Land
February 24, 2009: Resolution 09-0160 Board approved the District Strategic Plan
March 19, 2012: Board Action #6 Board approved agreement with The Nature Conservancy (funding provided from The Nature Conservancy to District) for carbon sequestration mapping, education, and outreach in Sonoma County
March 27, 2012: Board Action #33 Board approved the District Work Plan 2012-2015
June 18, 2013: Board Action #3 Board approval of contract with Tukman Geospatial L.L.C. for GIS mapping and analysis services
November 12, 2013: Board Action #9 approval for the Sonoma County Water Agency, ISD, and Transportation and Public Works departments to enter into reimbursement agreements with the District for Joint Environmental Geospatial Data Acquisition for environmental geospatial data acquisition.
March 29, 2016: Resolution 16-0104 Board accepted a grant award under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 19-20 Adopted |
FY20-21 Projected |
FY 21-22 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$55,929 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
$55,929 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
$45,000 |
$75,000 |
$75,000 |
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Fees/Other |
$55,929 |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$100,929 |
$75,000 |
$75,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
If awarded, CA DOC will reimburse Ag + Open Space for actual expenditures, not to exceed $195,000, during the grant period. The summary table above reflects the expected grant funds and Ag + Open Space portion of the in-kind match, and not partner funding from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Bechtel Foundation. Ag + Open Space will use $55,929 of in-kind budgeted staff allocation, and an additional $175,000 of partner match for a total of $230,929 match to support the project and grant application.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
Attachments:
1. Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
1. Grant Application