To: Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
Department or Agency Name(s): Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
Staff Name and Phone Number: Mary Chambers, 565-7263
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Regional Conservation Partnership Program - Vital Streams and Forests
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Approve and authorize the General Manager of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space) to execute:
A) A five-year Agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) authorizing funding to Ag + Open Space in the amount of $3,500,000 for its Innovative Conservation: Vital Steams and Forests project. This grant is offered under the Alternative Funding Arrangement (AFA) of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and will provide financial and technical assistance for the conservation and restoration of working lands and natural areas; and
B) Related subcontracts for the life of the aforementioned grant with the Sonoma and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) in amounts described below.
end
Executive Summary:
Ag + Open Space was awarded a $3,500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-NRCS under the Alternative Funding Arrangement (AFA) of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) for the Innovative Conservation: Vital Steams and Forests project. Over a five-year period, this grant will provide funding for the purchase of conservation easements over riparian areas of agricultural and nonindustrial private forestland headwater properties, development of property-specific conservation plans, and implementation of conservation practices with a focus on protecting and enhancing stream corridors and headwater areas.
Ag + Open Space’s General Manager is requesting the Board approve and authorize the General Manager to execute the RCPP AFA Project Partnership Agreement (PPA). The purpose of the PPA is to establish the framework for cooperation between NRCS and Ag + Open Space to implement activities eligible for funding. Nothing in the PPA commits either NRCS or Ag + Open Space to obligate or transfer any funds. Ag + Open Space’s General Manager is also requesting the Board approve and authorize the General Manager to execute subcontracts with the Sonoma and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts. Ag + Open Space proposes to subcontract with the Sonoma and Gold Ridge RCDs for specific tasks required by the PPA, for the life of the grant. Individual conservation easements will be negotiated, appraised, and brought to the Board for review and approval consistent with existing processes. Future Supplemental Agreements between Ag + Open Space and the NRCS, which will address specific projects or activities and will entail specific deliverables, timelines, and expenditure commitments, will also later be brought to the Board for review and approval consistent with existing processes.
Discussion:
Ag + Open Space was awarded a $3,500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-NRCS under the Alternative Funding Arrangement (AFA) of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) for the Sonoma County Innovative Conservation: Vital Steams and Forests project. Over a five-year period, this grant will provide funding for the purchase of conservation easements over riparian areas of agricultural and nonindustrial private forestland headwater properties, development of property-specific conservation plans, and implementation of conservation practices with a focus on protecting and enhancing stream corridors and headwater areas.
The objectives of the project are to:
• Increase the number of riparian corridors on agricultural lands protected via permanent conservation easements
• Improve forest health and protect source water (both surface and ground)
• Implement conservation practices to restore and enhance protected properties
The three high-priority concerns that will be addressed are:
• Water quality degradation
• Inadequate habitat for fish and wildlife
• Degraded plant condition
Ag + Open Space’s General Manager is requesting the Board approve and authorize the General Manager to execute the RCPP AFA Project Partnership Agreement (PPA). The purpose of the PPA is to establish the framework for cooperation between NRCS and Ag + Open Space to implement activities eligible for funding.
Ag + Open Space is the grant recipient and will subcontract with the Sonoma and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) for specific tasks required by the PPA. This item requests the Board approve and authorize the General Manager to execute these subcontractor agreements, which will be based on the requirements of the PPA and related federal guidelines.
The $3,500,000 in anticipated funds will be disbursed across several areas:
• $2,250,000 in funding for conservation easements and $246,000 to support investigation of innovative conservation tools, outreach, outcome assessment, and project management will be distributed to Ag + Open Space; $90,000 in funding for conservation plans and implementation support and $219,000 to support investigation of innovative conservation tools, outreach, outcome assessment, and project management will be distributed to Sonoma RCD and Gold Ridge RCD;
• $200,000 will be distributed to landowners as payment for implementation of riparian restoration; and
• An estimated $281,000 will be retained by NRCS to support their staff time for support of the project.
• The remaining $214,000 may be available as contingency funds for other eligible expenses if identified.
The AFA program requires a three to one (3:1) contribution for conservation easement acquisitions. This means that each easement must be purchased with a combination of 1/4th AFA funds and 3/4ths Measure F sales tax OSSTA (Open Space Special Tax Assessment) funds. As described above, $2,250,000 of AFA funds is budgeted for conservation easement acquisition, meaning Ag + Open Space will be expected to provide matching funds of up to $6,750,000 over the 5-year term of the PPA. These activities will be undertaken consistent with our Expenditure Plan and The Vital Lands Initiative (Vital Lands). The funds will expand our ability to accomplish riparian protection projects as outlined in Vital Lands. Ag + Open Space’s matching contributions will come from Measure F sales tax revenue. Ag + Open Space will also seek to leverage our match funding through State and foundation grants where applicable.
California Environmental Quality Act
By entering into the PPA, neither NRCS nor Ag + Open Space is committing to any specific conservation or restoration project. The purpose of the PPA is to establish the framework for cooperation between NRCS and Ag + Open Space to implement eligible activities. Nothing in the PPA commits either NRCS or Ag + Open Space to obligate or transfer any funds. Specific actions committing to any specific projects funded through this program will be approved by the Board via Supplemental Agreements between NRCS and Ag + Open Space. As such, the requested action to approve the PPA is not a project under CEQA. (CEQA Guidelines 15061(b)(3).)
Vital Lands Initiative
This project will help meet multiple goals in the Board approved Vital Lands Initiative, including:
• Protect the highest priority riparian corridors and headwater streams.
• Protect the highest priority aquatic habitats and associated upland areas that support rare, unique, or special status aquatic plants and animals.
• Protect connected aquatic habitats and the lands that support this connectivity.
• Protect areas important for climate change and extreme event resiliency and adaptation, including projects that promote carbon sequestration and avoided emissions and enhance biodiversity.
• Support agricultural use on Ag + Open Space protected lands.
Strategic Plan:
This project will encourage agricultural and open space land management to maximize sequestration through the use of easements that require the preservation of riparian and forested headwater areas, which contain and sequester carbon. In some cases, funding will also be used to restore these areas, further enhancing their carbon sequestration potential.
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Climate Action and Resiliency
Goal: Goal 5: Continue to invest in public safety so that residents and visitors feel safe in our community.
Objective: Objective 2: Identify gaps in the Safety Net system of services and identify areas where departments can address those gaps directly and seek guidance from the Board when additional resources and/or policy direction is needed.
Prior Board Actions:
None
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 23-24 Recommended |
FY24-25 Projected |
FY 25-26 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
1,312,750 |
1,620,250 |
2,274,000 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
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|
|
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Total Expenditures |
1,312,750 |
1,620,250 |
2,274,000 |
|
Funding Sources |
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|
|
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General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
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State/Federal |
637,750 |
607,750 |
586,500 |
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Fees/Other |
675,000 |
1,012,500 |
1,687,500 |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
1,312,750 |
1,620,250 |
2,274,000 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The costs associated with this agreement will be paid from the Ag + Open Space Measure F sales tax revenue. In the first year the costs from Measure F sales tax revenues will be $675,000, in the second year $1,012,500, in the third year $1,687,500; and the anticipated five-year total costs for this agreement will be $6,750,000. There are adequate appropriations in the Recommended Fiscal Year 23-24 budget and appropriations will be made in future years for this contractual agreement.
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Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
There will be no staffing impacts resulting from this action.
Attachments:
1. Project partnership agreement (PPA)
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
1. Partner Subcontract: Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District
2. Partner Subcontract: Sonoma Resource Conservation District