To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Regional Parks
Staff Name and Phone Number: Minona Heaviland, 565-2041
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): First and Fifth Districts
Title:
Title
USFWS Coastal Program agreement for Coastal Creek Restoration Projects
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Resolution authorizing Regional Parks to sign a cooperator agreement with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program authorizing Sonoma County Regional Parks to receive funding in the amount of $100,000 along with technical assistance on habitat restoration projects.
B) Authorize the Regional Parks director to execute all documents necessary to carry out and administer the grant.
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Executive Summary:
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife (USFWS) provides grants to protect and restore coastal ecosystems and wildlife habitat. The USFWS has identified projects in priority portions of Stockhoff Creek, Salmon Creek and/or Sonoma Creek to analyze, design, and/or implement habitat restoration to benefit sensitive species including tidewater goby, coho salmon, chinook salmon and steelhead trout.
In partnership with Regional Parks, USFWS will assist, as applicable, in preparing project permit applications as required under local, State, or Federal laws and regulations and ensure that the grant funded activities comply with Federal and State laws and regulations.
Discussion:
Several Sonoma County Regional Parks properties include high value creeks and associated wetlands that are priority locations for the restoration of wildlife habitat. Restoration planning and implementation in these waterways is critical to the recovery of species such as tidewater goby, coho salmon, chinook salmon and steelhead trout. This agreement represents a partnership between Sonoma County Regional Parks and USFWS to implement restoration and plan for future restoration in up to three (3) creeks within multiple Sonoma County Regional Parks. Locations include: (1) Stockhoff Creek and tributaries, within Stillwater Cove Regional Park near Jenner including stream and floodplain habitat; (2) Salmon Creek, within Carrington Coast Ranch Regional Park and Open Space Preserve near Bodega Bay, including lagoon habitat, tidal marsh, stream and floodplain habitat; and (3) Sonoma Creek, within Maxwell Farms Regional Park near Sonoma, including stream and floodplain habitat.
All three sites represent opportunities to plan and implement restoration actions for the benefit of wildlife with particular focus on sensitive aquatic species including tidewater goby, coho salmon, chinook salmon and steelhead trout.
The tasks under this grant include 1) Implement low-tech process-based restoration in the form of wood structures to restore stream channel hydrology and habitat along ¼ mile of Stockhoff Creek and tributaries and 2) assess Salmon Creek and/or Sonoma Creek habitat, constraints, natural process, recovery, and restoration options.
In partnership with Regional Parks, USFWS will assist, as applicable, in preparing project permit applications as required under local, State, or Federal laws and regulations and ensure that the grant funded activities comply with Federal and State laws and regulations. This grant represents an ongoing partnership between Regional Parks and USFWS on coastal restoration and the second such grant of funds from USFWS to Regional Parks. The USFWS supported a similar project at Doran and Stillwater Regional Parks in 2023.
Any implementation that is done under this grant would fall under the Small Habitat Restoration Act CEQA exemption for restoration projects under 5 acres pursuant to 14 Cal. Code Regs § 15333.
Strategic Plan:
This project will support habitat enhancement at Stillwater Cove, Carrington Ranch, and/or Maxwell Farms by addressing land use impairments and roads and other infrastructure that disconnect stream and wetland hydrology as well as channel degradation from incision and excessive sediment in both Salmon and Sonoma Creeks.
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 1: Continue to invest in wildfire preparedness and resiliency strategies
Objective: Objective 3: Leverage grant funding to support sustainable vegetation management program.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
July 11, 2023, by Resolution 23-030, approved funding for habitat restoration for $75,000 from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program to Sonoma County Regional Parks.
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY23-24 Adopted |
FY24-25 Projected |
FY25-26 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
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Total Expenditures |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
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Fees/Other |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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General Fund Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Grant funds will be spent over the next two fiscal years on project expenses. Currently, the Department has appropriations to cover expenses for expected contract work performed under this agreement and will add appropriations when needed through the consolidated budget process. The department will budget the balance of funds in FY 25/26 through the annual budget process.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
None
Attachments:
Cooperator Agreement Resolution
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
Notice of Award and Cooperator Agreement