March 2007 Board Meeting

Meeting Notice

Douglas Bosco (Public Member), Chairman

Jeremy M. Hallisey (Public Member)

Ann Notthoff (Public Member)

Mike Chrisman, Secretary for Resources; Karen Scarborough (Designated)

Patrick Kruer, Coastal Commission Chair; Susan Hansch (Designated)

Michael Genest, Director, Department of Finance; Fred Klass (Designated)

Senate Representatives                                Assembly Representative

Abel Maldonado (District 15)                     Loni Hancock (District 14)

Joseph Simitian (District 11)                     John Laird (District 27)

Christine Kehoe (District 39)                      Patty Berg (District 1)

Sam Schuchat, Executive Officer

Pat Peterson, Deputy Attorney General

Marcia Grimm, Legal Counsel

AGENDA

LOCATION:  Hearing Room 437

State Capitol

Sacramento, CA

DATE:   Thursday, March 8, 2007

TIME:   9:00 a.m.

1. Roll Call

2. Approval of Minutes

STATEWIDE

3. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $2,000,000 to Environmental Defense for seed capitalization of the California Fisheries Fund.

4. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $1,000,000 to the California Sea Grant Program and USC Sea Grant Program to solicit and fund scientific research projects that support Ocean Protection Council research priorities.

5. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $243,500 to the Reef Check Foundation to expand the Reef Check California program’s community-based network of certified volunteer SCUBA divers to collect and disseminate monitoring data on nearshore subtidal resources statewide.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY

6. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to: 1) accept $1,250,868 as a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board to implement the Invasive Spartina Control Program for 2007 and disburse the full amount for treatment and eradication projects within the San Francisco Estuary; and 2) disburse up to $949,907 of Conservancy funds for environmental consulting services needed to operate and manage the Spartina Control Program on an ongoing accelerated schedule through spring of 2008.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

7. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $2,458,000 to the City of Laguna Beach for acquisition of the 58.40-acre Chao property and the 50.37-acre Stonefield property located adjacent to the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park in Orange County.

8. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse an amount not to exceed $125,000 to the Los Angeles & San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council to complete data collection, engineering, cost and feasibility analysis for habitat enhancement and trail access projects along Compton Creek in Los Angeles County.

NORTH COAST

9. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $610,000 to the Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District for the implementation of ranch resource enhancement plans to address sources of sedimentation and improve steelhead and historic coho riparian habitat in the Salmon Creek Watershed in western Sonoma County and adoption of the mitigation monitoring and reporting program for the project.

10. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $300,000 to  the County of Humboldt to complete a Salt River Enhancement Plan for the Salt River, a tributary to the Eel River Estuary in Humboldt County.

11. Consideration and possible Conservancy approval of the Ma-le’l Dunes Cooperative Management Area Access Plan; adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration and the Mitigation Monitoring Program for the plan; and possible authorization to disburse up to $175,000 to the Friends of the Dunes to carry out access improvements at the Ma-le’l Dunes Cooperative Management Area, located on the north spit of Humboldt Bay.

12. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $140,000 to The Regents of the University of California for the California Sea Grant College Program to conduct a socioeconomic study of north coast fisheries in collaboration with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte Counties.

13. CONSENT

1. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $187,100 for the development of 90% design documents and permit applications for Ponds 6, 6A, 7, 7A, and 8 of the Napa River Salt Marsh Restoration Project in Napa County.

1. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $160,000 to Trout Unlimited to begin implementing the recommendations of its Conservation Strategy Plan for exotic aquatic and terrestrial animal and plant species management in the San Mateo Creek watershed in San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties.

1. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $100,000  to Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc. for production of a television documentary about San Francisco Bay.

1. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $75,000 to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County for preparation of a watershed enhancement plan for the Santa Rosa Creek watershed, San Luis Obispo County.

1. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $65,468 to Ecotrust to (1) conduct a feasibility study regarding the creation of a local seafood market promoting sustainable fishing practices at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco and (2) complete a final business plan, including architectural drawings, for the proposed site.

1. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse an amount not to exceed $50,000 to Community Conservancy International to complete a feasibility report identifying projects that treat urban storm water through the creation of a network of parks, open space and habitat areas in Los Angeles County.
2. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $50,000 to Moss Landing Marine Laboratories to prepare a feasibility study for developing a sustainable fishing off-loading and processing facility in Moss Landing Harbor, in Monterey County.

1. Consideration and possible Conservancy modification of the Conservancy’s April 27, 2006 authorization for the preparation of a conceptual plan for the East Bay Greenway Project in Alameda County by revising the scope of the planning activities and by authorizing an additional disbursement of up to $35,000 to Urban Ecology to augment the project.

1. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $23,000 to the Sonoma Land Trust to develop a conservation plan for “the Cedars” including research, planning, and landowner outreach, and negotiation for the possible acquisition of the 520-acre “Raiche-McCrory Property” within this 9 square mile area in western Sonoma County.

1. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $15,000 to Bay Nature Institute to produce a 16-page supplement for Bay Nature magazine on habitat restoration and public access in the San Pablo Baylands region of Napa, Solano, Sonoma, and Marin Counties.

1. Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to accept title to the 18-acre Navy property in a no-cost public benefit transfer for purposes of the Hamilton Wetland Restoration Project, Marin County.

14. Executive Officer’s Report
15. Update on Strategic Plan
16. Consideration and possible Conservancy adoption of standards and practices governing conservation easement acquisition grants.

15. Deputy Attorney General’s Report

16. Board Member Comments

17. Public Comments

18. Possible closed session to confer with counsel regarding: Jack Roth v. CaliforniaCoastal Commission, California Coastal Conservancy, and Access for All, Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. BS102404; The United States of America vs. 127.60 Acres of Land, more or less, situated in San Diego County, State of California; the County of San Diego; and Other Interested Parties, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California, Civil No. 06CV1670W NLS; the blockage of legal access to the Conservancy’s Victorine Ranch property in Monterey County; and other pending litigation; and/or to consider the initiation of litigation. Session will be closed to the public pursuant to Government Code Section 11126(e).

19. Adjournment

N.B.:   This Meeting Notice and Tentative Agenda may be found on the Internet at:

            www.scc.ca.gov/Meetings/meetings.htm

N.B.:   Following or at any time during the meeting, the Conservancy may recess or adjourn to closed session to consider personnel matters, prices and terms of real estate transactions and possible and pending litigation. Session will be closed to the public pursuant to attorney‑client privilege and statutory authorization under Government Code Section 11126(a), (c)(7), and (e).

For more information, contact Dick Wayman at the Conservancy:

1330 Broadway, 13th Floor

Oakland, CA 94612

(510) 286‑4182