May 2023 Conservation Corner

All Santa Clara County Residents: Respond to a Survey

Santa Clara County Parks is updating their Countywide Trails Master Plan, which includes a map and conceptual trail routes in the County. County Parks is looking for public feedback on where trails should be and the prioritization of trails for implementation. We think trails are a great way for people to experience and connect with nature, but we also want to make sure trails are not built in sensitive plant and wildlife areas. In natural areas and along creeks, electric bikes can disrupt wildlife use of their habitat. The project’s website includes a survey and feedback tool to give input on new trails and trail prioritization. Please ask the county not to block wildlife movement corridors with trails and the activity associated with them, and minimize intrusion into contiguous wildlife habitat. In addition, please ask for limits on access by motorized vehicles, including bikes. Please consider whether all parks and open spaces must be connected by trail.

Sunnyvale Residents: Action Alert for Moffett Park Specific Plan

The City of Sunnyvale is moving quickly towards the approval of the Moffett Park Master Plan, with residential towers (20,000 housing units and 10 Million Square feet of additional office space in towers 145-275-feet tall). Despite the plan projected 60,000 new employees and 42,000 new residents, the Environmental Review concluded that there will be no impact to wildlife and migratory birds in the baylands. 

The planning commission will make a recommendation May 8th, and council is procasted to approve the plan soon after. Sunnyvale residents, please contact advocate@scvas.org for more information on how you can help. And here is the SCVAS comment at the Planning Commission study session (delivered by our own Rani Fischer):

The EIR dismissed our concern that adding 42,000 new residents and 60,000 employees will contribute to significant degradation of existing park and recreation facilities and disrupt migratory birds and other special status species in the baylands, water treatment ponds and other water features. 

We disagree, impacts to recreation facilities and amenities will likely happen as residents and employees use them to commute and enjoy their surroundings. Furthermore, the Plan relies on use of these facilities, especially the Bay Trail, to provide active transportation for employees and residents alike. It seems highly likely that there will be a significant, not minimal, increase in Bay Trail usage by new employees, and that thousands and thousands of residents and employees will explore the levees among wetlands and ponds, with impacts to migratory birds and special status species such as the Western pond turtle.

In our letter, we suggested mitigations, For example, with the exception of commute trails (Such as Bay Trail and the East and West Channels trails), we suggested that the City should limit access to human-powered-only, and prohibit electronic or motorized mobility devices. This should reduce disturbance to foraging and resting birds. We also provided a map that presented Levees that can and should be closed seasonally without an impediment to recreational activities.

We believe that including our recommendations should reduce the impacts and should be included in the Plan and the Final EIR.

March 2023 Conservation Corner

Mountain View Shoreline Wildlife Management Plan – March 14

We have been advocating with the City of Mountain on the Shoreline Wildlife Management Plan (SWPM) for several years, and are happy to share that the city is currently moving forward with the updated plan. Because of the active involvement of the public and comments provided by SCVAS’s advocacy team, the SWMP expanded from Shoreline to includes the Shorebird Way Egret Rookery as well as the nearby retention basin within its area of focus. The Plan also expanded to add Monarch butterfly to the four avian umbrella species - the California Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus obsoletus), Black Skimmer (Rhynchops niger), White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus), San Francisco Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas sinuosa). The existing Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) Presvation Plan is integrated with the SWMP.

We thank everyone who has helped highlight the importance of the SWMP and to see you at the March 14 City Council meeting to support the adoption of the plan as well as the recommendations by the Parks and Recreation Commission for: 1) a yearly presentation and 2) an urgency for the protection of the Shoreline Lake island, which is used by nesting birds and is currently being threatened by wave erosion.

Updates on light pollution and billboards (Gilroy, Cupertino)

Our advocacy, and working with community members in Cupertino and in Gilroy, helped the planning commissions of these cities reject billboards that would bring light pollution and clutter to highways 280 and 101 (respectfully) with visual blight.

In Cupertino, the applicant appealed and received approval for the Storage Billboard from City Council. A local resident appealed this decision, and so the humongous orange illuminated sign will come back to Council for reconsideration. If you live in Cupertino, or drive along Highway 280, please contact the Cupertino City Council and let them know how much you object to this visual assault on the night sky and our scenic roadways.

Outfront Media’s proposed electronic billboard on Automall Parkway is shown in this concept rendering to the right.

In Gilroy, we helped coordinate opposition to a change to the City zoning code to allow freeway-facing electronic billboards and construct one such billboard. The City’s Environmental Review process concluded that a 75-foot high, 30-by-22.5-foot LED billboard, where the graphics change every eight seconds, will have no significant effect on the environment. The Gilroy Planning Commission denied the project. The applicant has appealed, so the next step is the City Council. If you live or shop in Gilroy please contact council members to express your opposition to this project.

As always, contact advocate@scvas.org for more information.

Protect Henry Coe

Henry Coe: Eve Meier

Protect Henry Coe from landscape pulverizing OHVs

On Thursday, February 16, the California State Parks Commission will meet to inform the public about the Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Access Project and receive input. The meeting will be held in person - Please come to the meeting and speak!

Date: February 16, 2023 

Location: Pleasanton Marriott, 11950 Dublin Canyon Rd, Pleasanton, CA 94588 

Time: 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Why is this important? 

When we advocated to protect the biodiverse 3,100-acre Tesla Park from designation as an off-road vehicle (OHV) park, we did not expect the Governor to sacrifice Henry Coe instead! Yet the law that protected Tesla Park has now created a target on our beloved Henry Coe.

Henry Coe is precious. It is rich in wildlife and plant species, and provides refuge for these organisms from our urban landscapes. Given its biodiversity and importance to indigenous peoples, Henry Coe should not be pulverized by OHVs. But there is a well funded lobby (think Honda, Firestone, Yamaha and other companies) which is determined to open it to these vehicles.

We must be present at the Feb 16 meeting to push back on the notion that Coe should be considered for OHV. Our opponents will argue that because it is the largest state park in the region, it has plenty of room to share with OHV. The obvious argument against that is that the park’s size (87,000 acres) makes it an important intact refuge for at-risk species, including Mountain Lions, at a time when a combination of regional development pressures and climate change impacts make such refuges necessary for survival. Preserving Coe as a non-motorized park is also consistent with the state’s commitment to 30x30 preservation designed to protect biodiversity. Finally, introducing OHV into an area with sensitive sites with indigenous artifacts and historical value to indigenous communities will likely lead to damage to those sites.

What to expect at the meeting 

There will be stations with topics of interest and time to discuss the project with State Parks staff. The public will learn about the Department’s process for searching, selecting, and acquiring property; discuss OHV recreation opportunities and visitor needs; and discuss potential locations for OHV recreation opportunities, including partnerships, leases, and new properties.

If you cannot attend, please email your comments to: Katie.Metraux@parks.ca.gov

Some background

In September 2021, Senate Bill 155 amended Public Resources Code Section 5090.42. This bill transferred funding from the General Fund to the Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Trust Fund to explore the acquisition and development of properties and opportunities to expand OHV recreation in new and existing facilities. Also, this bill recommends prioritizing opportunities that can serve large urban areas such as the Bay Area and Central Valley and offer potential recreational opportunities for OHV recreation and motorized access to non-motorized recreation. This meeting is the second of several opportunities to be involved in this project, including virtual and in-person meetings. CSP will develop a preliminary report, feasibility study, and OHV Recreation Access Plan with recommendations and strategies to enhance existing OHV recreation areas or expand OHV recreation within the State through an acquisition, lease, land swap, or other available means. The project would also consider developing motorized access to non-motorized recreational opportunities.

February 2023 Conservation Corner

The year has just started, and our advocacy team is already engaged in issues all along Santa Clara County. In the south, Gilroy is considering allowing digital billboards that will blast motorists on 101 with advertisements and pollute the night sky. The Planning Commission will discuss this February 2nd, so if you are interested in helping us voice opposition to digital billboards, please contact advocate@scvas.org.

In Palo Alto, at the north of the county, we opposed a proposal to build a sprawling private estate on a meadow within 20-feet from Los Trancos creek - a designated critical steelhead habitat. We pointed out that the proximity to the creek is harmful to the riparian ecosystem, birds, fish and wildlife and may destabilize the creek banks. Council listened, and sent the project to the Planning Commission with direction to consider a wider setback from the creek (about 40-feet), minimize lighting in the riparian corridor, incorporate bird safety measure to reduce the potential of bird striking glass, eliminate of fencing that could impede wildlife movement along the creek, and ensure that small animals, like salamanders, cannot access the swimming pool. Furthermore, council has initiated a process that will soon update the City’s Stream CorridorProtection Ordinance. If you are interested in helping us protect Palo Altos streams and riparian ecosystems, please contact advocate@scvas.org. 

We continue to engage in other locations. We are following Master Plans in Sunnyvale and Mountain View, development projects in San Jose, and have written opinions opposing the proliferation of industrial scale greenhouses and mushroom farms in Coyote Valley. We also continue to advocate for responsible lighting and bird-safe design, and against electric bikes on unpaved trails in natural areas. Please contact Advocate@SCVAS.org for more information.