WCB 5/2012: State wildlife land buys for May 2012...

Over 17,000 acres to be saved for Critters this Month

NOTICE OF MEETING

WILDLIFE CONSERVATION BOARD

May 31, 2012, 10:00 AM

State Capitol, Room 112, Sacramento, California 95814

preliminary agenda:
http://www.nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=46452

MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=54666

SUMMARY:

SISKIYOU COUNTY: 3104 ACRES

HUMBOLDT COUNTY: 8461 ACRES

BUTTE COUNTY: 918 ACRES

FRESNO COUNTY: 11 ACRES

MONTEREY COUNTY: 113 ACRES

RIVERSIDE COUNTY: 1372 ACRES
SOLANO COUNTY: 2910 ACRES

SAN DIEGO COUNTY: 139 ACRES
LOS ANGELES COUNTY: 1030 ACRES

Little Shasta Conservation Easement (Townley) $1,327,900, Siskiyou County

grant to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to acquire a conservation easement over 3,104± acres of land for protection of critical winter range for elk and other regional California wildlife and protection of grasslands that sustain working landscapes, located east of the City of Yreka and the town of Montague in Siskiyou County.

Charles Mountain Ranch Conservation Easement, $1,200,000, Phase II Humboldt County

grant to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to acquire a working forest conservation easement over 4,437± acres located eight miles southeast of Bridgeville in Humboldt County

Chalk Mountain phase 2--4024 acre forest conservation easement in Humboldt county---$2 million

Little Chico Creek Oak Woodland Conservation Easement $315,000 Butte County

To consider the allocation for a grant to Northern California Regional Land Trust to acquire a conservation easement over 239± acres of land to protect and preserve oak woodland habitat located seven miles northeast of Chico in Butte County. WITHDRAWN FROM AGENDA-POSTPONED TO 3/2013 MEETING

679 acres in Daugherty Hill wildlife area-expansion 13, in Butte County, $2.7 million
WITHDRAWN FROM AGENDA-POSTPONED TO 8/2012 MEETING

San Joaquin River Parkway, $245,000 Camp Pashayan #2, Fresno County

acquisition of 11± acres of land by the San Joaquin River Conservancy for the protection of riparian and oak woodland habitats and provide future public use opportunities, located along the San Joaquin River, just east of State Highway 99 in the City of Fresno, in Fresno County.

Marks Ranch $552,076 Phase II, Monterey County

grant to the Monterey County Parks Department to acquire 113± acres to protect native grasslands, oak woodlands, riparian woodlands and seasonal wetlands that serve as an import wildlife corridor, located west of Salinas, adjacent to the Toro County Park, along Highway 68, in Monterey County.

Santa Margarita River Ecological Reserve, $25,000 Expansion 4, Riverside County

acquisition of 21± acres of land, southwest of the City of Temecula, in Riverside County.

Santa Rosa Mountains (Blixeth 1), $10,000 Expansion 16, Riverside County

acquire 1,342± acres of land for the protection of Peninsular bighorn sheep habitat, and to provide future wildlife oriented public use opportunities.

Upper Mission Creek / Big Morongo Canyon $5,000 Conservation Area, Expansion 5, Riverside County

acquire 9± acres of land for the protection of core habitat linkages, fluvial and aeolian sand transport corridor, alluvial fan habitat, and mountainous habitat important for the Coachella Valley fringe-toed lizard, Peninsular bighorn sheep, and other species addressed in the Coachella Valley Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan and provide future wildlife oriented public use opportunities, located north of the City of Palm Springs in Riverside County.


47 acres in San Diego County-El Cajon
92 acres in San Diego County--Michelson

763 acres in Suisun Marsh in Solano County, $1.5 million
982 acres in Suisun Marsh--Grizzly Ranch in Solano County, $2 million

1165 acres in Rockville Trail Estates in Solano County, $2.8 million


1030 acres in Soledad Canyon in Los Angeles County, Nominn property, $2.48 million

New Parks to Explore....

In the San Francisco Bay area:

SAN MATEO COUNTY

97 acres bought by POST—Silva, 5/2011

http://www.openspace.org/CGI-BIN/agendas_minutes/2011.05.11.POST_%28Silva%29_Purchase_r-11-14.pdf
http://www.openspacetrust.org/
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SOLANO COUNTY

147 ACRE-conservation easement-Hamilton property
http://www.solanolandtrust.org/NewsDetail.aspx?hArticle=3

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1500 acres—Rockville trails purchase by Solano Land Trust
scc.ca.gov/.../ftp/.../20110519Board12_Rockville_Trails.pdf
http://benicia.patch.com/articles/site-of-proposed-housing-development-now-preserved-as-open-space

http://articles.sfgate.com/2011-06-15/news/29659683_1_open-space-oak-trees-corridor

The deal, reached last week, is in essence a down payment on 1,500 acres of former Indian hunting grounds and settlements that contain some of the Bay Area's most sensitive habitat. The land trust now has until February to raise an additional $10.5 million to buy the remaining 1,170 acres from White Wing Highlands Associates or the developers could exercise their right to build 185 homes.

…The land, known as Rockville Trails Estates, is next to the 650-acre Rockville Hills Park, owned by Fairfield. Once the purchase is completed, the land would connect with the 800,000-acre Blue Ridge Berryessa Natural Area and form a huge corridor of open space with the potential for a regional trail system and numerous recreational opportunities for the public.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/14/MNIM1JOD1E.DTL

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NAPA COUNTY

Wildlake Ranch purchase—Napa Land Trust
http://napalandtrust.org/2011/05/landtrustofnapacountyannouncestheculminationofthenapavalleywildcampaign/

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LAKE COUNTY

Goat Mtn—664 acres by Tuleyome, 4/2011

http://lakeconews.com/content/view/19180/919/
http://www.tuleyome.org/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=6:goat-mountain&Itemid=98

http://www.restorecalifornia.net/goat%20mountain.html

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MARIN COUNTY


BY THE MARIN AGRICULTURAL LAND TRUST:

1214 acre Corda ranch conservation easement—MALT
http://www.malt.org/news/press/press_06_01_11_malt.php
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_18186118

http://www.malt.org/about/map.php

160 acres Toluma farms—conservation easement—MALT
http://malt.org/news/easements.php

SCC 3/2011 to 5/2011: Coastal Land buys by the State this spring

Our taxes funded purchase of 2970 acres this spring on our coastline

From the agendas of the State's Coastal Conservancy:

http://scc.ca.gov/2011/05/06/coastal-conservancy-public-meeting-may-19th-2011/

http://scc.ca.gov/2011/03/04/coastal-conservancy-public-meeting-march-17-2011/

3/17/2011--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $706,000 to the City of Laguna Beach, Orange County, for acquisition of the 7.8-acre Domanskis property adjacent to the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park for open space, public access, and habitat preservation.

3/17/2011--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $240,000 to Save the Redwoods League to complete the acquisition of a 500 acre property commonly known as the “Raiche-McCrory Property” and add it to the Area of Critical Ecological Concern managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management within the area known as “The Cedars” in western Sonoma County.

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5/19/2011--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $1,445,000 to the City of Santee to acquire 105 acres and design a trail on the Walker Property along the San Diego River, San Diego County, for the purpose of protecting and restoring habitat and providing compatible public access.

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5/19/2011--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $3,000,000, including $500,000 of funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to The Trust for Public Land for acquisition of the 63-acre Ocean Meadows property in Devereux Slough, Santa Barbara County.

5/19/2011--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $3,100,000 to the Solano Land Trust toward acquisition of approximately 1,500 acres of the Rockville Trails Estates property, and preparation of a property management plan.

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5/19/2011--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $1,000,000 to the East Bay Regional Park District for the acquisition of approximately 540 acres of the 955-acre Owen property in order to expand the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park in Alameda County.

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5/19/2011--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $750,000 to LandPaths to acquire a remainder interest in the 120-acre Ranchero Mark West property in Sonoma County for the protection of natural resources, public access, and education.

5/19/2011--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $500,000 to the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District to acquire the 97-acre Silva property for addition to the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve near the town of La Honda in unincorporated San Mateo County.

5/19/2011--Consideration and possible Conservancy authorization to disburse up to $315,000 to the Northcoast Regional Land Trust to acquire an approximately 36 acre parcel at the confluence of Martin Slough and Swain Slough in the Elk River watershed in Humboldt County to facilitate the future restoration and enhancement of wetlands, water quality, and fish and wildlife habitat on a portion of the property, and the preservation and enhancement of coastal agriculture on the remaining area.

ECO—MILESTONES IN THE SF BAY AREA FOR 2010:

A Wrap-up of 2010

BAY RIDGE TRAIL SYSTEM:

Thanks to supporters like you – we dedicated over 10 new miles of trail in 2010, planned new trail all around the Bay region, launched a new web site with printable maps for all 330 miles of dedicated trail, and expanded our events and outings. With your help, 2011 will be our best year yet.

http://www.ridgetrail.org

http://www.facebook.com/ridgetrail

http://picasaweb.google.com/BayAreaRidgeTrail

BAY RIDGE TRAIL IS 53% COMPLETE:
http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/2010/06/sf-bay-ridge-trail-system-is-53.html

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http://openspacecouncil.typepad.com/bay-area-open-space-council/2010/10/the-nations-largest-urban-trail-system-is-right-here.html

The Nation's Largest Urban Trail System Is Right Here

http://www.baycitizen.org/outdoors/story/new-grant-fund-nations-largest-urban/

http://ebparks.org/node/1420

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IN THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/bay-area/2010/11/trail-users-looking-better-view

It is an oversight the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council is working to change.

11/24/2010--The Bay Area Ridge Trail is 400 consecutive miles of trails for hiking, biking and equestrian use created two decades ago to expose residents to the Bay in all surrounding counties. But the highest point of The City’s seven-mile portion of the trail misses the mark.

According to Bern Smith, South Bay trail director with the council, when the trail was created, organizers decided to avoid the peaks, which would have offered a 360-degree view but also a steeper climb.

“You’re walking right on the side,” he said, “not one or two blocks from Twin Peaks.”

http://baynature.org/events/sixth-annual-peak-to-peak-walk

Sixth Annual Peak to Peak Walk

Saturday, October 16, 2010
8:30 AM to 4:00 PM

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IN SOLANO COUNTY:

There were 2 Ridge Trail dedications in Solano County:

McGary Road (Thurs, Sep 30) and the I-780 overcrossing (Sat, Oct 2).

Details below.

A 3.2-mile bikeway on McGary Road is opening, creating 9 miles of continuous Ridge Trail between Hiddenbrooke and Lynch Canyon Open Space. The link also completes the Solano County bikeway from Vallejo to Fairfield.

Where: McGary Road at Lynch Canyon Road. Enter from Red Top Road. Click here for a map.

http://joomlaridgetrail.org/images/events/McGaryRoad.pdf

McGary Road opens again after 12-year wait--- LINK NOT WORKING

Vallejo Times-Herald
The new roadway also will also add 3.2 miles to the 26.5 miles of the Bay Ridge Trail in Solano County. Funding for the McGary Road reconstruction work and bike lanes ...

Also opened: the Rose Drive Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge Path

The new multi-use bridge path provides a safe crossing over I-780 at the Columbus Parkway Interchange, replacing a very narrow lane and cement curb.

 It’s just a two-mile stroll or easy bike ride from downtown Benicia to the new path, which will provide great community connections in the area, linking neighborhoods north of I-780, the Vallejo Benicia Buffer and Blue Rock Springs Park, with Benicia State Recreation Area, Carquinez bluffs, and more along the Carquinez Strait. Smooth pedestrian connections are in place and final improvements for cyclists are being reviewed.

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http://joomlaridgetrail.org/images/events/I-780.pdf

Benicia portion of ridgetrail—I-780 overcrossing

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NEW PARK PURCHASES:

http://www.savemountdiablo.org/home.htm

To learn about some of the wonderful opportuntities that we have to preserve habitats, wildlife corridors and recreational prospects, please read Dennis Cuff's article in the Contra Costa Times and view the slideshow for lovely sneek peaks of new lands.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_16849943

East Bay park and conservation groups in recession land rush

12/15/2010

By the end of the year, the East Bay Regional Park District will have bought 9,274 acres during 2009 and 2010 for  $45 million, park officials said. That amounts to 14.5 square miles, nearly a third the size of San Francisco. The shopping spree has increased park district holdings by about 10 percent, to 108,000 acres.

The park district isn't the only group snapping up land:

The Contra Costa Water District this year bought the first 600 acres of the thousands of acres it plans to acquire for open space to offset the environmental effects of expanding Los Vaqueros Reservoir.

Save Mount Diablo, a nonprofit land preservation group based in Walnut Creek, is buying six small parcels along Marsh Creek and elsewhere on the east side of Mount Diablo this year. It usually buys a one property every year or two.

The Muir Heritage Land Trust has acquired 506 acres in areas east of Hercules and in Lafayette in the past two years.

…The East Bay Regional Park District often buys much larger parcels from third- or fourth-generation ranch families to expand parks such as Black Diamond Mines near Antioch, Pleasanton Ridge and Vasco Caves near Byron.

In September, the regional park board approved an agreement to pay $6.4 million for the first 640 acres of a new park to open in Dublin's Doolan Canyon.

A SLIDE SHOW OF THE NEW PARKLANDS:

http://extras.mercurynews.com/slideshows/news/2010/12/1213landbuy/

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A Park is Born in Dublin--the 650 acre Dublin Hills Regional Park

http://baynature.org/articles/oct-dec-2010/a-park-is-born-in-dublin

by Dan Rademacher

The newest addition to the East Bay Regional Park District rides high on the Calaveras Ridge, with views from San Francisco and the Bay all the way around to Sunol, Brushy Peak, and Mount Diablo.

From the Oct-Dec 2010 issue
Published October 01, 2010

http://www.embracetheoutdoors.com/2010/07/dublin-hills-regional-park.html

http://www.embracetheoutdoors.com/

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11/2010—Save Mount Diablo e-news

http://www.savemountdiablo.org/DiabloWatch/2010FallDiabloWatch.pdf

Fall 2010 issue--Dry Creek, Save Mount Diablo’s most recent acquisition property—we closed escrow in September—is only 5.18 acres but it is a spectacular and strategic purchase, with magnificent oaks near Cowell Ranch State Park in Brentwood and within a half mile of Brentwood subdivisions.

Since 1971 Save Mount Diablo has helped increase open space on and around the mountain from 6,788 acres to more than 100,000 acres - with your support we can save the next 80,000 acres. Read a letter from Art Bonwell, SMD founder.

http://www.savemountdiablo.org/SaveTheMountain.htm

With the help of our allies we have increased open space to over 100,000 acres since 1971. However, over 80,000 acres of Mount Diablo and its foothills are still at risk of being lost to development forever.


http://savemountdiablo.org

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=lrxdvzbab&v=001qNmFLvMdRPATOBTl5CTq9Ohb98OJRfa36di5FrZ0u6ChHV_KQRSsDQYr5q_6eUXGbt_4iuMZVE_r5PbgR3QcYw5MVqLK-IT86sWjATfg27_EcT3Z7wH2Kw%3D%3D


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SPRAWL CONTROL---URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARIES

RESULTS OF THE NOVEMBER ELECTION:

DEVELOPER ATTACKS ON GROWTH BOUNDARIES LOSE IN:

San Ramon in Contra Costa County—72% no

NEW OR RENEWED URBAN BOUNDARIES WIN IN:

Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Cloverdale in Sonoma County (56 to 66% yes)

11/4/2010-Dear supporter of Greenbelt Alliance, Thank you.

Because of your support, we can proudly announce that after the votes were counted Tuesday night, all five of our endorsed local measures were victorious. It looks like Bay Area voters are truly embracing the Grow Smart Bay Area vision for the region through choices at the ballot box:

In Contra Costa County, San Ramon residents overwhelmingly defeated Measure W ( 71.91%), a measure that would have expanded the city's urban growth boundary to allow development in the Tassajara Valley, a critical wildlife habitat and agricultural area.

In Sonoma County, Measure O passed by 66.9%, renewing Santa Rosa’s urban growth boundary until 2035. Measure T won with 64.5%, renewing Petaluma's urban growth boundary through 2025. And in Cloverdale, Measure Q, which establishes the city's first urban growth boundary, passed by 56.7%.

Berkeley residents passed Measure R ( 64.21%). Now the city council has direction from the voters to put in place a plan for a sustainable downtown -- a plan that will put homes near transit and jobs and in the process reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Of those five, we’re particularly pleased that two Greenbelt Alliance-led campaigns, Measure W in San Ramon and Measure O in Santa Rosa, won with over 2/3 voter approval.

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IN THE EAST BAY:

10/6/2010—from Greenbelt Alliance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGei8ADSYn4

Who benefits from Measure W?

Measure W in San Ramon will destroy the Tassajara Valley and the Western Hills, and for what?  Who benefits?

Watch this 60-second video that identifies exactly who will capitalize on Measure W.

 For more on Measure W in San Ramon, visit NoonMeasureW.org, or read the endorsement from the Contra Costa Times (spoiler alert: the Times says vote it down.)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/People-Opposed-to-Measure-W-Breaking-San-Ramons-Urban-Growth-Boundary-2010/139044299466573

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http://sf.streetsblog.org/2010/06/10/advocates-brentwood-sprawl-measure-a-litmus-test-for-sb-375/

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http://www.savemountdiablo.org/DiabloWatch/2010FallDiabloWatch.pdf

stories on Urban Growth Boundary attacks in Brentwood and San Ramon

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IN SONOMA COUNTY: Setting good boundaries

Sonoma County's sense of place -- and its deserved reputation as a vacation destination -- has been preserved in large part by urban growth boundaries. In Sonoma, eight of our nine cities established urban growth boundaries between 1996 and 2000. Now, on November 2, voters can renew the lines in Santa Rosa http://www.santarosaurbangrowthboundary.org/index.html and Petaluma http://www.yesontpetaluma.com/ and approve the first one in Cloverdale.

We give an enthusiastic "Yes!" vote to all three urban growth boundary ballot measures, but read our analysis of these measures  http://growsmartbayarea.org/gs_news/?p=349 to learn a bit more about each policy.

 And read our Ballot Guide for a full roundup of where Greenbelt Alliance stands on crucial open space and urban places ballot initiatives.

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UPDATES ON OTHER PRESERVATION BATTLES:

THE SOUTH BAY:

http://greenfoothills.org/documents/GreenFootnotesFall2010.pdf

Your support last year allowed us to continue our legacy of advocacy, education and grassroots action on several fronts:

-- Opposing growth inducing land use actions in Morgan Hill and Gilroy,

--Participating in review of, and opposing, the proposed Redwood City Saltworks bay development project,

--Opposing the proposed Big Wave development in Pillar Marsh,

--Working with the City of San Jose to establish appropriate riparian protection policies.

-- For more 2010 accomplishments please see our latest newsletter, Green Footnotes, pages 10 & 11!

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THE NORTH EAST BAY:

http://concordreuseproject.org/

from greenbelt alliance:

The Concord Reuse Project Area Plan Book 1 and Book 2 was created for this purpose.

--The Community Coalition for a Sustainable Concord, of which Greenbelt Alliance is a member, is still analyzing the document ( download Books 1 & 2 from the website), but so far the Coalition likes the clustering of homes and services near the North Concord BART station and that more open space has been set aside than what was planned in February.

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MARIN COUNTY:

Since 1980, MALT has permanently protected nearly half of the working farm  and ranch land in Marin County. I am deeply grateful to all our supporters who have allowed us to carry out this important work over the last 30 years.

But there is still more work to do...60,000 acres of irreplaceable farmland are still at risk. If you haven't yet made a 2010 contribution, you can help us reach our goal by donating to MALT today!

http://www.malt.org/

MAP:

http://www.malt.org/about/map.php

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SONOMA COUNTY:

In this season of giving, a wonderfully generous Sebastopol family, which has asked to remain anonymous, has come forward with an inspiring and challenging gift — a $300,000 pledge to be matched dollar for dollar. Every gift we receive by December 31 will be matched by their extraordinary generosity. We hope you will consider making a year-end donation to help ensure that these and other projects are completed: adding 255 acres of protected redwood forest along the Sonoma Coast; restoring 1,000 acres of wetlands along San Pablo Bay, protecting wildlife corridors in the Sonoma Valley, and expanding our hikes and recreational activities at the Jenner Headlands.

http://twitter.com/SonomaLandTrust

http://www.facebook.com/sonomalandtrust?ref=s

SF Bay Ridge Trail system is 53% complete--325 miles are open!

Bay Area Ridge Trail Enjoys Unprecedented Coverage in Bay Area News Group Papers 

--Plus two new sections opened in the last month!

from Sunday, May 30, 2010 issue:
Check out Paul Rogers' in-depth feature story on the Ridge Trail, plus these online extras:

325 miles are completed and open to the public, out of the total planned 610 miles

http://ridgetrail.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=164:ridge-trail-prominently-featured-in-bay-area-papers&catid=35:newsflash&Itemid=168

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-ridge-trail

http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15159951

Interactive Map with photos and video
http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-ridge-trail#map


Slide Show

http://extras.mercurynews.com/slideshows/news/2010/05/BayAreaRidgeTrail/


http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_15185963
Bay Area Ridge Trail about two-thirds complete in San Mateo County
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http://www.marinij.com/bayarearidgetrail/ci_15161285
Mountain bicyclists feel left out by restrictions on Bay Area Ridge Trail
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The Dias ridge trail opened May 8th, 2010 in Marin County

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702 acres of new open space +1.5 miles of new Ridge Trail in Contra Costa County

http://ridgetrail.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=164:ridge-trail-prominently-featured-in-bay-area-papers&catid=35:newsflash&Itemid=168

http://www.muirheritagelandtrust.org/assets/pdfs/directions/Fernandez%20directions.pdf

The 702-acre Fernandez Ranch, purchased by the Muir Heritage Land Trust in 2005 with funding assistance from the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, has undergone a major restoration project.

Highlights include a new staging area, picnic areas, 156 ft. clear span bridge, large-scale creek restoration, more than 10,000 native plants and trees, 3.5 miles of multi-use trails including sections accessible to people with disabilities and an important new 1.5-mile segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.

Learn More about wetland restoration in the SF Bay area

http://www.yourwetlands.org/about.php

About the Project
* Brief History
* Wetland Habitat and Other Values
* Wetlands along the North Edge of
San Francisco Bay
* "MISSION 37"

The partners of the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture share a larger common vision for protecting a total of over 200,000 acres of wetlands in the nine counties that surround San Francisco Bay. The goals, habitat types and strategy for the implementation of this vision/plan can be found in Restoring the Estuary.  San Pablo Bay, the north end of San Francisco Bay, offers a unique opportunity to connect large sections of land to protect and restore wetlands in this densely populated Bay Area that have not yet been urbanized. 
In 2005, partners from the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture who have been actively working to protect and restore wetlands in San Pablo Bay came together to find ways to educate the traveling public about the
wetlands and projects along the 17 mile stretch of State Highway 37,  now known as the North Bay Flyway Highway.

WCB 2/2010: State to help save 10,400 acres at February meeting...

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State Wildlife Board opens checkbook a little

February 25, 2010
10:00 AM
State Capitol, Room 112
Sacramento, California 95814

https://nrmsecure.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=15856

If all purchases are completed, this would add 5699 acres to full ownership by the State and 4727 acres in conservation easements (where the land remains privately owned but the development rights are given up)

MAPS: https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=25146

*7. Clear Lake Conservation Area, a donation from Lake County Watershed Protection District of a conservation easement over 102± acres of wetlands.

*9. Lower Colorado River Ecological Reserve, (Travis Donation) Riverside County
To consider the acceptance of a donation to the State of two parcels of land totaling 84± acres to protect cottonwood and mesquite woodlands and riparian habitat, located just east of Highway 95 and along the Lower Colorado River, near the City of Blythe, in Riverside County.

*10. Western Riverside County MSHСP , Expansion 1 Riverside County
acquire 49± acres adjacent to the City of Temecula

*11. Iron Mountain Wildlife Area, Expansion 4, San Diego County
acquire 311± acres as an expansion to the Department of Fish and Game’s Iron Mountain Wildlife area, for the purposes of protecting undisturbed grasslands, chaparral, oak woodlands, vernal pools and riparian habitat in the San Vicente Creek watershed, located near the community of Ramona, in San Diego County.

12. Sierra Crest Conservation Easement, $6,430,000, Phases I and II Sierra and Nevada Counties. A grant to the Truckee Donner Land Trust, subject to the availability of bond funds, for a cooperative project with the Department of Fish and Game and the Northern Sierra Partnership to acquire a conservation easement over 4,365± acres of commercial timber land to promote sustainable harvesting practices, secure wildlife migration corridors, and provide public access along a two mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail, located in the vicinity of Jackson Meadows Reservoir north of the Town of Truckee, in Nevada and Sierra Counties.

13. Holmstead Farms #4, Yuba County
acquisition of a conservation easement over 260± acres of privately-owned land for a cooperative project with Ducks Unlimited, Inc. to protect seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands and upland grasslands, located in the community of Loma Rica, in Yuba County.

15. Liberty Island, Solano and Yolo Counties
To consider the acceptance by the State of a donation of fee title to approximately 5,030 acres from the Trust for Public Land to protect riparian and upland delta habitat on Liberty Island, located just west of the Sacramento Deep Water Shipping Canal, south of the City of Davis, in Yolo and Solano Counties.

17. Willow Hole Conservation Area, Expansion 1, Riverside County
acquisition of 45± acres to protect and enhance existing regional wildlife linkages and aeolian and fluvial sand transport areas within the Coachella Valley Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Preserve reserve area, located southeast of Desert Hot Springs and north of Highway 10, in Riverside County.

18. San Diego County (Helix-Lambron and Wildcat Canyon) acquisitions of two properties totaling 180± acres

New Sections of Bay Ridge trail are open....

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Another 5 Miles of the SF Bay Ridge Trail are Finished

7/24/2009 from http://ridgetrail.org

Trail Dedications
Celebrate with us as we dedicate 4.8 miles of Ridge Trail in August!

August 15 – 3.6 more miles at the north end of the Coyote Creek Trail in San José will be opened, creating a continuous 19-mile stretch extending south to Anderson Lake County Park. Cyclists can sign up to ride all 19 miles one-way (shuttle provided). Families can come early with the kids for a FREE bicycle helmet fitting and give away! Festivities begin at 8:30 AM near the Tully Community Branch Library & Ball Fields.

August 29 – celebratory opening of 1.2 mile path of Ridge Trail and Bay Trail on the Benicia-Martinez Bridge, across the Carquinez Strait. Ceremonies start at 10:00 AM at Vista Point in Benicia, followed by fun family activities. Meet at the Camel Barn parking lot.

Please follow the links above for complete details and directions.

http://www.ridgetrail.org/calendar/detail.cfm?ID=715

More of S.F. Bay Ridge Trail completed...

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Solano County Connector Trail Dedicated

from:
http://ridgetrail.org/newsletters/2009_winterspring.pdf

Getting to the Ridge Trail from the communities we live in is an important goal of our 500-mile trail project. In November, we celebrated the opening of a trail that will get you to the Ridge Trail—the Hiddenbrooke Connector Trail in Vallejo. This one-mile trail connects neighborhoods on the Hiddenbrooke Parkway to the 2.5-mile Hiddenbrooke Ridge Trail dedicated in 2001. The inspiring views extend to Mt. Diablo and the Carquinez Strait, as well as to Skyline Wilderness Park and the Napa Solano Ridge Trail in Napa County.

This is the eighth consecutive year of annual Ridge Trail dedications in Solano County, which is a record for all of our counties. The council’s Solano County Committee has lined up at least two more dedications over the next two years, which will add up to a decade of annual dedications by 2010!

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More Trails and Several Development Battles Near the Blueridge-Berryessa Natural Area

2/22/2009 Update from http://yolohiker.org

New trail project!

I know lots of people have noticed the lack of hikes this year. This is because I was working on starting up a new trail building project, and am pleased to announce that Tuleyome (http://tuleyome.org) is now working with Yolo County to build the first multi-use trail on the
Otis Ranch Open Space Park. The park is located across from Camp Haswell County Park, upstream from Rumsey. I’ve wanted to build trails up in this area for a while, and this
segment will eventually give access to the Blue Ridge trail from a new location. In light of the current economic downturn, money for trails and other park features will surely become scarcer, so it’s up to us, the trail users, to help improve our public lands! Dates for volunteer trail building days have been posted on the Hikes, Trips, and Events calendar on the Yolohiker webpage, and a description of the project can be found on a new Trailbuilding link on http://yolohiker.org. Be sure to come out and help build trails on our County Open Space!


Blue Ridge Trail update

A ranching family in Napa County donated a half-mile trail easement to the Napa Open Space District, which will connect the DFG Knoxville State Wildlife Area with the BLM Berryessa Peak public lands. This will bring an almost 32-mile corridor down the Blue Ridge into the public right of way, and allow for first-ever non-docent led hikes onto the 9,100-acre Berryessa Peak public lands! Tuleyome will be helping construct the trail using volunteers (that means you guys!).
Before construction can begin we need to complete the environmental review, and I am looking for a Botanist and an Ornithologist who would be willing to do some pro bono work, inventorying the route for the CEQA document. If you would love to be one of the first to see the new trail easement, and are willing to donate a day to do the field work with me, drop me an email!

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"Trust key to rangeland partnership, rancher says"(Capital Press, 1/22/09)
"Where Yolo, Colusa and Lake counties meet, a 10,000-acre patch of U.S. Bureau of Land Management-owned grassland (Payne Ranch) is the site of a special grazing project. Historically a forage ground for elk, cattle and sheep, the parcel began showing signs of over-grazing by the 1960s, but grazing continued into the 1990s. That's when the land's previous owner contacted the BLM about a sale of the property. The sale was completed about three years ago, and the BLM's original goal was to restore habitat for the bald eagle and other species and to preserve the land's cultural values ... But as a result of a noxious weed problem, grazing is back on the grassy plot under a partnership between the BLM, Elk Creek rancher Chet Vogt and a local environmental group called Tuleyome."

http://www.tuleyome.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=27

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ukiah/grazing.html

http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/ukiah/cachecreek.html

http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ca/pdf/pdfs/ukiah_pdfs.Par.70383.File.dat/cachecreek_wilderness.pdf
for map

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Environmentalists push for massive north-state conservation area—Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area—1/27/2009
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/1575533.html?mi_rss=Our%2520Region

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California: Will 600 homes and a golf course destroy rare Cache Creek Oak woodlands ? http://forestpolicyresearch.org/2009/01/09/california-600-homes-golf-course-destroy-rare-cache-creek-oak-woodlands/ Economic forces put into play long ago spelled certain doom for these parcels below that are marked in red…
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SOLANO COUNTY / Lawsuit opposes development / Critics say project violates plan for scenic Lagoon Valley
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/08/BAGFJC53N31.DTL

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Big vineyard plans for east side of valley Five sites totaling more than 1,000 acres in planning stages
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2009/02/09/news/local/doc498fd0973e09a333248868.txt

overworked webmaster goes mad...starts posting loose news items...

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CENTRAL VALLEY-SIERRA NEVADA REGION-- ASSORTED WEBSITES:

PLUMAS AND SIERRA COUNTIES:

http://frlt.org/docs/summer07.pdf

map of lands saved in the Sierra Valley; group is based in Quincy in Plumas County;

Story on 160 acre conservation easement in Sierra Valley

--Also see website for 2007-2008 annual report: lands saved in 07-08 include 160-acre Dan Balderston Ranch in Sierra Valley saved with a conservation easement, 725 acre conservation easement at the Turner Creek Ranch, and contracted to buy the 976 acre Mello Ranch near Loyalton in Sierra County. All total in the FRLT’s history, 12 properties totaling nearly 30,000 acres have been saved in Sierra Valley by FRLT and its partner groups.

High Sierra Rural.org

on the Sierra Valley, how Sierra County strongly protects its rural qualities, while Plumas county does not

----------------------------

PLACER COUNTY:

http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/Planning/PlacerLegacy/PlacerLegacyProperties.aspx

map of land preserved in Placer County

http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/Planning/PlacerLegacy/~/media/cdr/Planning/PlacerLegacy/Acquisitions/2007%2008YearEnd4thQtrReport.ashx

table lists 2687 acres saved since year 2000; around 1500 acres of that total is conservation easements

http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/Planning/PlacerLegacy/Accomplishments.aspx Placer legacy timeline

http://www.placer.ca.gov/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/Planning/PlacerLegacy/~/media/cdr/Planning/PlacerLegacy/PrimaryWatersheds.ashx

map of watersheds in Placer County

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SOLANO COUNTY:

http://www.solanocounty.com/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=4865

1580 acre Rockville Trails Estates project in Solano County—9/25/2008

-----------------------------

MERCED COUNTY:

http://www.ucop.edu/news/archives/2001/march20art1.htm

3/20/2001: With a grant in excess of $11 million from the Packard Foundation, UC will acquire the 7,030-acre Virginia Smith Trust parcel northeast of the city of Merced…After acquisition, the university plans to set aside 5,030 acres as a conservation preserve that would protect vernal pool habitat in perpetuity. The remaining 2,000 acres would be used for the proposed new UC Merced campus on the southwest portion of the Virginia Smith Trust lands; the campus portion would include a 750-acre natural reserve of vernal pool habitat protected from development….Triggering the release of $15 million in state-approved habitat acquisition funds from the Wildlife Conservation Board to ensure the conservation of key wetland and vernal pool resources in the surrounding area.

http://www.ucop.edu/news/archives/2001/march20art1a.htm

The UC Merced campus is planned to have an area of 2,000 acres, consisting of: 1) a developed campus of 910 acres; 2) a 750-acre natural reserve, and 3) a reserve of 340 acres for future potential development. The Campus will ultimately host 25,000 students. The Campus Community will be a planned development of approximately 2,000 acres that will eventually have about 30,000 residents.

…Under the proposal, the new campus would be situated away from the most sensitive vernal pool areas of the VST site. The new proposal also calls for the University to create the first phase of the campus on the Merced Hills Golf Course, which is part of the VST.

----------------------

TULARE COUNTY:

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20081120/NEWS01/811200316/1002

Exeter and Porterville landowners are wary of state park proposals

11-20-2008: The state's proposal would create a 1,000-acre park near Porterville and a 2,300-acre park near Exeter. A third plan would set aside 500 acres of trails along the Kings River near the Tulare County line just below the Pine Flat Dam….Jack Shannon, whose 4,000-acre cattle ranch near Porterville has been in his family for five generations, found out about the proposed Deer Creek park near his property only a few days ago. On Wednesday he made the hour-long drive to Visalia to find out more about the project….Chad Noble's 3,000-acre ranch property would be bisected by the proposed Deer Creek park….

http://www.sequoiariverlands.org/pdf/IRWMP/WaterConflExistPlans_QualQuant_EconSocial_07_22_08.pdf

-- Land use issues in foothills- urbanization and development moving up from the valley, relying heavily on groundwater

--New development drawing water from other people’s wells- example: Shaver Lake

--Tulare County directing all growth to the foothills to protect agriculture

--Diverting runoff from the Kings River into the San Joaquin to avoid local flooding of Homeland Ranch (Boswell) which is prime agricultural land.

--Yokohl Valley- proposing to build on a stream corridor,

--Shaver Lake development- will be looking for surface water

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KERN COUNTY:

http://www.cuddyvalley.org/blogs/nimby/?p=294

According to Tejon’s very own Draft Water Supply Assessment, this is how Centennial will look from the air. It’s beautiful. It’s like the tulip fields. Who needs wildflowers...

http://www.bakersfield.com/hourly_news/story/506919.html

7-26-2008: The PdV Wind Energy Project, proposed by enXco, would use 5,820 acres west of Rosamond to generate electricity for Southern California Edison.

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/pearsonville-ca/TPJ4IOKJ6DGJGT887

web comments on sale of Onyx Ranch

The windmills will be located on the southern-most section of the property, near the intersections of Jawbone Canyon and Kelso Valley Roads. Other areas closer to Lake Isabella will be olive orchards and vineyards. But whether the family gave some land to the BLM for OHV use, whether they held back any for themselves, and whether they kept the mineral rihts remains to be seen. They have always been responsible landowners, and so I can't see too much becoming tract homes.

http://www.kernsmartgrowth.com

http://www.kernsmartgrowth.com/notices.html

Pine Tree Wind Development Project by Wind Turbine Prometheus proposes a zone change from E (20) to A and A WE (Wind Energy) on 8,000 acres, along with CUPs to allow construction of a temporary batch plant, located 15 miles northeast of Tehachapi.

http://www.proland.com/antelope_valley.asp

Antelope Valley development booster website

http://gthompso.blogspot.com/2008/12/tehachapi.html

photos of Tehachapi region

http://www.cityofvernon.org/about_cov/2008NovGazette.pdf

vague city newsletter mentioning city purchase of portion of Onyx Ranch in the lower Sierra Nevadas

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SF Bay Area Voters Go Green in a Big Way!

VOTERS SUPPORT GREEN TRANSPORTATION, LAND CONSERVATION

11/5/2008
http://greenbelt.org

Great news! On November 4, Bay Area residents overwhelmingly voted to invest in green
transportation and to protect farmland and natural areas. Greenbelt Alliance, with your support, worked hard to pass these six key measures.

California, once the heartland for the automobile, is bringing back its trains. Voters said yes to building a high-speed train, the first in the nation, and to bringing passenger train service from Cloverdale to Larkspur to relieve unrelenting congestion in the North Bay.

Another important victory is the protection of almost 1 million acres in Solano and Napa counties. And Measure WW passed, which will renew funding to create and improve East Bay parks, and preserve open space at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station.

Here are the big wins for the Bay Area's open spaces and vibrant places:

GREEN TRANSPORTATION WINS!
**Proposition 1A (52.3%) authorizes a high-speed train to be built from San Francisco and
Sacramento to San Diego.
**Measure Q (69.5%) brings the SMART train and bike trail to Sonoma and Marin.
**Measure VV (71.5%) provides funding for AC Transit to help preserve affordable public
transportation.

OPEN SPACE VICTORIES!
**Solano's Measure T (69.6%) guides growth into existing cities and protects 440,000
acres of agricultural and natural areas.
**Measure P (63.7%) protects 540,000 acres of Napa County farmland and watersheds.
**Measure WW (71.5%) creates parks, builds trails, and restores ecological areas in the East Bay.

Thanks for helping to make these victories possible; they will lead the Bay Area to a
more sustainable, self-sufficient future.

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With Some Big Builders in Bankruptcy, Is it Time for the State's Land Conservancies to Buy Choice Parcels?

Here's a good report from a builder's and mortgage blog. Geez, it would be GREAT if the conservancies could come up with the funds to buy that Stevenson Ranch parcel and Newhall Ranch. We will never have an opportunity like this again. I hope they have made contact with Barclays Bank Representatives. The bank may be very willing to relieve itself of this outlying raw land and Stevenson Ranch with no water is virtually undevelopable. There are many graded lots in Santa Clarita much closer in that will undoubtedly take care of the market for many years.

from: Lynne Plambeck, President, Santa Clarita Organization for Planning and the Environment

----------------------------------

LandSource's DIP Lender Files Liquidating Ch. 11 Plan
Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 4:14 am

http://implode-explode.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=85640&sid=919f3c1a4f63f4c39a585fa31a86100b

LandSource, the raw land and lot holding company owned by CALPERS and Lennar, has been a Chapter 11 debtor since June 2008. At the time of its bankruptcy filing, LandSource owed nearly $900 Million on a syndicated mortgage loan managed by Barclays Bank. Barclays and some of its syndicate members rolled up the loan into a $1+ Billion DIP loan due in June 2009.

On 10/13/08 Barclays Bank, as lead lender for the participants in the DIP loan, filed a proposed Chapter 11 Plan of Reorganization for LandSource. It is a liquidating plan, as was predicted on the record, in the Bankruptcy Court, by counsel for the Committee of Unsecured Creditors when the terms of the DIP loan were argued.

In the Liquidating Plan, Barclays Bank proposes that a Plan Administrator be appointed, who would conduct an auction of all of LandSource's assets 120 days after the Court approved the Liquidating Plan. Barclays reserves the right to credit bid for all or part of the debtor's assets. Barclays proposes that the Plan Administrator then sell any assets remaining after the auction in the ordinary course.

So far, neither the debtor nor the Committee of Unsecured Creditors have filed a competing plan. It would be tough to draft a credible competing plan, without Barclays and its participants cooperation, given the need to find a source to refinance the $1+ Billion DIP loan due in June 2009.

At the height of the real estate boom, LandSource's real estate was valued at $1.8 Billion. In open bankruptcy court, various parties have alleged that same real estate is now valued at $750 Million.

Among the real estate proposed to be auctioned:

--Newhall Land & Farming's remaining residential and commercial land in Valencia, California
--A brand new TPC golf course in Valencia, California
--Newhall Land & Farming's farm land in California's Central Valley and Ventura County
--Newhall Land & Farming's Newhall Ranch, which has conceptual planning approvals but no approved plat maps, no Army Corps permits and no California Fish & Game permits
--A huge, mountainous tract constituting the remainder of Lennar's Stevenson Ranch project, which has no water entitlements
--A high rise apartment building under construction in Marina del Rey, California
--The massive Bressi Ranch in San Diego County, California
--A large ranch in Moorpark, California
--Lennar's Mare Island military base redevelopment project on San Francisco Bay, a project with significant hazardous materials contamination yet to be remediated
--Land in the Friendswood area of Houston
--Miscellaneous land in Las Vegas
--Miscellaneous land in several states formerly owned by MW Housing Partners III, a CALPERS investment vehicle designed as a "land bank" for Lennar, before the LandSource venture between CALPERS and Lennar was created

Barclays Bank cannot expect that there will be any cash buyers willing to pay a reasonable price for these huge pieces of real estate at auctions held in 2009 by a Chapter 11 Plan Administrator.

Title to the properties will undoubtedly end up in an entity created by Barclays Bank and its loan participants....unless the Treasury wants to spend $750 Million in TARP funds to acquire this "prime" development land.

Barclays Bank's plan to auction these vast tracts of land brings to the forefront the question of what will happen to the hundreds of thousands of residential lots throughout the country which exist on paper, or in partially developed state, or are completed and weed covered.

The business of "land development" for massive housing tracts built by national homebuilders will not recover for years and years and years.

_________________
Aristotle

As Yogi Berra said "It's like deja vu all over again.

------------------------------------
MORE POSTS ON THIS TOPIC:

http://implode-explode.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=68167

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SUCCESS: Victories for Farmland in Solano and American Canyon

September 2008 News from the Greenbelt Alliance
http://greenbelt.org

Good news! Greenbelt Alliance and our allies worked hard (and flexed some legal muscle)to incorporate Solano County's Orderly Growth Initiative into the new Solano General Plan. On the ballot November 4, Measure T includes the General Plan and the renewal of Orderly Growth to protect over 440,000 acres of agricultural land and open space from development. Vote Yes on T in November!

More great news nearby: American Canyon, the fastest growing city in Napa County, adopted a rural urban limit line August 5. The City Council approved the line after receiving signatures from over 25% of voters in support of the initiative. Now, precious rural land outside the line will be protected from development until 2030.

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ACTION ALERT: Building Consensus on the Reuse of Concord Base

The last and most important public workshop for the Concord Naval Weapons Station is on September 13, when a consensus must be reached on the best reuse of the former base. Residents can recommend only one plan to the City Council and Community Advisory Committee.

Come out to join Greenbelt Alliance and local partners to call for the "conservation
and concentration" alternatives. And volunteer to make calls by contacting Christina
at cwong@greenbelt.org.

When: 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, September 13
Where: Concord Senior Center, 2727 Parkside Circle, Concord
--------------------------------

"More bad decisions by LAFCO, this time in San Martin," San Jose Mercury News, August 20
http://www.greenbelt.org/resources/press/clippings/clip_2008aug20.html

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Bay Area Ridge Trail Council News

5/20/2008


New Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop Trail Collaboration

The Council is thrilled to announce a new collaboration with our “sister” San Francisco Bay Trail Project: a 50-mile Carquinez Strait Scenic Loop Trail.

We have long envisioned an intertwined loop around the Strait as part of our regional network. The Ridge and Bay trails share an alignment between Vallejo and Benicia on the northern side of the Strait, and across the toll bridges. South of the Strait, the Ridge Trail winds up onto the ridgelines before heading south into the East Bay hills, while the Bay Trail hugs the shoreline.

While the area is not widely visited, it boasts dramatic bluffs with spectacular vistas and fascinating natural and human history. Stunning sections of the Carquinez Loop are already open, including Crockett Hills Regional Park, Benicia State Recreation Area, the Al Zampa Bridge path, Mt. Wanda in the John Muir Historic Site, and the Pinole Watershed trail, opened last November.

This year, in addition to support from the Coastal Conservancy, we are grateful to have received a generous grant from the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund for this special collaboration. Our goals are:

• To close as many gaps as possible in time for the fall 2009 opening of a new bicycle pedestrian path on the Benicia Martinez bridge; and
• To reach out with trail events and activities to build awareness of our trails, especially among youth.

New trail priorities include (moving clockwise around the Strait): Vallejo Bluffs, Glen Cove Waterfront Park, a path over I-780 to Benicia State Recreation Area, Martinez Regional Shoreline, the historic Feeder Trail, Fernandez Ranch, and community connections in Benicia, Martinez and Crockett.

Check out a special feature in your next issue of RidgeLines and http://ridgetrail.org for more details, as they take shape.

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2 stories:
Sprawl is closing the gap between cities and suburbs across Northern, Calif., putting a strain on the environment.

Growth Control Victories in the North SF Bay
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Creeping sprawl overtakes refugees from cities

By Rachel Gordon, San Francisco Chronicle, 4-18-2008

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/18/BA0GVRQLO.DTL&type=green

Fed up with the encroaching sprawl, Linda Jimenez fled Silicon Valley for Tracy in 1990 in search of more affordable housing and the small-town way of life of her Santa Clara County youth. Eventually, the sprawl caught up.

In 1990, Tracy, a friendly agricultural community separated from the Bay Area by the Altamont Pass, had fewer than 34,000 residents. Today, the mushrooming town, located at the western gateway to the Central Valley, has a population nearing 81,000.

The town sits as a symbol of the quest by working- and middle-class Bay Area residents to find housing they can afford - a pursuit that often draws them further from the traditional job centers in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose.

The result: A swath of residential and retail development that reaches toward the Sierra foothills, into the agricultural heartland of the Central Valley and south toward Salinas on land once reserved for ranching, farming and recreation.

The migration comes at costs to the environment: loss of natural habitat, increased greenhouse gases and a growing strain on the watershed.

"Sprawl is an inefficient and unsustainable use of our land resources," said Elizabeth Adam, spokeswoman for the Bay Area Open Space Council. "It is often the default pattern of development that solves short-term problems but has very negative effects on communities over time."

Just drive along major highways between Richmond and Auburn (Placer County), between Dublin and Manteca (San Joaquin County), between San Jose and Salinas and between Sacramento and Stockton, and the change is evident, with strip malls, office parks and cookie-cutter housing projects dotting the landscape.

"The cities and suburbs of Northern California are increasingly growing together," Gabriel Metcalf and Egon Terplan noted last year in a San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association report on the development trend they wrote. "Growth has outstripped the traditional nine-county Bay Area and has leapt north, south and east, joining with Sacramento and its suburbs."

The Bay Area's population, now estimated at 7.2 million, is projected to grow to 8.7 million by 2030, according to the California Department of Finance. But the population growth in the Bay Area's 12 neighboring counties - among them San Joaquin, Sacramento, Stanislaus and Santa Cruz - is projected to add even more people. By 2030, according to the state forecast, they will have 6.6 million residents, an increase of 2.1 million.

One of the chief problems is that the jobs have not been keeping up with the trend, forcing more people to endure long commutes.

"Between 1980 and 2000, the number of commuters from 12 neighboring counties into the Bay Area's nine-county core nearly quadrupled from 30,000 to 117,000 daily," Metcalf and Terplan found. "Given that the vast majority of commuters were driving alone, nearly 90,000 new cars were added to already-congested roadways from trips alone."

Vehicle emissions account for half the greenhouse gas emissions in California.

Jimenez, who works for Cal State East Bay, spends more than 2 1/2 hours a day in her car, driving back and forth between her home in Tracy and her job in Hayward. For a while, she took public transit - a mixture of BART and buses to reduce her carbon footprint - but that nearly doubled her commute time. She switched back to driving, but bought a less environmentally damaging hybrid car.

Despite the long commutes, Jimenez, 57, doesn't regret her decision to leave the Bay Area.

When she purchased her first home in Tracy in 1990, she paid $154,000 for a spacious, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house. Fourteen years later she sold it for more than $400,000 and traded up for about $100,000 more to a five-bedroom, three-bath house with a large yard that she shares with her daughter, son in-law and grandchildren. Finding a house that size and at that price in the Bay Area, in a place as nice as Tracy, she said, would be difficult.

"I agree it's not the ideal situation, but we like the community and have established roots here," Jimenez said.

San Joaquin County, where Tracy is located, has undergone a major transformation in the past decade and a half. An estimated 115,196 acres of open space and agricultural land have been "urbanized," or developed for commercial and residential use, according data kept by the state Department of Conservation.

Statewide, an estimated 538,273 acres were developed between 1990 and 2004, or 38,448 annually. Nearly two-thirds of the development was on land once used for agriculture.

Between 1849 - the start of the Gold Rush - and 1990, an average of 20,052 undeveloped acres were urbanized annually.

Unless restrictions are placed on new development, an estimated 2.1 million acres in California, much of it supporting crops and grazing, is at risk of sprawl development, according to the American Farmland Trust, a national preservation group.

The loss of open space has altered California's economy and ecosystem.

"We're losing migration corridors for animals and compromising our watersheds and paving over productive farmland," said Amanda Brown-Stevens, field director for Greenbelt Alliance, a Bay Area land conservation and urban planning organization.

The challenge, she said, is getting people to value long-term sustainability more than short-term profit. If they won't do it on their own, then land-use laws can be enacted to prevent landowners and builders from developing open space.

Across the country, local jurisdictions have adopted urban-growth boundaries aimed at curtailing sprawl. In the Bay Area, such limits have been enacted in approximately three dozen cities and counties, from Morgan Hill to St. Helena. Vacaville, as part of a legal settlement with conservationists, was the latest to limit growth.

Greenbelt Alliance (http://greenbelt.org) has calculated that 401,500 acres of open space lands in the Bay Area could be developed in the next 30 years, with the growth hot spots centered along Interstate 80 in Solano County, eastern Contra Costa County, the East Bay's Tri-Valley area, Coyote Valley in southern Santa Clara County and Highway 101 in the North Bay through Sonoma County.

Brown-Stevens said the demands of population growth and the search for affordable housing can't be ignored. However, she said, there are development options that are less harmful to the environment than building on remote open lands.

One such option, she said, is the construction of compact residential developments with a mix of condos, single-family homes and apartments in cities. Ideally, they would be near stores and job centers and have easy access to public transit to make it more convenient for people to get around without driving.

But convincing people that the American Dream can be found in an urban neighborhood where sometimes the only open space is the back stoop or the neighborhood playground won't be easy.

Still, Brown-Stevens suggested that the time is right to make the argument.

"I think people are sick of traffic," she said, "and they do care about the issue of global warming, and they do want to spend more time with their families and spend less time in their cars."

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Victory: Pittsburg City Council rejects flawed hillside ordinance!
On Monday April 8, Pittsburg's City Council rejected a flawed hillside ordinance and sent it back to the city planning staff to completely redo. Greenbelt Alliance and local residents have been working for a full year to get the Planning Commission to create an ordinance that truly protects the hills instead of opening them up for grading and sprawl development. This is a major victory and an important opportunity to protect these iconic East Bay hills.

Success: Vacaville adopts urban growth boundary!
On Tuesday March 25, the City Council in Vacaville, one of Solano County's fastest-growing cities, unanimously adopted an urban growth boundary! The petition for the boundary was signed by 10,000 Vacaville residents (more than voted in the last election). The boundary defines where growth should and should not occur, and will protect thousands of acres of farmlands and hills around the city.