Background
At its September 27, 2017 Board meeting, the Delta Conservancy ("Conservancy") staff announced that the Conservancy has received 18 concept proposals for its third round of Proposition 1 grant proposal solicitation, totaling a request of more than $26 million in funding. (See Attachment A)
Two of the project concept proposals that were invited to submit a full proposal are located within Yolo County: "Bees Lake Restoration Planning" (West Sacramento) and "Restoration Planning at River Garden Farms" (Unincorporated Yolo County). This Board adopted a resolution of support for the Bees Lakes planning proposal at its meeting on November 7, 2017.
River Garden Farms is located north of Knights Landing along the Sacramento River. The farm is in both Yolo and Colusa counties. River Garden Farms (RGF) has partnered with a coalition of NGOs, including American Rivers, River Partners, Audubon California, Ducks Unlimited and Environmental Defense Fund to purposefully and collaboratively advance projects at the farm that enhance the habitat value of RGF lands and operations. At 15,000 acres, and sitting along the west bank of the Sacramento River just North of Knights Landing, CA, RGF is well positioned to model integrating conservation on working lands for surrounding farmers and communities.The partnership has identified seven potential restoration project sites on the farm including floodplain, wetland and riparian habitats that warrant further evaluation and conceptual planning. Three of the seven sites are farmed in rotation (last year for example one was sunflower, one was tomato, and one was fallow). The other four sites are wetlands and sloughs that are not, and have not been, farmed.
The near-term objectives of this planning exercise are to:
1. Characterize and assess existing conditions for 550 acres of potential floodplain, wetland and riparian habitat restoration opportunities at RGF;
2. Develop and evaluate up to three conceptual restoration alternatives for seven different project sites at RGF and select one preferred alternative for each site to advance to a conceptual design level;
3. Select one priority floodplain restoration project and advance it to a 30% design level;
4. Evaluate opportunities and, where feasible, develop a pilot project for the Central Valley Habitat Exchange (CVHE) to incentivize habitat creation on private lands; and
5. Ensure integrated coordination and planning with regional planning efforts and projects, including the Mid and Upper Sacramento Regional Conservation Investment Strategy (RCIS) and Regional Flood Management Plan (RFMP), as well as the Knights Landing Small Communities Flood Risk Reduction Project (SCFRRP), that can serve as a model for improving flood protection.
The concept proposal, as submitted to the Conservancy, is provided as Attachment B.
Recommended Action
This proposal is for restoration planning purposes and it is unclear what recommendations may come from this exercise, staff is recommending that the Board adopt the attached resolution (Attachment C) which offers conditional support for the application.
Specifically, the resolution states:
"The Board of Supervisors supports funding by the Conservancy for the preparation of “Restoration Planning at River Garden Farms,” subject to the following conditions:
A. Any planning effort funded by the Conservancy on RGF must avoid or minimize the conversion of actively farmed land to other uses, including but not limited to wetland, riparian, or other habitat types;
B. If the planning effort includes consideration of seasonal floodplain habitat on actively farmed land, the planning effort will identify and propose inundation dates that avoid or minimize conflicts with farming activities;
C. Any project resulting from the planning effort will undergo appropriate review under the California Environmental Quality Act prior to its approval or implementation; and
D. Any project resulting from the planning effort will be implemented only after receiving all applicable federal, state, and local approvals.
The Board of Supervisors reserves the right to later reconsider its conditional support of this planning effort as additional information becomes available. This Resolution is not an indication of support for any project that may result from the planning effort." |