San Bruno Mountain Scoping Hearings

"Scoping Hearings" for the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation
> Plan (HCP) Amendment Environmental Impact Report / Statement
> (EIR/EIS).

> Public Meetings
> July 29, 2004; 2:30-4:30 PM July 29, 2004; 6:30-8:30 PM
> Mission Blue Community Center Brisbane Community Center
> 475 Mission Blue Drive 250 Visitacion Ave.
> Brisbane, California Brisbane, California

>
> Brief overview:

> The HCP, the first of its kind in the nation, was devised for San
> Bruno Mountain over 20 years ago to allow development on rare species
> habitat. The plan, which is the over-arching land use policy for the
> mountain, has been hugely controversial. There's a wide range of
> opinions about the plan's successes and failures, but most agree that
> it is badly in need of updating. Also, the US Fish and Wildlife
> Service, charged with enforcing the Endangered Species Act (ESA), has
> a stated goal of adding the Callippe Silverspot butterfly (recently
> listed under the ESA) to the HCP by issuing a permit to allow
> destruction of some of its habitat. Issuance of that permit MAY
allow
> substantial build-out of the last phase of the Northeast Ridge. A
> main reason why this huge amendment process is under way is Mountain
> Watch's successful lawsuit to stop destruction (called "incidental
> take") of the irreplaceable habitat on the Northeast Ridge for the
> building of unaffordable housing.
>
> So, the environmental review of the proposed amendment is underway,
> and two "scoping" sessions are being held for those people who wish
to
> provide input as to the scope of the study, i.e. what it should
> include. The hearings are tomorrow, Thursday, and will be identical
> as far as the presentations made by the agencies involved. No oral
> comments will be accepted tomorrow. Rather, comments are to be made
> in writing before August 23rd.
>
> The "Notice of Preparation" pasted below outlines the issue in more
> detail and without the Mountain Watch slant (in other words, it's
> slanted otherwise). It also contains all the details about the
> time/location of the hearings and the address to which comments
should
> be sent.
>
> If anyone wants more information or wishes to get involved in this,
> please contact us. The HCP here is the model for hundreds of other
> such plans across the country, and this amendment is a very big deal.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Philip Batchelder
> San Bruno Mountain Watch
> 415-467-6631
>
> NOTICE OF PREPARATION
>
> Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement
> for the San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan Amendment
>
> San Mateo County will be the Lead Agency under the California
> Environmental Quality Act and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
> (Service) will be the lead agency under the National Environmental
> Policy Act for a joint Environmental Impact Report/Environmental
> Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the proposed San Bruno Mountain
Habitat
> Conservation Plan Amendment. The Service is also publishing a Notice
> of Intent to prepare an EIS, in the Federal Register.
>
> We need to know the views of your agency as to the scope and content
> of the environmental information that is germane to your agency’s
> statutory responsibilities in connection with the proposed project.
> Your agency will need to use the EIR/EIS prepared by our agency when
> considering your permit or other approvals for the project. The
> project description, location and the probable environmental effects
> are contained in the attached materials.
>
> Due to the time limits mandated by State law, your response must be
> sent at the earliest possible date but no later than 30 days after
> receipt of this notice. We will need the name for a contact in your
> agency. Please send your comments to the address below.
>
> Two scoping meetings will be held on July 29th at the locations
listed
> below under “Public Meetings.” These meetings are open to agencies
> and the public, and are intended to provide an opportunity for input
> regarding issues and concerns to be addressed in the EIR/EIS.
>
> Public Meetings
> July 29, 2004; 2:30-4:30 PM July 29, 2004; 6:30-8:30 PM
> Mission Blue Community Center Brisbane Community Center
> 475 Mission Blue Drive 250 Visitacion Ave.
> Brisbane, California Brisbane, California
>
> Send Written Comments to:
> Mr. Sam Herzberg, Senior Planner Phone (650) 363-1823
> San Mateo County Parks Division Fax (650) 599-1721
> Environmental Services Agency
> 455 County Center, 4th Floor
> Redwood City, California, 94063
>
> Date:_____________________Signature:___________________________
> Sam Herzberg, Senior Planner
> Sam Herzberg, Senior Planner Summary
>
> San Bruno Mountain Habitat Conservation Plan Amendment,
> Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement
>
>
> Introduction
>
> A joint Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement
> (EIR/EIS) is being prepared for the proposed San Bruno Mountain
> Habitat Conservation Plan Amendment (HCP Amendment) and Incidental
> Take Permit (ITP). San Mateo County (County), and the cities of
> Brisbane, Daly City, and South San Francisco (collectively referred
to
> as the Permittees), are collaborating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
> Service in this effort. The EIR/EIS is being prepared in compliance
> with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National
> Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The County is the lead agency for
> CEQA compliance, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is
> the lead agency for NEPA.
>
> The Permittees obtained the original ITP from the Service in 1983,
> authorizing the incidental take of three species listed as endangered
> under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), including: the San
> Bruno elfin butterfly, the mission blue butterfly, and the San
> Francisco garter snake, and has since been amended on four occasions
> (although the number of species listed on the permit has remained
> constant). As a requirement for obtaining the ITP, the Permittees
> developed and implemented the HCP, which contained a strategy for
> minimizing and mitigating all take of covered species associated with
> activities covered by the ITP.
>
> With the proposed amendment, the Permittees intend to request ITP
> coverage for those species in the original incidental take permit, as
> well as the endangered Callippe silverspot butterfly and San
Francisco
> lessingia, the threatened bay checkerspot butterfly, and unlisted San
> Bruno Mountain manzanita. Components to be included in the amended
> HCP are now under consideration by the Service and Permittees, and
are
> described below under “Components Considered for HCP Amendment.” The
> underlying purpose of the ITP and HCP was and still is to address the
> conservation needs of the covered species, while allowing development
> to occur on the slopes of San Bruno Mountain.
>
> This Notice of Preparation (NOP) is being issued to comply with CEQA,
> which states that once a decision is made to prepare an EIR the lead
> agency must prepare a NOP to inform all responsible agencies. The NOP
> must be sent to each governmental agency expected to be involved in
> approving or funding elements of the project. The purpose of the NOP
> is to provide sufficient information describing the project and the
> potential environmental effects to enable the agencies to make a
> meaningful response regarding the scope and content of the EIR.
> Corresponding with this NOP, a Notice of Intent (NOI) is being issued
> by the Service for publication in the Federal Register, in compliance
> with NEPA.
>
> The NOP and NOI provide parallel opportunities for early public input
> and comment. Written comments may be to one Notice or the other, but
> need not be to both. All comments to the NOP and NOI will be
> incorporated into the EIR/EIS.
>
> Project Area
>
> The Plan area comprises approximately 3,600 acres of land on San
Bruno
> Mountain, in northern San Mateo County, California. Most of San
Bruno
> Mountain is unincorporated land, surrounded on all sides by the
cities
> of Brisbane, Daly City, Colma, and South San Francisco.
> Topographically, the Mountain is made up of two ridges. The larger,
> main ridge or southeast ridge, reaches an elevation of slightly over
> 1,300 feet. The smaller ridge on the northeastern side of the
> Mountain reaches an average elevation of 840 feet.
>
>
> Components Considered for HCP Amendment
>
> The Plan is being amended, in part, to comply with a January 6, 2003,
> consent decree and final judgment in which the Service agreed to
amend
> the Plan by July 2005. Specifically, the Service agreed to consult,
> pursuant to section 7(a)(2) of the Act, on: (1) the impacts of the
> Plan on the endangered Callippe silverspot, mission blue, and San
> Bruno elfin butterflies, and on critical habitat of the threatened
bay
> checkerspot butterfly; (2) the Permittees’ application for an
> amendment to the Plan; (3) the adequacy of existing Plan funding; (4)
> the adequacy of the Plan's minimization and mitigation measures; (5)
> the extent to which non-native species invasion is affecting the
> Callippe silverspot, mission blue, and San Bruno elfin butterflies on
> the mountain; and (6) the extent to which management and restoration
> of conserved habitat on the mountain are being conducted according to
> the Plan
>
> Examples of components to be included in the amended HCP, discussed
to
> date, include the following:
>
> 1. Habitat maintenance and management activities such as prescribed
> burning, grazing, and mowing to reverse the conversion of native
> grassland communities important to covered butterfly species, to
> coastal scrub dominated habitat. This conversion is currently
> occurring at a steady pace in the absence of natural fires and
grazing
> animals (native and domestic).
>
> 2. Implementation of a new butterfly monitoring strategy to track the
> status of covered butterfly species based on data collected over the
> past 25 years. No take is expected to result from this activity.
>
> 3. Implementation of new vegetation monitoring strategy to track the
> condition of covered plant species and the spread of exotic species.
> No take is expected to result from this activity.
>
> 4. Add San Bruno Mountain State and County Park Master Plan as
covered
> activity so that activities conducted under the Park Master Plan
would
> be subject to the HCP’s permitting process, which would allow for
> development of measures to minimize or mitigate impacts that could
> occur.
>
> 5. Add County Public Works as covered activity so that activities
such
> as roadside maintenance would be subject to the HCP’s permitting
> process, which would allow for development of measures to minimize or
> mitigate impacts that could occur.
>
> 6. Revise the Brookfield Homes operating plan to allow at least
> partial development of remaining lands designated for development in
> the original HCP.
> 7. Revise development operating plans to enforce weed control on
> development slopes adjacent to conservation lands, in order to reduce
> introduction of invasive plant species.
>
> 8. Add PG&E transmission and gas line as covered activity so that
> operation and maintenance activities would be subject to the HCP’s
> permitting process, which would allow for development of measures to
> minimize or mitigate impacts to Callippe silverspot butterfly that
> could occur.
>
> 9. Add waterlines as covered activity so that operation and
> maintenance by San Francisco Water Department would be subject to the
> HCP’s permitting process, which would allow for development of
> measures to minimize or mitigate impacts to Callippe silverspot
> butterfly that could occur.
>
> 10. Add California Department of Forestry maintenance of firebreaks
as
> covered activity so that activities would be subject to the HCP’s
> permitting process, which would allow for development of measures to
> minimize or mitigate impacts to Callippe silverspot butterfly that
> could occur.
>
> 11. Various habitat restoration activities.
>
> 12. Update the ITP and HCP so that it is consistent with current
> Service regulations and policy.
>
> 13. Add 10 years to the ITP and HCP term; current term would expire
in
> March 2013.
>
>
> Environmental Review
>
> As described above, a joint EIR/EIS is being prepared in compliance
> with CEQA and NEPA. The County is the lead agency for CEQA
> compliance, and the Service is the lead agency for NEPA. The EIR/EIS

> will consider the proposed action (i.e., the issuance of a section
> 10(a)(1)(B) permit under the Act), and a full range of reasonable
> alternatives. A detailed description of the proposed action and
> alternatives will be included in the EIR/EIS. It is anticipated that
> several alternatives will be developed, which may vary by the level
of
> conservation, impacts caused by the proposed activities, permit area,
> covered species, or a combination of these factors. Additionally, a
> No Action alternative will be considered. Under the No Action
> alternative, the Service would not issue an amended section
> 10(a)(1)(B) permit.
>
> The EIS/EIR will also identify potentially significant impacts on
> biological resources, land use, air quality, water quality, mineral
> resources, water resources, economics, and other environmental issues
> that could occur directly or indirectly with implementation of the
> proposed action and alternatives. For all potentially significant
> impacts, the EIS/EIR will identify mitigation measures to reduce
these
> impacts to a level below significance, where feasible.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Project Schedule
>
> Following this 30-day scoping period the County and the Service will
> prepare a Draft EIR/EIS for distribution and a 60-day comment period.
> The Draft EIR/EIS comment period is expected to commence during the
> 4th quarter of 2004. Comments received will be evaluated and
> considered for incorporation into a Final EIR/EIS. The Final EIR/EIS
> will subsequently be distributed for a 30-day review period.
> Following the review period the County and the Service will determine
> whether to approve the proposed HCP Amendment. If approved, Service
> will issue an amended ITP. This process is expected to be completed
> and an ITP issuance decision reached by July 2005.
>
> Opportunity for Comment
>
> The purpose of this notice and for the scoping period is to obtain
> suggestions and information from other agencies and the public on the
> scope of issues and alternatives to be addressed in the EIR/EIS.
> Written comments from interested parties are invited to ensure that
> issues related to the permit amendment request are identified.
> Written comments may be submitted to the address below, or may be
> submitted at either of the two public meetings (see “Public Meetings”
> below for date, time, and location).
>
> Public Meetings
> July 29, 2004; 2:30-4:30 PM July 29, 2004; 6:30-8:30 PM
> Mission Blue Community Center Brisbane Community Center
> 475 Mission Blue Drive 250 Visitacion Ave., Ground floor
> Brisbane, California Brisbane, California
>
> Addresses
> Mr. Sam Herzberg, Senior Planner Phone (650) 599-1388
> San Mateo County Parks Division Fax (650) 599-1721
> Environmental Services Agency
> 455 County Center, 4th Floor
> Redwood City, California, 94063