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HomeMy Public PortalAbout20010221 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) Regional Open ice MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT Meeting 01-05 SPECIAL MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS February 21, 2001 MINUTES ROLL CALL I. O i President Pete Siemens called the meeting to order at 7:31 p.m. Members Present: Jed Cyr, Mary Davey, Nonette Hanko, Larry Hassett, Deane Little, Ken Nitz, and Pete Siemens. Members Absent: None. i Staff Present: Craig Britton, Jodi Isaacs, John Escobar, Sumudu Welaratna, Duncan Simmons, Lisa Zadek, John Maciel, and Stan Hooper. H. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS -None. i M. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion: K. Nitz moved that the Board adopt the agenda. J. Cyr seconded and the motion passed 7 to 0. IV. BOARD BUSINESS A. Agenda Item No. 1 - District Feral Pig Control Pro-gram Update and Authorization to Hire Land Management and Resource Company to Implement the Second Year of a Feral Pig Control Program on District Lands; Receive and Comment on Presentation by Updike of the California Department of Fish and Game on Feral Pig Research Collaboration Opportunities;Determine that the Recommended Actions are Categorically Exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)Based on the Findings Contained in this Report; Authorize the General Manager to Hire an Intern/Consultant to Work with California Department of Fish and Game and Sonoma State University on a Scientific Study of the Environmental Impacts Caused by Feral Pigs on District Open Space Lands with a Budget Not to Exceed $8,000 for Fiscal Year 2001-2002, Authorize the General Manager to Negotiate and Execute a Contract with Land Management and Resource Company to Implement the Second Year of the Feral Pig Control Program with a Budget Not to Exceed $35,000 in Fiscal Year 2001-2002 —(Report R-01-22) 330 Distel Circle * Los Altos, CA 94022-1404 * Phone:650-691-1200 Fax:6.50-691-0485 * E-mail:mrosd@openspace.org * web site:www.openspace.org Board of Directors:Pete Siemens,Mary C. Davey,Jed Cyr, Deane Little, Nonette Hanko,Larry Hassett,Kenneth C.Nitz *General Manager:L.Craig Britton Meeting 01-05 Page 2 J. Isaacs presented an overview of the report. She introduced Sumudu Welaratna, Resource Management Intern and main author and researcher for the report. She also introduced Dick Seever, Land Management Resource Co.; Jim. Paglieri; Mary Paglieri; Dick Schwind, South Skyline; Chris Fore, State Parks, Castle Rock; and Doug Updike, California Fish and Game. She said Mr. Updike is a Senior Wildlife Biologist with 21 years of experience including 8 years specializing in pigs and bears. D. Updike talked about the impact of pigs and how they can be controlled. He said nobody wants them around because of the disturbance they cause to the soil. He gave an overview of research currently being done. He said priorities are oak woodlands and coastal areas. He talked about the MOU between California Fish and Game and the District, and said depredation permits are also being given to the general public. He said Dr. Hal Cushman at Sonoma State University has gathered four years of preliminary data. The study looked at the issue of pigs in grassland areas. He said feral pigs occur in 56 out of 58 counties in California. D. Updike gave a PowerPoint presentation. N. Hanko said the north bay study revealed a new problem, oak fungus. She said it would be a benefit to include MROSD, and also to include whether pig invasion has an effect on the oak fungus. D. Updike stated that research had been done on pigs and oaks by another professor. He was not aware of this issue. L. Hassett asked if California Fish and Game studied erosion and its effect on streams. D. Updike said one part has to do with soil moisture on low slope (flat) land. He said he had not done research looking at streams or water turbidity. There has been work done on both goat and pig activity at Santa Cruz Island. K. Nitz asked if the information included the number of pigs or density, how often they visit a site, and what is the range of the pig. D. Updike said nothing had been done on density. He wants to do DNA testing to look at density. He said there is information on the frequency of rooting. The research area is considered"mildly" rooted. He said Dr. Cushman had not looked at the range question. Pigs take refuge in the tree canopy close by, and are typically located around drainages. It depends on the terrain. Pigs tend to be canyon dwelling. P. Siemens expressed concern about endangered fish and wondered if the rooting affected them, or if it was all due to logging. D. Updike said he was not sure when this issue would be looked at; it was a matter of priorities. D. Little asked why there had been such a rapid expansion of the pig population in California in the last 40 years. D. Updike said he did not know. There has been lion and black bear expansion as well. D. Little questioned whether the expansion could be due to lack of hunting. D. Updike said no, it was a question of competition. Meeting 0 1-05 Page 3 D. Little asked how the Oak fungal disease is spread. Jim Nee, representative for Sudden Death Oak Task Force, said it is a water mold and is spread by water. The fungus is extremely tiny and easily windblown. In his opinion, it is tied into fog. D. Little asked if pigs eat endangered wildlife. D. Updike answered that pigs are omnivorous. D. Little had questions about their breeding strategy. D. Updike said they are polygamous. The number of piglets relates to environment. They have two litters per year. J. Isaacs reviewed the staff report including an update of the current pig program. In September, the District hired D. Seever to begin trapping. In less than 7 months, 81 pigs have been removed. The program is seen as a regional effort. State Parks has an MOU with Fish and Game. D. Schwind of the South Skyline Association is educating residents and helping them get depredation permits. County Parks is aware of the problem, but does not have any contracts for pig control. There is a lot of support for the program. J. Isaacs continued with the report, noting that S. Hooper had set up a monitoring program in six plots and is gathering photographs to record the changes in the land. In March, staff had a Resource Management Day and mapped pig rooting on District land. Staff seeded a large rooted area and plans to monitor it to determine if native plants can become established and be sustained over time in the disturbed areas. J. Isaacs outlined the justification for continuing the program. She said it was a three- year trial, so it was difficult to draw any conclusions after only seven months. S. Hooper has created a map showing the location of rooting. She said the pig population is not decreasing, but is, in fact, expanding to other preserves (Los Trancos, Skyline Ridge, Russian Ridge). At this time the District's contract is a"per pig" contract. By the third year, it will be a set amount, not per pig if the District continues this program. J. Isaacs reported on pig population control methods to control pig populations, including the following (noting that the issue was whether or not to kill the pigs): 0 Public hunting 0 Introduction of predators 0 Poisoning 0 Live capture and relocation 0 Exclusionary fencing * Chemical or immunological contraception 0 Surgical contraception 0 Trap and shoot (the method currently used) 0 Lethal injection J. Isaacs concluded by stating that she did not feel there was enough information to change course at this time. After three years, it could be revisited. She recommended Meeting 01-05 Page 4 continuing with the three-year program and hiring an intern to work with Sonoma State in their study with Fish and Game. N. Hanko said she was not sure that eliminating 81 pigs had had an effect. She asked if rooting helped introduce native plants. She asked if the pigs root mostly at night. J. Isaacs said they are introducing native plants. She said pigs are seen rooting at all times of day; however, they are afraid of people. She said there are photos of the Jikoji water course area. J. Isaacs said the total number of pigs removed from the region, in addition to the 81 from District lands, was 12 by State Parks and 25 by South Skyline Association. D. Little suggested that maybe there are native plant species that are unappetizing to pigs. J. Isaacs said they are more worried about the diversity of native areas. There is concern regarding frequency and intensity of rooting. D. Little suggested targeting the males as he felt there were few males fathering the pigs. D. Updike stated they are killing mostly boars. D. Little commented that if one male were made infertile it would reduce the herd. J. Isaacs said it was a matter of logistics including staff and financial commitment. K. Nitz said he had seen evidence of rooting at the Skyline Ridge parking lot. He asked for the definition of what is acceptable. J. Isaacs said their objective is a 70 percent reduction within five years. Answering a question by K. Nitz, D. Updike stated that the life span of a pig is 5-10 years and the average is 5 years. K. Nitz talked about an item on go.ne regarding single-shot sterilization that is being considered by the FDA for approval and is acceptable for all mammals. He asked if they had considered microwave or radiation. J. Isaacs said they had not. K. Nitz said it is cheap and they should look into it. The machines are portable. He asked how many pigs would be eliminated for$35,000. J. Isaacs said it is a per-pig contract and would cover elimination of 150 pigs. C. Britton said they would follow up on other methods. J. Isaacs keeps up with new information. He said J. Isaacs and S. Welaratna have done an exhaustive study and have had success with the current program. L. Hassett said he thought it was wise to spend up front. He said we should look at County Parks and grants and not try doing this alone. N. Hanko said in the past people shot and ate the pigs. She was informed that the MOU says pigs have to go the charity, but they can't because of Federal law. J. Isaacs said the District cannot donate them to charity as a public agency because they are mandated by special rules. Meeting 01-05 Page 5 Larry Myers, President of South Skyline Association, said they have over 300 members. He read a letter dated February 20 expressing appreciation for the District's efforts and urging them to continue. He said the contractor has willingly shared his trapping expertise with the residents. The South Skyline Association is committed to supporting a regional approach to minimize the environmental degradation from pig rooting and wallowing. He said they propose to work cooperatively with the District and other agencies. He urged the District to continue and expand their program. Brian Osborne, a neighbor of Long Ridge, said he shot a pig last March. He said he liked the idea of running two programs simultaneously. He said sterilizing might reduce the population over time, but something needs to be done in the short-term as well. Dick Schwind complimented the Board and staff on an effective program. He met Dick Seever in December, and said he believed the District had hit on a valuable resource. He was shocked that his prediction of trapping 100 pigs was holding true. Mr. Seever had given a demonstration on trapping and its success; about 28 people attended. He said he lends out traps and there has been mixed success. It is not easy to attract pigs to a trap. Eva Spitz-Blum said she was there on behalf of those who live on the 600-acre Shingle Mill Reserve between Oil and Watermans Creeks. She thanked the District for holding pigs in check. She said star thistle has increased with the increase in pigs. She said she would cooperate in controlling both species. Mary Paglieri, founder and director of a non-profit public benefit organization called Little Blue Society, and chair of the Wildlife Subcommittee for San Mateo County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee, described the goal of the Little Blue Society. She said J. Isaacs had contacted them to explore the possibilities of an effective alternative method for controlling feral pigs, and Little Blue Society presented her with a population zero proposal. She said it is a non-lethal control program with expected long-term benefits. She said with the lethal control method, 80 percent of the pigs need to be destroyed before you see a decline the following year. She said her group had started a pilot program in Marin County to control predators such a coyotes. It is using a birth control method delivered via bait. She said trapping discourages other animals from coming into the area and encourages the remaining pigs to have larger litters to increase their survivability. She said the question should be how the cycle can be broken. J. Cyr asked what their experience had been with larger animals. She said they had worked extensively with coyotes. Their organization had no specific experience with pigs. J. Cyr said he noticed they had had success with feral cats, but the pig's range is wider. M. Paglieri said she thought their method would work with any species. She said they will do scientific studies to measure how well the program works and she thought they would see benefits in 5-10 years. i i Meeting 0 1-05 Page 6 L. Hassett commented that her costs would be on top of current costs. N. Hanko noted that the Board needed the information earlier to have time for review. M. Paglieri said the method she described is used in areas where there is not an immediate need. Jim Nee, biologist, said he works for the Santa Cruz County Agriculture Commission. He felt the District's program was a waste of time and money. He said pigs are prolific, mobile, and too smart compared to coyotes. He said you cannot control them. He felt they would come back no matter what the District did. There will be constant maintenance and he did not think it was worth the effort to eliminate the pigs. N. Hanko said pigs are territorial and asked if there were chemicals they could spray to keep them away. J. Nee said he knew that they had used wolf urine at a golf course. D. Updike said pigs are not territorial. They tend to be solo and only group when mating. Ann Waldhauer read a letter applauding the District's efforts and urging them to continue the program. She said the trapping appears to have slowed the population growth of pigs. Damage is still occurring, especially along the Three Oaks Trail. Patti Ciesla said she felt it was difficult for someone who is not a staff member to bring a proposal to the Board. She proposed modifying the General Manager's Recommendations to include adding number 5 to authorize the General Manager to negotiate and execute a contract with the Little Blue Society to do the $15,000 proposal that had been presented. She said its proposal was reasonable and humane and asked why the two programs couldn't be carried out at the same time. She thought the $8,000 for research should be increased. D. Schwind said East Bay Parks is putting beeping collars on pigs in order to find out more about them. He suggested keeping track of pigs that are let loose after collaring. Andy Samstoung, Menlo Park, had sent a letter in the past (October 1999) asking what responsibility the District has in the pigs moving north. She said she would re-send the letter. Ed Orry said the Board is in a no-win situation because it is not going to be able to eliminate the pigs. He asked what is the carrying capacity of the pigs. He understood that populations crash once they exceed the carrying capacity. C. Britton suggested other possibilities. He said the pig problem is a statewide one and the Board could direct the following actions: • Looking for grants • Trying to interest the State in some legislation for a study • Participating with Sonoma State University • Promoting biological control as a better way to go in the long run Meeting 0 1-05 Page 7 J. Cyr said he appreciated the day-to-day observations and was satisfied that the staff report was thorough. He recognized that this wasn't a solution, but it helps limit the degree of destruction so there is a reasonable balance. L. Hassett advocated going ahead and asking staff to come back with more information at another time. He applauded the neighbors' efforts. K. Nitz suggested moving ahead with the recommended action. He said cats are not like pigs and asked if fencing was in the costs. J. Isaacs said that information had not been included in the report but is included in the budget numbers for the fiscal year. Motion: M. Davey moved that the Board receive the presentation by Doug Updike of the California Department of Fish and Game on feral pig research collaboration opportunities; determine that the recommended actions are categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA) based on the findings contained in the staff report; authorize the General Manager to hire an intern/consultant to work with California Department of Fish and Game and Sonoma State University on a scientific study of the environmental impacts caused by feral pigs on District open space lands with a budget not to exceed $8,000 for fiscal year 2001- 2002; and authorize the General Manager to negotiate and execute a contract with Land Management and Resource Company to implement the second year of the feral pig control program with a budget not to exceed $35,000 in fiscal year 2001-2002. K. Nitz seconded the motion. Discussion: N. Hanko said she supported the action but requested further study. J. Cyr complimented S. Welaratna. D. Little said he was in favor or eradicating pigs but was not convinced that our random method is the best way. He said there is not enough data and research. He was disappointed that the Board had not seen the Little Blue proposal earlier and agreed with P. Ciesla. He was interested in the paternity of the pig population. He suggested amendments to the recommendations. Amendment: D. Little moved that the Board direct staff to bring the Little Blue Society proposal to them; increase the budget for research by $6,000 to look at the District's strategy for controlling the pigs; and go to the State legislature for a grant or budget dollars. N. Hanko seconded the motion. Discussion: N. Hanko said she was not in favor of mentioning a dollar amount for the research. D. Little said he was specifically proposing to use some of that money for paternity testing. K. Nitz said J. Isaacs knows where the $8,000 is going; they could increase that later. J. Meeting 0 1-05 Page 8 Isaacs confirmed that the $8,000 is to add studying the District's property to the Sonoma State study. D. Little said he was proposing the additional amount be used to study an appropriate method of biological control. C. Britton said the Sonoma State study is a very focused study. He suggested that if they were going to amend the staff recommendation, they direct staff to go to the State legislature. That way they might get a statewide study. N. Hanko asked that the Board forward their ideas to staff. Modified Amendment: D. Little withdrew his amendment and N. Hanko withdrew the second. D. Little moved that the Board return the matter to staff to come up with a specific proposal on how the District might do some additional research on the pig control issue, gather more data on how the current method is working, and see if there are better strategies; and to direct staff to bring the Little Blue Society proposal to them. Discussion. M. Davey expressed concern that the request to staff was a broad one and there is limited staff for resource management. She thought the staff report was very inclusive regarding the kinds of research that have been done. She said she would like to vote on staff's recommendation without amendment and then give staff ideas. D. Little said he was not suggesting an alternative to what is currently being done, but he felt the Board should consider the other proposal. C. Britton said staff went through an incredible amount of research and the report is a capsulation. He said anything they try would be unproven. He suggested having staff come back in a year with the understanding that the Board would like to know more than they do now. In the meantime, staff would talk to legislators. N. Hanko said she thought LAFPAC was the appropriate place to put together a proposal to bring to the legislature. Restatement of Amendment to Motion: D. Little moved that the Board direct staff to come up with a small proposal for additional funding for directed research on whether the strategy they have chosen is the optimum one or whether there are other competing strategies, particularly sterilization. N. Hanko seconded the motion. The motion failed with Directors Hanko and Little voting aye and Directors Cyr, Nitz, Davey, Hassett and Siemens voting no. Amendment: D. Little moved that the Board refer the matter to the legislative committee, find a friendly legislator to generate additional state Meeting 0 1-05 Page 9 funding and programs to look into the matter. N. Hanko seconded the motion. The motion passed 7 to 0. D. Little said he would be proposing an agenda item for the Board to hear the Little Blue Society proposal at a later date. Vote on main motion: The motion passed 7 to 0. C. Britton and J. Isaacs thanked those who came to the meeting and shared their knowledge and opinions. V. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS M. Davey had pictures from her visit to Morocco. N. Hanko showed the Board an article about L. Hassett's "green" store. C. Britton handed out a partial packet for the February 28 meeting and said the remainder would be mailed. VI. ADJOURNMENT At 10:46 P.M., the meeting was adjourned. Roberta Wolfe Recording Secretary