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Home My Public Portal About20040121 - Minutes - Board of Directors (BOD) I Regional Open , ice I ^� MIDPENINSULA REGIONAL OPEN SPACE DISTRICT Meeting 04-02 SPECIAL MEETING BOARD OF DIRECTORS January 21, 2004 MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING I. ROLL CALL i President Mary Davey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Jed Cyr(arrived at 7:05 p.m.), Larry Hassett, Deane Little (arrived I at 7:10 p.m.), Ken Nitz, Pete Siemens, and Mary Davey Members Absent: Nonette Hanko I Staff Present: Craig Britton, Cathy Woodbury, Sumudu Welaratna, Matt Freeman, John Maciel, Sally Thielfoldt, Ruthie Harai-Kremer, Duncan Simmons, Rudy Jurgensen, David Sanguinetti, Del Wood, other rangers M. Davey outlined the procedure to be followed at this meeting, noting that staff would I make a presentation, Board Members would comment and ask questions, public input would be received, and the Board would take action. II. ADOPTION OF AGENDA jMotion: L. Hassett moved that the Board adopt the agenda. J. Cyr seconded the motion. The motion passed 5 to 0. III. BOARD BUSINESS A. Agenda Item No. 1 —El Corte de Madera Watershed Protection Plan staff report (Report R-04-10). M. Freeman provided the history of the project and described the main elements of the program: Substantial design upgrade, long-term monitoring, environmental education and outreach, and specific changes to the trail plan itself. D. Sanguinetti reported that CDF would like to keep as many roads as possible. They are satisfied with the access. All roads proposed for removal have alternative access. L. Hassett expressed concerns about whether fire trucks could get through. He also had questions about the monitoring program and asked that staff be more specific on how much monitoring will be done. He asked how we are going to tell how well this works. M. Freeman spoke about the in-stream monitoring program, stating that it is in the research and development stage. Resource agencies have recommended four permanent monitoring stations to measure 330 Distel Circle • Las Altos, CA 9402 2-1 404 • Phone: 650-691-1200 Fax: 650-691-0485 • E-mail: mrosd@openspace.org • Web site: www.openspace.org Board Directors:PSiemens,M .D v r nLittle, N n t Hanka Lar Hassett Kenneth C. Nitz • General Manager: L.Craig Britton � oa d o(D recto s.Pete a C.Davey,Jed C Deane o et e Mary Y,1 Cyr, Larry g � Meeting 04-02 Page 2 turbidity, dissolved sediment, and water clarity. He described systems used by other agencies. The District can compare their results to other similar sites. He said volunteers would be monitoring. L. Hassett encouraged staff to do side by side measurements. L. Hassett was concerned that staff is planning to close several trail sections and asked how we would ensure that the closed trails remain closed. M. Freeman said they would use the following methods: 1. Education with signs. 2. Increased vigilance by staff. 3. Involvement of user groups in design, construction, and maintenance so that there is a greater sense of ownership. 4. Expansion of Trail Patrol Volunteers. L. Hassett asked why other districts have not commented on the Negative Declaration. M. Freeman said they typically do not comment unless there are egregious omissions. D. Little suggested that they fix trails before closure when possible. M. Freeman said that is the proposal. In regard to sedimentation markers, D. Little asked if there were any that could be used. M. Freeman said he was not familiar with that method. He reiterated the importance of Tim Best's visual assessments. K. Nitz asked about ecological integrity. M. Freeman said the program will eliminate the human-caused sediment. He added that they are trying to balance protection with use. K. Nitz asked which were more important,mountain bikes or ecological protection? C. Britton said they are trying to balance that. K. Nitz asked if Item 3 on page 4 of the Program (Inspect Repair Sites) could be through 2007. M. Freeman said it could. He informed him that the list of culverts was located in Appendix D of Tim Best's report. K. Nitz referred to Item 4 of Table 3 on page 6 (Implement a Pilot In-Stream Monitoring Project), noting he thought they should be going through 2008. M. Freeman stated that if they find methods that are practical and work, they would continue with them. Meeting 04-02 Page 3 K. Nitz said there needed to be signage at all trailheads stating what we are doing. Also, there was no explanation of which work would be done by staff and which will be done by contractors. M. Freeman said staff will do all narrow trails, and the drivable trails will be contracted out. Regarding implementation, M. Freeman said they are working on a schedule. It is based on a five-year implementation plan, but they want to do it in three years. The goal is to not close the entire preserve. By late spring, the contractor will be required to provide a timetable. M. Freeman said virtually everything except for simple maintenance requires permits. They hope to get permits in time to allow for dry season construction. M. Freeman talked about how it could affect construction if cooper hawks are present. Discussion followed regarding steelhead trout in the creek and whether they spawn on District land. K. Nitz thought there should be a survey of where they are. M. Freeman said that was under the jurisdiction of other agencies. They could survey every second or third year. M. Freeman said he estimated there were 18 miles of illegal trails that have been closed and restored for the most part. He said the closures seem to be effective. K. Nitz referred to page 40 of the Negative Declaration that talked about providing more single-track trails. M. Freeman said it was possible that could increase the preserve's popularity. M. Freeman talked about the timeline on monitoring stations. He said in the short term, they propose to use inexpensive material. He talked about the pilot program. After that, they would look for automated equipment. They are not collecting data now. P. Siemens commented that he wanted the District to be able to know if the project is accomplishing what they want it to. Getting the right equipment might save money in the long run. J. Cyr asked if there would be monitoring equipment where the streams exit the preserve. M. Freeman said the Virginia Mill site is located just about where the stream exits the preserve. M. Davey called for public comment. Patty Ciesia, 27150 Moody Ct., Los Altos, Hills, said the Soquel State Forest has a similar situation and offers some important lessons for us. The volunteer trail program is very successful. She suggested a change to the trails plan to recommend closing Lower Fir. She thought they should turn it into a trail and use it as a demonstration project. I I I I I i Meeting 04-02 Page 4 Nancy Whyte, 1018 Barbara Avenue, Mountain View, member of ROMP, said she had nothing to add. Paul Nam, President of ROMP, also a member of the Trails Advisory Council for State Parks, said he supported the program. He said mountain bikers have to take responsibility. He suggested doing some planting of native trees in partnership with the mountain biking community. He said they know they will have to suffer closures during some time of the year. The trail work season is from mid April to mid October so it is important to get rolling. John Shalamskas, 139 Ortega, Mountain View, member of ROMP, MROSD docent, NMBP, said he supported the idea. He said he thought he had seen every trail in the preserve. He said the biggest source of sediment is poorly engineered trails. He appreciated the District trying to accommodate users by not closing the whole preserve. Stuart Bowen, 2312 Hopkins Avenue, Redwood City, said he thought the plan was good but was worried about the question about mountain bikers or ecology. Paul Nam said that on February 14 IMBA was coming to Morgan Hill. He invited those present to the event. Claire Nippress, ROMP, said she loved ECDM and the nature in the preserve. C. Britton talked about the four aspects: Volunteer Trail Patrol, Preserve Partners, special projects, and community outreach. L. Hassett commended staff. He said he would support the program,but a little reluctantly. He believed the preserve should have been closed upon acquisition and gone through a thorough master planning process. He said he would be looking closely at it for the next few years. D. Little, speaking as chairman of the Use and Management Committee, acknowledged staff and ROMP for their active input. He requested that the bike community do two things: 1. The District has some serious problems with invasive plants. He asked that if they take their bike to other states or preserves, that they clean the mud off before entering District preserves. 2. He said they have to make difficult decisions that balance uses and the purpose of the District's mission. He asked that if they run across members of their groups who violate District rules, they communicate with them. I i Meeting 04-02 Page 5 J. Cyr commented that the preserve was purchased in 1986. He has been on the Board since 1996. He said the plan strikes him as the next phase to work toward a whole-preserve trail plan. Motion: J. Cyr moved that the Board approve, with date changes as discussed, the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring Program in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA), and adopt the CEQA and De Minimus Findings as set out in the staff report; approve the El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve Watershed Protection Program to protect and restore watershed integrity while maintaining opportunities for year-round,multiple-use recreation and environmental education; amend the Use and Management Plan for El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve to reconstruct and/or realign portions of the Leaf, Fir, Giant Salamander, Crossover, and Blue Blossom Trails to reduce erosion potential; waive the requirement for a second and final reading of the adoption of the Use and Management Plan amendment because of the need to secure permits in order to begin construction during the dry season of 2004; amend the contract with Timothy C. Best to provide for additional engineering geology services necessary to develop construction standards and details, to assist in the preparation of bid documents, the selection of professional road and trail repair contractors, and securing of required environmental permits, and to document the quality of the project repairs for the California Resource Agencies; and authorize staff to seek bids for road and trail improvement contracting services. D. Little seconded the motion. Discussion: P. Siemens said he appreciated the effort and hoped they can solve the problem. He thought this was a good approach. Roll Call Vote: AYES: Directors Cyr, Hassett, Little, Nitz, Siemens, Davey NOES: None ABSENT: Director Hanko ABSTAIN: None At 8:50 .m.� the meeting was adjourned. P J Roberta Wolfe Recording Secretary