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Golden Lands, Golden OpportunityPreserving vital Bay Area lands for all Californians


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Editorial consulting: Thinkshit Communications

Graphic design: Karen Parry | Black Graphics

Mapping support: Alexandra Barnish, GreenIno Network

Agricultural Advisory Committee

Agricultural-Natural Resources Trust oContra Costa County

Alameda County Resource ConservationDistrict

American Farmland Trust

Association o Bay Area Governments

Audubon Caliornia

Bay Area Open Space Council

Bay Area Ridge Trail Council

Blue Ridge/Berryessa Natural AreaConservation Partnership

Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust

Caliornia Council o Land Trusts

Caliornia Department o Fish and Game

Caliornia Department o Parks andRecreation

Caliornia Native Plant Society

Caliornia Oak Foundation

Caliornia Rangeland Trust

Caliornia State Parks

Center or Whole Communities

Citizens or East Shore Parks

City and County o San Francisco

City o Fairfeld

City o Novato

City o Rohnert Park

City o San Jose

City o San Raael

City o Walnut Creek

Committee or Green Foothills

Conservation Corps North Bay (ormerlythe Marin Conservation Corps)

County o Contra Costa

County o Napa

County o San Mateo

County o Santa Clara: Santa ClaraCounty Parks and RecreationDepartment, County Planning Ofce

County o Solano

County o Sonoma

East Bay Municipal Utility District

East Bay Regional Park District

Environmental Action Committee

Friends o Napa River

Friends o Redwood City

Friends o the Urban Forest

Greenbelt AllianceGreenIno Network

Hal Moon Bay Open Space Trust

Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation

Land Trust o Napa County

LandPaths

Livermore Area Recreation & Park District

Madrone Audubon Society

Marin Agricultural Land Trust

Marin Audubon Society

Marin Conservation League

Marin County Community DevelopmentAgency

Marin County Flood Control

Marin County Open Space District

Marin Municipal Water District

Midpeninsula Regional Open SpaceDistrict

Muir Heritage Land Trust

Napa County Farm Bureau

Napa County Regional Park and OpenSpace District

Natural Heritage Institute

Nature in the City

Neighborhood Parks Council

Nichols-Berman Environmental Planners

North Marin Water District

Oakland Food Policy Council

PRBO Conservation Science

Peninsula Open Space Trust

Point Reyes National Seashore

San Anselmo Open Space Committee

San Bruno Mountain Watch

San Francisco Bay Conservation andDevelopment Commission

San Francisco Bay Joint Venture

San Francisco Bay Trail ProjectSan Francisco Beautiul

San Francisco Estuary Institute

San Francisco Recreation and ParkDepartment

San Francisco Weed Management Area

San Mateo County Parks Department

Santa Clara County Open SpaceAuthority

Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society

Santa Clara Valley Habitat ConservationPlan

Santa Clara Valley Water District

Save Mount Diablo

Save the Redwoods LeagueSempervirens Fund

Sierra Club

Silicon Valley Land Conservancy

Solano Land Trust

Sonoma County Agricultural Preservationand Open Space District

Sonoma County Regional Parks

Sonoma Ecology Center

Sonoma Land Trust

Southern Sonoma County ResourceConservation District

Suisun Resource Conservation District

Sustainable Agriculture Education

The Nature Conservancy

The Presidio Trust

Tri-Valley Conservancy

Trust or Public Land

University o Caliornia CooperativeExtension

University o Caliornia, Division oAgriculture and Natural Resources

Urban Creeks Council

US Fish and Wildlie Service

US National Park Service: Golden GateNational Recreation Area

US National Park Service: Rivers, Trails,and Conservation Assistance Program

USDA Natural Resources ConservationService

The following organizations contributed time, expertise, and/or

resources to this project:

Special thanks to:

Larry Orman GreenIno Network

Stephanie Reyes Greenbelt Alliance

Barbara Rice National Park Service

Tom Robinson Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and

Open Space District

Deborah Schoenbaum Conservation Corps North Bay

Tina Stott Stott Planning Associates

Stu Weiss Creekside Center or Earth Observation

Interns:

Thank you to the foundations that funded the production of this report:

State Coastal Conservancy: San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy Program

The ESRI Conservation Technology Support Program

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Resources Legacy Fund

The San Francisco Foundation

Thank you to the many donors and funders who helped make thisproject possible:

Robbie Adler

Sarah Brett

Andrew Chahrour

Bryan Eck

Jesse Gossett

Kathryn Faulkner

Kristen Johnson

Zev Vernon-Lapow

The Arntz Family Foundation

Compton Foundation

Mary A. Crocker Trust

The Wallace Alexander GerbodeFoundation

The David B. Gold Foundation

Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund

Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund

The Clarence E. Heller CharitableFoundation

George Frederick Jewett Foundation

David L. Klein Jr. Foundation

The Seed Fund

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

The Strong Foundation or EnvironmentalValues

Task Force Co-Chairs

Bettina Ring Executive Director, Bay Area Open Space Council

Jake Mackenzie Mayor, Rohnert Park, Greenbelt Alliance Board Member

Task Force

Craig Britton* Former General Manager, Midpeninsula Regional OpenSpace District

Bob Doyle Assistant General Manager, East Bay Regional Park District

Amy Hutzel Program Manager, San Francisco Bay Area ConservancyProgram, State Coastal Conservancy

Marilyn Farley Executive Director, Solano Land Trust

Matt Freeman Planning Manager, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space

DistrictMelissa Hippard Chapter Director, Loma Prieta Chapter, Sierra Club

Nadine Hitchcock* Deputy Executive Ofcer, State Coastal Conservancy

Marc Landgra Director o Land Acquisition, Peninsula Open Space Trust

Andrea Mackenzie General Manager, Sonoma County Agricultural Preservationand Open Space District

Jeremy Madsen Executive Director, Greenbelt Alliance

Walter Moore* Executive Vice President, Peninsula Open Space Trust

Nancy Schaeer Consulting Project Manager to Bay Area Open SpaceCouncil, Upland Habitat Goals Project

Tom Steinbach* Former Executive Director, Greenbelt Alliance

Dee Swanhuyser North Bay Trail Director, Bay Area Ridge Trail Council

Tim Wirth Director, Bay Area Program, Trust or Public Land

John Woodbury General Manager, Napa County Regional Park and OpenSpace District

* former task force member

Greenbelt Alliance StaffJeremy Madsen Executive Director

Carey Knecht Policy Research Director

Elizabeth Stampe Communications Director

Bay Area Open Space Council Staff

Bettina Ring Executive Director

Elizabeth Adam Director o Marketing and Communications

Suzanne Beahrs Director o Programs

Ryan Branciorte Director o Conservation Planning

Association of Bay Area Governments Staff

Ken Kirkey Planning Director

Jaqueline Guzman Regional Planner


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Statement o Principles 2

Methods: Identiying Vital Lands 2

Our Golden Opportunity 3

Golden Lands

Watersheds 4

Working Farms and Ranches 6

Communit Greenbelts 8

Wildlie Habitat 10

Parks and Trails 12

Regional Coordination 14

Golden Lands Snapshots

Urban Parks 15

San Francisco Count 15

Marin and Sonoma Counties 16

Napa and Solano Counties 17

Contra Costa and Alameda Counties 18

Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties 19

Take Action: Preserve Vital Bay Area Lands

or All Caliornians 20

Contents


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To ensure a health uture or vital Ba Area lands and the people who

depend on them, we believe that:

Ever resident, current and uture, should be able to rel on Ba Area

lands to provide clean drinking water, clean air, and protection rom

disasters like ooding, landslides, and climate change.

Ever resident should be able to live in a walkable neighborhood

with aordable homes, good jobs, and reliable public transit, where

new development revitalizes the communit rather than consuming

irreplaceable armland and natural areas.

Ever resident should have access to resh, aordable ood rom local

arms and ranches.

Ever resident should live within eas walking distance o a park that

is sae and clean, have access to trails connecting cities and parks,

and be able to easil reach larger natural areas like regional parks,

beaches, and orests.

Ever resident should have the opportunit to help decide how to

sustain their communit and natural areas, and should beneft rom the

health o both.

The benefts o achieving these goals transcend regional boundaries.

Ba Area lands contribute to the health o the entire state, and we have

an obligation to maintain them or all Caliorniansnow and in the uture.

Man o these lands are endangered. Thats wh we must take stepsnow to create a uture where the benefts o the Ba Areas natural abric

are trul shared b everone. We are committed to actingthrough our

own work, through partnerships, and with local, regional, and state polic

makersto make this vision a realit.

Statement o Principles

In 2006, Greenbelt Alliance and the Ba Area Open Space Council

convened a group o land conservation leaders to map impor tant Ba

Area lands and to create a coordinated strateg to protect them.

The group held a series o meetings or all nine counties asking local

expertsland managers, count ofcials, and biologiststo identi

valuable lands, the benefts those lands provide, and the threats the

ace. The process was innovative: working together, participants

digitall mapped unprotected areas, using a live geographic

inormation sstem (GIS) database projected on whiteboards.

This method directl captured experts local knowledge and created a

previousl unavailable data set. Greenbelt Alliance and Ba Area Open

Space Council sta compiled the data, then worked with each count

to refne and add to the data to create a regional picture o important

lands to conserve and their benefts.

B summer 2008, the group had identifed unprotected landscapes

watersheds, working arms and ranches, communit greenbelts,

wildlie habitat, and recreation areaswith signifcant value to the

Ba Area and the state. These are presented here in Golden Lands.

This regional picture is a crucial frst step toward helping dozens

o organizations work together to set priorities, decide which lands

can be protected through policies and which should be purchased,

andultimatelsave the most land in the most eective wa.

Methods: Identiing Vital Lands

Data Sources

Data sets used in the mapping process include:

Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program, Caliornia

Department o Conservationboundaries o important armland

and urbanized areas in all nine counties

Ba Area Protected Areas Databaselands owned in ee or

easement that are managed or open space values and o-limits

to development

Regional TrailsSan Francisco Ba Trail, Ba Area Ridge Trail,

Caliornia Coastal Trail

Base Datanatural and jurisdictional eatures such as count

and cit boundaries, highwas and roads, water bodies, and

topograph


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GOLDEN LANDS

WATERSHEDS:

Clean Wateror People

and Wildlie

Protected, well-managed Ba

Area watersheds will mean lower

costs or water treatment and

storage, more fsh, and ewer

damaging foods. We can conserve

these lands i we:

Increase funding for acquisition

and careul management o

ke watershed lands to saeguard

our drinking water.

Plan or conservation across

political boundaries to reduce

the need or water fltration and

ood management.

Threats Opportunities

Support the protection and

stewardship o private lands

around waterwas to reduce

erosion, protect water qualit, and

support health fsh and wildlie

populations.

Voters across Caliornia consistently

cite water qualit and suppl as a

critical issue. Preserving watershed

lands is an essential step in

addressing their concern.

The qualit o our drinking

water is onl as good as the

watersheds it passes through.

I we want clean water, we

need to protect our land.

Ann L. Riley, San Francisco Bay

Regional Water Quality Control Board

Strong leadership has protected

key watershed lands around the Bay

Area, providing stunning settings

or outdoor activities, preserving

essential wildlie habitat, and

ensuring clean waterways that

supply drinking water and support

healthy sh populations.


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Paving even 10% o a landscape can cause

serious problems. Keeping watershed lands

unpaved and healthy reduces the need or

expensive ood-prevention engineering as well

as the costs o repairing ood damageandlimits threats to human lie.

Soil and plants in protected watershed lands

act like a sponge, naturally limiting food danger

by absorbing and slowly releasing storm water.

Paved suraces lack this capacitywater ows

over them, unabsorbed, at much greatervolume and speed, breaching barriers and

overwhelming drainage systems.

Health Ba Area watersheds

are undamental to saeguarding

Caliornias limited water resources,

now under increasing strain rom

development and climate change.

These lands flter a portion o the

regions water suppl, and some

eed into the SacramentoSan

Joaquin River Deltaa source

o drinking water or 24 million

Caliornians. Conserving and

managing these lands will help to

ensure adequate supplies o clean

water or people and wildlie.

Ba Area watersheds provide

man benefts:

Clean Drinking Water

These lands catch and flter

rainwater and replenish ground-

water supplies.

Reduced Costs

Functioning watersheds reduce

the need or costl inrastructure

b storing water and naturall

fltering polluted runo.

Wildlie and Fisheries

Watershed lands provide habitat

or threatened and endangered

species and protect the aquatic

ecosstems that sustain fsheries.

The benefts o our watersheds

are unique, and these ecosystems

cannot be replaced: manmade

inrastructure is at best an

expensive and incomplete

substitute. As part o ensuring

Caliornias long-term prosperit,

we must protect, restore, and

careull manage the Ba Areas

vast network o watershed lands.

Health Watersheds Reduce Flooding


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FPO

GOLDEN LANDS

WORKING FARMS AND RANCHES:

HealthLocal Food

Between 1984 and 2006, nearl

200,000 Ba Area agricultural and

grazing acres were lost.* Develop-

ment is disproportionatel claim-

ing the best land: 1 in 4 acres

o the Ba Areas best armland

is threatened, compared with

1 in 10 total acres, according to

Greenbelt AlliancesAt Risk: The

Bay Area Greenbeltresearch.

To save what remains, we must:

Promote land-use policies that

contain urban growth and prevent


subdivision o agricultural lands.

Keep armers and ranchers

in business b reducing costs

and barriers to arming, helping

products get to market, and com-

pensating armers or the public

benefts their land provides.

Protect privately held agricul-

tural lands through easements,

zoning, and other innovative tools

such as agricultural parks and

conservation districts.

Maintaining agriculture in

the Ba Area would help

secure the uture availabilit,

qualit, and aordabilit o ood

in the region and the state.

Edward Thompson, Jr.,

American Farmland Trust

Sweet corn rom Contra Costa,

bee rom Alameda, wine grapes

rom Napa, tomatoes rom Solano,

mushrooms rom San Mateo and

Santa Clara, and cheese rom

Marin and Sonoma are just a ew

o the Bay Areas contributions to

Caliornias agricultural bounty.

* Caliornia Department o Conservation Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program

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County dairies in the past decade. To

help remaining armers stay in business,

conservation organizations have purchased

agricultural easements on more than 21,400

acres. Additional incentives and technicalassistance are needed to preserve this

important local ood source and way o lie.

Sonoma Countys 100,000-acre coastal

dairybelt produces high-quality ood or

hundreds o thousands o nearby residents

along with Marin dairies, enough to provide

41% o milk and cheese consumed in thegreater Bay Area. Challenging economics,

however, have led to the loss o 26 Sonoma

Farming and ranching are integral

to Caliornias identit and

econompeople across the

countr are nourished b the

Golden State ever da. And the

Ba Area is a signifcant agricul-

tural region, producing 1.3 million

tons o ood annuall (more than

enough to eed San Francisco).

Ba Area arms and ranches

beneft the state and region in

several was:

Think Globally Eat Locally: San Francisco Foodshed Assessment. 2008. American Farmland Trust, Sustainable Agriculture Education, and Agriculture in

Metropolitan Regions. Food comparison b weight; does not consider distribution across ood groups.

Revenue

Ba Area agriculture earned

$1.4 billion in 2006, according to

count agricultural commissions.

Thats just the net value o the

product when it leaves the arm

or ranchood processing and

ood-related tourism and jobs

multipl that impact.

Market Innovation

The Ba Areas leadership in

delivering local ood directl

to residents through armers

markets, communit-supported

agriculture, and restaurants

enhances Caliornias reputation

or innovation.

Sel-Sufciency

Ba Area arms produce enough

ood to meet one-fth o the

regions demand. Regional

sel-sufcienc is particularl

important with a changing economy

and uctuating uel prices.

Sonoma Count Dairies Face Challenges


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GOLDEN LANDS

COMMUNITy GREENBELTS:

The Secret toVibrant Cities

and Towns

More than 63% o Ba Area cities

with unprotected greenbelts lack

urban growth boundaries, and

many that have them are vulner-

able to count policies that allow

development o open space.

Without action, the vitalit o

these communities will be

compromised.

To protect greenbelts, we must:

Adopt urban growth bound-

aries at the cit and count levels.

When these boundaries are well


defned, long-lasting, and under

voter control, the protect natural

assets and communit health.

Increase land acquisition

unding locall to leverage

state unds and help preserve

surrounding hills and open space

in perpetuit.

Provide incentives or infll

and cit-centered growth to

encourage sustainable develop-

ment and protect natural areas.

Greenbelts help guide

development into existing

cities and towns, making them

more attractive and more

sustainable. Thats in everones

best interestthe business

communit included.

Matt Regan, Bay Area Council

Protected green space around

communities preserves surrounding

hills and scenic views and helps

local arms stay in business.

Greenbelts can also help direct

investment into city centers, to

revitalize downtowns and create

inviting neighborhoods.

Pho

to:

Step

hen

Josep

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9

by encroaching development pressures.

Protecting natural assets and maintaining the

character o these communities will require

strong city and county growth policies, the

purchase o key portions o wildlie corridors,and support or local arming.

Southern Santa Clara County illustrates

the risks o unprotected greenbelts. Lands

surrounding Morgan Hill, San Jose, San Martin,

and Gilroy contain important wildlie corridors,

the Pajaro River watershed, and some o thelast stretches o Santa Clara Valleys ertile

armland. Many o these areas are threatened

Community greenbeltsparks,

armland, and other natural areas

surrounding cities and townsplay

an important role in creating vibrant

communities. They help build

thriving local economies, reduce

pollution and greenhouse gas

emissions, and improve public

health. They do this by:

Attracting Visitors, Residents,

and Businesses

Greenbelts provide recreational

opportunities and defne distinct

communities. These eatures

make cities and towns appealing

places to live and visit.

Limiting the Need to Drive

Creating protected greenbelts is a

critical frst step toward encour-

aging infll development and

robust central business districts.

Both allow people to drive

less and walk more, reducing

emissions rom cars and trucks.

Helping People Stay Healthy

Walkable neighborhoods and

nearb outdoor recreation areas

encourage health liestles.

An extensive stud ound that

with a 10% increase in nearb

green space, people have ewer

phsical complaints and better

mental health.

Southern Santa Clara at Risk

Nature and Health: The Relation between Health and Green Space in Peoples Living Environment, paper presented at the conerence Cultural Events and

Leisure Sstems. 2001. Sjerp de Vries, Robert A. Verheij, and Peter P. Groenewegen.

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GOLDEN LANDS

WILDLI FE HABITAT:

UniqueEcosstems

to Save

The Ba Areas remarkable

biodiversit is eroding: the

San Francisco metropolitan

area contains 257 plant and

animal species threatened b

developmentthe most among

the nations 35 astest-growing

metropolitan areas.*

The path to preserving this

biodiversit is clear:

Protect and connect habitats

using land purchases, conserva-

tion easements, and cooperative


agreements with ranchers and

orest owners.

Promote land-use policies

that direct development awa

rom natural areas and protect

resources to prevent habitat

ragmentation and destruction.

Provide resources to restore

and maintain natural areas on

public and private lands to allow

imperiled species to recover and

prevent invasives rom displacing

rare plants and animals.

Connecting and expanding

protected areas acts as an

nsurance polic or maintaining

our qualit o lie. Health

ecosstems support health

people and communities.

Dr. Healy Hamilton,

Caliornia Academy o Sciences

With a oundation o protected

lands to build on, strong local

political support, and scientic

planning (see right), the Bay Area

is well positioned to make the

most o conservation resources

and provide habitat or species

like the burrowing owl and Baycheckerspot butterfy.

* Endangered by Sprawl. 2005. National Wildlie Federation, Smart Growth America, and NatureServe.

Pho

to:

Stuart

B.

We

iss


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1

connections between themthat are needed

to sustain healthy plant, fsh, bird, and other

wildlie communities. With this inormation in

hand, public agencies, conservation nonprofts,

and others can develop scientifcally groundedconservation and restoration strategies.

(See draft map, below left; more information at

www.uplandhabitatgoals.org.)

The San Francisco Bay Area Upland Habitat

Goals Project, led by the Bay Area Open

Space Council, is bringing scientists and

land managers together to identiy lands vital

to maintaining the Bay Areas biodiversity.

Mountain by mountain, valley by valley, the

project is mapping the habitatsand the

The Ba Area is a rare ecological

gem: It is one o the six most

important biodiversit hot spots

in the nation, according to The

Nature Conservanc. With onl

5% o Caliornias land, the Ba

Area supports 33% o the states

natural communities.

Preserving and restoring this

extraordinar environment is both

an ecological imperative and in

our sel-interest.

A network o health habitats

contributes to:

Coping with Climate Change

Intact, unctional habitats provide

environmental resilience. Forests

remove greenhouse gases rom

the atmosphere, wetlands buer

rising tides, and wildlie corridors

allow animals to migrate to adjust

to climate changes.

Economic Competitiveness

Health fsheries uel Caliornias

commercial and sportfshing

industries. Open spaces rich with

native plants and animals attract

tourists and a talented workorce

that values nearb nature.

Caliornias Enduring Appeal

Walking through towering

redwood orests, watching

shorebirds swoop into tidal ats,

spotting hawks on amil camping

tripsexperiences like these are

wh people love Caliornia.

Project Puts Biodiversit on the Map


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GOLDEN LANDS

PARKS AND TRAILS:

HealthPeople and

Econom

The Ba Area can tap strong

public support or parks to realize

ke opportunities:

Close gaps in the regional park

sstem. For example, ull protec-

tion o Franklin Ridge and Franklin

Canon would close a signifcant

gap in the Ba Area Ridge Trail,

completing part o the Carquinez

Strait Scenic Loop Trails biccle-

pedestrian path between Contra

Costa and Solano counties.


Keep all parks sae, clean,

and inviting b unding ongoing

maintenance and communit

engagement strategies.

Provide better access to parks

and trails b creating walking and

biking paths to local parks and

providing public transit to more

distant natural areas.

Our greenwa has had a ripple

eect. Its inspired economic

revitalization and larger-

scale plansto bring in new

housing, open space, retail,

and community resources.

Fran Martin, Visitacion Valley

Greenway Project, San Francisco

Enhanced parks and trails would

help Caliornia deliver on the

Childrens Outdoor Bill o Rights.

This calls or giving all children the

opportunity to discover Caliornias

past, play in a sae place, camp

under the stars, explore nature,

learn to swim, play on a team, ollowa trail, catch a sh, and celebrate

their heritage.

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13

and wildlie watching but also or cycling or

walking to workhealthy, climate-riendly

commute options that also relieve trafc.

The Bay Trail enjoys widespread public

support, but is only 60% complete. It will take

$191 million to make the vision a reality.

Linking 47 cities in all nine Bay Area counties

and ultimately crossing all major bridges,

a completed Bay Trail would be a 500-mile

pathway rivaled by ew others worldwide.

Nearly 2.7 million people and 1.8 million jobs

are within two miles o the trail, making it

convenient not only or hiking, jogging, skating,

Ba Area parks and trails are livel

and well-used public spacesthe

Golden Gate National Recreation

Area alone draws more than

13 million people a ear, making it

Caliornias most visited national

park. These protected open

spaces attract residents and

tourists, ielding public health

and economic benefts or the

region and the state.

Plentiul, accessible parks and

trails result in:

A Stronger Economy

Muir Woods, Golden Gate Park,

and other amed landscapes

help make Caliornia a top tourist

destination. Accessible parks and

trails also contribute to a high

qualit o lie that attracts a strong

workorce, encouraging busi-

nesses to locate and sta here.

Healthier Kids and Adults

Studies show that people exercise

more when outdoor recreation

spaces are nearb, and the

Centers or Disease Control and

Prevention has called or creating

more parks and plagrounds to

help fght the obesit epidemic.

B expanding our network o

parks and trails and keeping

them in peak condition, we can

make sure the state has a solid

oundation or business growth

and meets the needs o a growing

population.

Ba Trail Knits Counties Together


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REGIONAL COORDINATION

The Ba Area is well positioned to make the most o conservation unding

and polic support, due to coordinated regional eorts.

Golden Lands, Golden Opportunityidentifes the Ba Area lands that

provide public beneftswatersheds, armlands, greenbelts, habitat,

and parks and trailsand the actions needed to ensure the continue

providing those benefts.

This complements a regional initiative called FOCUS, which identifes

Priorit Conservation Areas: specifc targets or conservation within

fve ears. These areas are a subset o the lands identifed in Golden

Lands, Golden Opportunity. The FOCUS process highlights priorities or

conservation in the near term through purchases and easements. Golden

Lands oers a comprehensive picture o Ba Area lands that need

protection over the long term and could be protected through a variet o

strategiespolicies as well as purchases and easements.

FOCUS on Conservation and Development

FOCUS is a multiagenc eort led b the Association o Ba Area

Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, with

support rom the Ba Area Air Qualit Management District and the Ba

Conservation and Development Commission. It is partiall unded b a

state Blueprint Grant.

The FOCUS initiative considers both conservation and development to

address climate change, transportation, housing, the econom, and otherissues that transcend boundaries. Local governments appl to have

certain areas designated as priorities or conservation or development,

making them more competitive or unding rom regional agencies. The

initiative encourages land conservation and compact development within

established communities.

Collaboration and Vision

In identiing Priorit Conservation Areas, FOCUS has drawn on

the mapping process inorming Golden Lands, Golden Opportunity.

FOCUS reconvened man o the same nonprofts and agencies to

evaluate the applications or Priorit Conservation Areas or their

Successul Regional Planning:Complementar Eorts Identi Areas or Conservation

The FOCUS initiative identies priority areas or

development and conservation; the near-term

conservation priorities complement the longer-term

needs identied in Golden Lands.

regional signifcance, level o consensus, and urgenc. This collaboration

brought additional count and regional perspectives to bear while also

streamlining the process.

The result is a regional blueprint or conserving natural areas and guiding

development. This blueprint allows coordinated action b local govern-

ments, land trusts, and other organizations; minimizes redundant eorts;

and ensures that conservation unding goes to the highest-priorit lands.

A Model o Regional Planning

The entire processregional agencies prioritizing short-term actions as

part o a long-term plan, in acilitated collaboration with conservation

proessionalscan and should be replicated b other regions.

Ultimatel, the Ba Area could be a model or the nation in accommodat-

ing growth while protecting the natural assets that defne a place and

enable it to thrive.

By naming Priority Conservation Areas,

FOCUS took a crucial step toward making

the Golden Lands vision a reality.

Am Hutzel, San Francisco Ba Area Conservanc Program,

State Coastal Conservanc


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Redwood City

San Jose

Oakland

Fremont

San Francisco

C O N T R A

C O S T A

A L A M E D A

S A N T A

C L A R A

S A N

M A T E O

15GOLDEN LANDS SNAPSHOTS

San Francisco Count

With beaches, wetlands, Golden Gate Park, a substantial portion o

the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and signifcant habitat

or native plants and animals, San Francisco has exceptional natural

resources. It also has exceptional need: its the nations second most

densel populated cit, but the neighborhoods with the most people

have the least parkland.

Opportunities

Create more parks,

natural areas, and places to pla b ensuringthat open space and ecological preservation are priorities in

development and planning projects.

Manage the network o natural areas throughout the cit to

preserve and connect rare habitat, restore creeks, and give

children access to wild places.

Complete the Blue Greenway , a 13-mile corridor along the cits

southeastern waterront that will bring green space, recreational

opportunities, and Ba access to an underserved part o the cit.

Renowned Parks, Rare NaturalAreas Attract Locals, Tourists

Golden Gate Park alone gets about 15 million visitors

each year, nearly hal o them nonresidents, and city lands

support more than 300 species o native plants.

Population

2005: 796,000 | 2020 projection: 857,000

Conservation in Action

The Criss Field restoration transormed the

ormer Presidio airstrip into a thriving tidal marsh,

learning center, and popular place to bike, run,

and pla. It involved thousands o volunteers plus

public and private unding.

URBAN PARKS

Diverse, Accessible UrbanParks Help Cities Thrive

Green spaces within cities are as important as those surrounding

them. Parks take up carbon emissions, keep cities cooler, and help

manage storm runo. The give children a much-needed place to

pla outside. And the serve as a communit living rooma place to

relax, celebrate, and hold events. We can help Ba Area cities thrive

b making sure all residents have sae, clean parks nearb.

Opportunities

Provide unding to maintain parks and involve residents in their

careto keep parks sae, clean, and inviting.

Support many types o green spaces rom urban creeks to

sports felds and plagrounds to communit gardensto allow

parks to serve the whole communit.

Require that parks be located no more than a 10-minute walk

rom every residents home to ensure eas access or all.

Public Support

Caliornia voters care: the

approved nearl $13 billion in

conservation undingincluding

mone or parks and pla-

groundsrom 1988 to 2008.

Key Indicator

62% o Ba Area children

under 15 do not live within

walking distance o a park, and

low-income neighborhoods

are particularl underserved,

according to the Trust or

Public Land.

The Trust or Public Lands Bay Area Park Equity

Analysis reveals that many communities throughout

the region lack easy access to parks. The darker the

red on this map, the greater the need.

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GOLDEN LANDS SNAPSHOTS

Sonoma CountMarin Count

Population

2005: 253,000 | 2020 projection: 271,000


Restoration o Tiburon Ridge lands should

preserve six imperiled plant species, thanks to

the open space districts work with the cities o

Tiburon and Belvedere to acquire two ke areas

once slated or development.

Population

2005: 479,000 | 2020 projection: 535,000


Sonoma Counts agricultural and open space

district used conservation agreements connecting

six arms and other properties in the Laguna

de Santa Rosa to orm a protected greenbelt

between Santa Rosa and Sebastopol.

Marin Count is a leader in preserving its natural heritage, rom

the rugged Point Rees coast, to arm and ba lands, to Mount

Tamalpais. As a result, the Mount Tamalpais watershed supplies 75%

o eastern Marins clean water, the public has access to hundreds o

miles o trails, and local arms provide resh ood to the region. The

priorities now are flling in gaps and keeping these lands health.

Opportunities

Close gaps in Marins protected lands system to preserve

15,000 acres o habitat, complete wildlie and trail corridors, and

save wetlands.

Actively maintain natural areas including controlling invasive

plants and erosionto help protect Marins streams, such as

Lagunitas Creek, a rare remaining coho salmon run.

Permanently protect 60,000 acres o armland rom nonagricultural

development to allow Marin to keep producing locall armed ood.

Sonoma Counts diverse landscapesredwood orests and oak

woodlands, rivers and wetlands, vineards, grasslands, and small

armsare remarkabl well preserved. This is largel due to urban

growth boundaries around eight o nine cities and an open space

district that helps to preserve arms. The kes to maintaining this

natural bount are protecting watershed and greenbelt lands and

avoiding subdivision o agricultural lands.

Opportunities

Guide growth into existing cities and prevent inappropriate

development to help preserve Sonoma Counts rural character.

Support arming with agricultural easements and policies to

ensure local ood production and preserve prime armland.

Adopt policies that protect wetlands and orests rom

conversion to higher-intensit land uses, to help preserve

biodiversit and local water sources.

Rural Character SurvivesWith Help From Ke PoliciesGems Like Mt. Tam, Point ReyesShow Value o Conservation

Sonoma Countys 470,000 acres o orests and woodlands

sequester an estimated 2.3 million tons o CO2

per year

the equivalent o 400,000 cars.

Over 45% o North American bird species are ound at

Point Reyes National Seashore. Many stop there as they

migrate along the Pacic Flyway.


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1

Napa Count Solano Count

Population

2005: 422,000 | 2020 projection: 515,000


Conservation groups are working to acquire

easementswith local, state, and ederal

undingor prime agricultural lands between

Dixon and Davis, protecting a successul

economic enterprise while keeping the two

cities distinct.

Population

2005: 134,000 | 2020 projection: 148,000


Napa voters committed to protecting armlands

and natural areas b approving 1990s Measure

J, which requires a citizens vote to develop these

lands. In 2008 Measure P extended the polic,

protecting 540,000 acres or 50 ears.

Oak-studded hills, miles o riverront, and the Suisun Marshwhich

contains more than 10% o Caliornias remaining natural wetlands

give Solano outstanding wildlie habitat and watersheds. It also has

abundant productive armland, thanks in part to count policies that

help direct growth into cities. Suburban expansion threatens these

resources, however, and the diverse population has little access to

open space.

Opportunities

Help armers build value-added operations and provide economic

incentives to keep arming. These essential steps will preserve

Solanos valuable agriculture sectorthe counts second-largest

economic driver.

Create an open space district Solano is the onl Ba Area

count without oneto preserve arm and grazing land and

provide much-needed public access to the outdoors.

Napa put Caliornia wine on the world map, and the Valles grapes

regularl draw the states highest average price per ton. Quick to

recognize the value o its vineardsas well as its exceptional

biodiversit and water resourcesNapa was the frst Ba Area

count to establish strong protection or agriculture, which led

to todas cit-centered growth policies. The challenge now is to

preserve the counts natural abundance and expand opportunities

or people to enjo it.

Opportunities

Fund Napas newly created park district to take an essential

step toward increasing public access to nature.

Tighten growth controls to halt ragmentation and loss o

agricultural lands stemming rom rural development.

Develop trails , like the Napa Crest and Napa River trails, to

provide opportunities or enjoment and education.

Premier Wine Region ValuesVineards, Valle, Biodiversit Wetlands, Farmland, Hills CanThrive With Focused Action

The wine industry generates $9.5 billion annually or Napa

County, according to a 2005 study by MKF Research or

Napa Valley Vintners.

Solano agricultures value was over $268 million in 2007,

up nearly 15% rom 2006, according to the July 2008

Solano County Annual Crop and Livestock Report.


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GOLDEN LANDS SNAPSHOTS

Alameda CountContra Costa Count

Population

2005: 1.02 M | 2020 projection: 1.16 M


The Environmental Studies Academ in Martinez

is creating the next generation o environmental

problem solvers with a science-based curriculum

or at-risk high school students that includes

restoring Alhambra Creek.

Population

2005: 1.5 M | 2020 projection: 1.7 M


The East Alameda Count Conservation

Strateg brings together cit governments

and count, state, and ederal agencies to

create a conservation blueprint or more

than 271,000 acres in the upper Alameda

Creek Watershed.

Contra Costas intricate landscape ranges rom Mount Diablo to a

ertile patchwork o armland and ranchland. Its man watersheds

support over 1,100 species, and drain into an aquatic ecosstem that

stretches rom San Pablo Ba to the SacramentoSan Joaquin

River Delta. Directing growth into existing towns will help preserve

these outstanding natural resources.

Opportunities

Stop subdivision

and development o arms, ranches, and naturalareas to preserve wildlie corridors and agricultural heritage.

Prevent development on Delta watershed lands to protect

Caliornias drinking water and help preserve a ragile ecosstem.

Build parks and trails on the North Richmond shoreline to give

underserved residents opportunities to enjo the Ba.

Preserve Concord Naval Weapons Station open space to

protect habitat and enable eas access to nature via BART.

Alameda Counts long record o successul conservation eorts

includes protecting scenic East Ba hills and ridgelines and creating

much-loved parks. Among the ke needs now are preserving the

counts rural areasa mosaic o ranchlands, vineards, and wildlie

habitatand meeting the demand or urban parks in the counts

densel populated west.

Opportunities

Curb sprawl in the Tri-Valley area

to preserve habitat or rareand endangered species, conserve working lands, and protect the

Livermore groundwater basin and watershedsespeciall the rare

alkali sink ecosstem.

Invest in urban parks to ensure that all cit residents have

accessible, clean, sae places to gather and pla outdoors.

Protect the Bay shoreline , Alameda Creek, and their watersheds

to increase public access and preserve sensitive aquatic habitat.

Expanding Focus From HillsTo Urban Parks, Rural LandsSuburban Meets RuralAt the Foot o Mt. Diablo

The golden eagle, red-legged rog, Caliornia tiger

salamander, burrowing owl, and San Joaquin kit ox are

among Alameda Countys rare and endangered animals.

Contra Costas agricultural core grows 45 crops,

including stone ruit, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, and

more than enough resh sweet corn to eed the Bay Area.

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19

Santa Clara Count San Mateo Count

Population

2005: 722,000 | 2020 projection: 801,000


The frst habitat conservation plan in the nation,

adopted in 1983, protects several endangered

and threatened native butter species in San

Bruno Mountain State and Count Park.

Population

2005: 1.76 M | 2020 projection: 2.08 M


The South Ba Salt Pond Restoration Project

the largest tidal restoration on the West Coast,

totaling 15,100 acreswill bring back wildlie,

provide ood protection, and enhance access to

San Francisco Ba.

San Mateo Counts spectacular coastline lies within eas reach o

3 million people. The count is home to old-growth redwood orests,

rare species, prime armland, and our regional north-south trails.

With the protection o ke corridors and careul stewardship, we can

preserve these lands or generations.

Opportunities

Protect the coast to saeguard watersheds, help complete

skline-to-sea trails, preserve wildlie migration corridors, andsupport the counts unique coastal agriculture.

Restore baylands and urban creeks (man now diverted to

culverts and pipes) to provide essential habitat.

Prevent subdivision and large-lot residential development to

help protect up to 40,000 acres o armland and natural areas.

Fund park maintenance to keep San Mateos natural areas

health and accessible to the public.

The home o Silicon Valle was originall known or its agricultural

abundance. That heritage remains in Gilros amed garlic harvest

and the 388,000 acres o ranchland that defne Santa Clara Counts

landscape, along with urban creek corridors and oak woodlands.

The count is the Ba Areas astest-growing and is an economic

engine or the stateprotecting its natural areas is ke to maintaining

its appeal.

OpportunitiesCreate an interconnected system o open spaces to enable

wildlie migration, trail connections, and continued arming.

Increase public access to open space , especiall near ast-

growing areas, to help Santa Clara Count continue to attract a

talented workorce and ensure that all communities beneft.

Protect watershed lands to saeguard the counts water suppl

or a growing population.

Diverse Natural Areas FaceGrowth Challenge Accessible Coast, ForestsSustain People and Wildlie

Santa Clara County contains 31 o Caliornias 61 habitat

types, rom coastal scrub to redwood orests to blue

oak woodlands.

San Mateo County parks and open space areas record

more than 5 million visits every year.

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The Bay Areas vital lands provide clean water, resh ood, inviting

places to pla, and habitat or wildlie. The defne communities;attract businesses, workers, and visitors; and provide a strong

economic oundation or the region and the state.

These lands are threatened, and their abilit to provide benefts

alread unequall distributedis increasingl compromised.

Farmers are having trouble making a living. Plants and animals

are losing the places the need to survive. Children are not

getting the opportunities the need to get close to nature. And

climate change is raising the stakes.

The Ba Area is read to take on the challengewith the help o

legislators and unders. These strategies are essential to success:

Ensure that the Bay Areas open space benefts all

o the regions residents equally.

Give more people access to open space b requiring that a

park be located no more than 10 minutes b oot or bike rom

ever residents home.

Make sure parks serve community needs and are well

maintained, sae, and clean b increasing stewardship

unding and engaging communit members.

Put nature within reach o all residents and visitors b

providing public transit rom cities to beaches, orests, and

other recreation areas.

Protect and maintain vital Bay Area lands through

acquisition, conservation easements, and ongoingstewardship.

Ensure that we can purchase and steward threatened

lands b increasing unding or those purposes. Sources

include new and existing bonds, local measures, and budget

appropriations at all levels o government.

Preserve privately held natural areas and agricultural lands

b increasing unding or conservation easements.

Maximize conservation investments b aligning local

initiatives, including mitigation o development impacts, with

regional conservation objectives. Coordinate eorts earl

on to deliver the most value.

Adopt strong policies to protect and maintain Bay

Area lands.

Protect natural areas and working lands with local land-use

policies and plans that defne where development should and

should not occur.

Preserve local ood supplies and the agricultural econom

b supporting strategies to improve the fnancial health o

arms and ranches.

Protect water supplies and reduce ooding b promoting

watershed-scale planning.

Encourage private owners to preserve their lands

ecological values through policies and incentive programs

that support ongoing stewardship.

The time to act is now: the health o our amilies,

our communities, and our environment is at stake.

Take Action: Preserve Vital Ba Area Landsor All Caliornians

The message is clear: we need to act now

to preserve the irreplaceable natural

resources that belong to every Caliornian.


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Preserving Bay Area open space

is a natural frst step to

fght global warming and build

better communities or us all.

Mary Nichols, California Air Resources Board

The level o regional collaboration

that made this work possible will

ensure that each dollar invested

in the Bay Areas vital lands will

provide maximum beneftsor our

natural systems and our residents.

Michael A. Mantell, Resources Law Group

www.greenbelt.org www.openspacecouncil.org www.abag.ca.gov

[email protected]

mkf research guzman

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