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10:34, IS NOW OPEN.[Roll Call]
WILL THE CLERK PLEASE TAKE THE ROLL? YES, CHAIR MERCURIO.HERE, AND DIRECTOR ECHOLS IS ABSENT.
EXCUSE ME, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER.
I DON'T KNOW WHY I JUST DID THIS.
DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER ALVAREZ HERE, AND ASSISTANT GENERAL COUNSEL LYNNE BOURGAULT.
GENERAL COUNSEL LYNNE BOURGAULT IS HERE.
OH, GENERAL COUNSEL LYNNE BOURGAULT.
TODAY'S MEETING IS BEING HELD PURSUANT TO THE BROWN ACT.
STAFF IS PROVIDING LIVE AUDIO AND VIDEO STREAMING.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WISHING TO MAKE A PUBLIC COMMENT MAY DO SO BY SUBMITTING AN EMAIL, LEAVING A VOICEMAIL, OR JOINING LIVE VIA ZOOM WITH THE LINK PROVIDED ON THE AGENDA LOCATED ON THE DISTRICT'S WEBSITE.
GOT A SECOND? THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MEETING PROCEDURES.
OKAY, WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT, AND OUR NEXT ITEM IS APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES.
[Approval of Minutes]
SO MOVED, AND I'LL SECOND.I JUST WANTED TO I DON'T KNOW, DIRECTOR MERCURIO.
WERE YOU HERE AT THAT MEETING? I DIDN'T LOOK AT THEM.
WERE YOU HERE IN ORDER TO KNOW IF THAT.
FOR THE LAST ONE? THE MINUTES, I WAS ON ONE RECENTLY.
SO SHOULD WE. IS IT BETTER TO JUST TABLE THEM FOR NEXT TIME? BETTER TO TABLE THEM.
LET'S JUST DO THAT. PEOPLE WHO WERE AT THAT MEETING CAN.
YEAH. NO. THAT'S FINE, THAT'S FINE.
UNDERSTOOD. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS FOR ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA? NO, WE DO NOT. WE DO NOT.
ALL RIGHT, SO NOW OUR ACTION ITEMS.
[Action Items]
FIRST ONE IS CONSIDERING A RECOMMENDATION TO AUTHORIZE ENTERING INTO AN OMNIBUS MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WITH CITY OF LIVERMORE AND TO TRANSFER PARK DISTRICT HEALTH FUNDS.THE DOOLAN CANYON REGIONAL PRESERVE CONSERVATION EASEMENT, AND WE HAVE A PRESENTATION FOR THAT.
THERE'S AUDIO, BUT THERE IS NO VISUAL STREAMING AT THIS MOMENT FOR REACHING OUT TO SWAGIT.
OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE--IT'S ON NOW.
NEOMA LAVALLE, PRINCIPAL PLANNER, ACQUISITION, STEWARDSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT.
GOOD MORNING. MEMBERS OF THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
I AM HERE TO PRESENT TODAY ON THE OMNIBUS CONSERVATION THE OMNIBUS MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT FOR A CONSERVATION EASEMENT AT DOOLAN CANYON REGIONAL PRESERVE AND TO REQUEST A RECOMMENDATION TO TRANSFER ENDOWMENT FUNDS.
SO WE'RE REQUESTING THAT THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE RECOMMEND TO THE FULL BOARD, ENTERING INTO A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT THAT WILL COMBINE AND UPDATE THREE EXISTING MOAS WITH THE CITY OF LIVERMORE REGARDING THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT AT DUELING CANYON REGIONAL PRESERVE.
WE'RE ALSO REQUESTING THAT THE BOARD, THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, RECOMMEND TO THE BOARD THE AUTHORIZATION TO TRANSFER ENDOWMENT FUNDS HELD BY THE PARK DISTRICT TO THE CITY OF LIVERMORE IN ORDER TO FUND A LARGER, PERPETUAL PERPETUAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT AREA.
AS PART OF THE AGREEMENT WITH THAT PARTNERSHIP, LIVERMORE IS ALLOWED TO RECORD A 211 ACRE MITIGATION CONSERVATION EASEMENT FOR THREE SEPARATE PROJECTS ON THE SOUTHEASTERN PORTION OF THE PROPERTY.
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TRI-VALLEY CONSERVANCY IS THE PROPOSED CONSERVATION EASEMENT HOLDER, AS WELL AS THE HOLDER OF THE ENDOWMENT, AND THE PARK DISTRICT IS THE PRESERVE MANAGER OF THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT AREA.THERE WAS THREE MAIN PROJECTS TWO OF WHICH WERE COMBINED THE ISABEL AVENUE AND 580 INTERCHANGE, AS WELL AS THE EL CHARRO SPECIFIC PLAN DEVELOPMENTS.
AS A PORTION OF THOSE TWO PROJECTS, LIVERMORE CONTRIBUTED 2 MILLION TOWARDS THE ACQUISITION OF DOOLAN CANYON IN 2010 AND ALSO SET ASIDE 500,000 TO FOR THE ENDOWMENT TO MANAGE IN PERPETUITY THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT AREA, AND THEN A THIRD PROJECT WAS ADDED A FEW YEARS LATER WHERE FOR THE LIVERMORE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND LIVERMORE CONTRIBUTED AN ADDITIONAL $138,000 FOR 8.3 ACRES OF MITIGATION OVER THE YEARS, THREE MOAS WERE SIGNED DETAILING THE AGREEMENTS BETWEEN LIVERMORE AND THE PARK DISTRICT.
CURRENTLY, THE PARK DISTRICT IN LIVERMORE WOULD LIKE TO UPDATE THE MOAS BECAUSE THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, AND WE'RE PROPOSING TO COMBINE THEM INTO ONE OMNIBUS MOA BECAUSE THERE WAS FROM THE THREE SEPARATE AGREEMENTS, THERE WAS SOME LANGUAGE THAT WAS NOT ALWAYS THE SAME FROM AGREEMENT TO AGREEMENT.
IT WILL ALSO ALLOW THE CITY TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF THE ENDOWMENT.
SO BY UPDATING THE, THE MOA WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO INCREASE THE FINAL ENDOWMENT AMOUNT, AND IT ALSO WILL PROVIDE UPDATES ON THE EASEMENT HOLDER AND THE ENDOWMENT HOLDER ESTABLISHING IT AS TVC.
THE PARK DISTRICT DID HOLD A PORTION OF THE FUNDS OF THE ENDOWMENT FUNDS.
SO ALONG WITH UPDATING THIS THE MOAS IT REALLY ALSO NECESSITATES THE TRANSFER OF PARK DISTRICT HELD ENDOWMENT FUNDS BACK TO LIVERMORE SO THAT LIVERMORE CAN FULLY FUND THE FINAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ENDOWMENT TRANSFER.
WHAT WE ARE ASKING IS TO RETURN THE 500,000 THAT WAS SET ASIDE FOR THE FIRST TWO PROJECTS, FOR ISABEL AVENUE AND I-580 INTERCHANGE, AND THE EL CHARRO SPECIFIC PLAN, ALONG WITH THE ACCUMULATED INTEREST FROM THOSE PERMANENT FUNDS, AS WELL AS DISTRICT HELD FUNDS FOR THE LIVERMORE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY $70,000.
THERE'S SOME FUNDS, ABOUT 28,000 WERE HELD IN PERMANENT FUNDS ALONG WITH ACCUMULATED INTEREST AND THEN THERE WAS ADDITIONAL FUNDS, HELD IN A LAND ACQUISITION PROJECT ACCOUNT.
SO THE TOTAL TRANSFER WOULD BE CLOSE TO $670,000.
THERE MAY BE SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDS WERE APPROXIMATE BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE INTEREST ACCUMULATES.
SO THE FINAL AMOUNT, WE WON'T REALLY KNOW UNTIL WE RECEIVE APPROVAL FROM THE BOARD AND CAN HAVE FINANCE TALLY WHAT IT WILL BE AS OF THAT DATE OF TRANSFER.
SO AGAIN, OUR RECOMMENDATION IS TO AUTHORIZE ENTERING INTO AN OMNIBUS MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT COMBINING AND UPDATING THREE EXISTING MOAS BETWEEN THE CITY OF LIVERMORE AND THE PARK DISTRICT REGARDING A CONSERVATION EASEMENT AT DUELING CANYON REGIONAL PRESERVE, AS WELL AS AUTHORIZING THE TRANSFER OF ENDOWMENT FUNDS HELD BY THE PARK DISTRICT BACK TO THE CITY OF LIVERMORE TO FUND THE E NDOWMENT FOR IN PERPETUITY LAND MANAGEMENT OF THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT AREA.
I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.
ANY QUESTIONS? NO. OTHER THAN I SUPPORT THIS.
IT LOOKS LIKE A GOOD BUSINESS ARRANGEMENT, I GUESS.
COULD YOU DESCRIBE I KNOW THE OH, JEEZ, I LOST IT ALREADY.
TRI-VALLEY AUTHORITY, TRI-VALLEY CONSERVANCY.
COULD YOU DESCRIBE THAT? THEY DON'T HOLD ANY OTHER CONSERVATION EASEMENTS ON PARKLANDS, BUT THEY DO HOLD A LOT OF THE CONSERVATION EASEMENTS IN THE LIVERMORE AREA, AND WE'VE HAD A LONG STANDING RELATIONSHIP OF, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTING CONSERVATION EASEMENTS RECORDED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.
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THAT THEY WOULD HAVE KIND OF A DIRECT HAND IN OUR ACTUAL PARKLANDS.SORT OF A SLIGHTLY OFF TOPIC, BUT THE RIGHT GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
IS THERE WATER IN THAT GIANT POND IN THERE NOW? YEAH, THERE'S A COUPLE PONDS AND I THINK THERE WAS SOME WATER THE I WOULD HAVE TO CONFER WITH STAFF ON WHETHER OR NOT THE DAMAGE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S STORMS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED, BUT THERE WAS DEFINITELY WATER AND SOME OF THOSE PICTURES WERE FROM THIS YEAR.
YEAH. OKAY. SO THERE'S A POND THAT WILL BE WITHIN THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT AREA.
CERTAINLY WATER IN THAT POND, AND THEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE REALLY LARGE.
THERE WAS DEFINITELY WATER IN IT EARLIER THIS YEAR.
YEAH I HAD A NICE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT THAT PROPERTY AND GET TO SEE IT, AND IT'S DIFFERENT THAN OTHER PLACES THAT WE HAVE, AND SO IT'S A NICE BIT OF VARIETY.
I HOPE WE'RE LEARNING FROM THIS AND GAINING NEW CONFIDENCE TO STAND UP FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE IS TRUE AND YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T.
JUST LIKE HOPE FOR THE BEST, YOU NEED TO REALLY HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN THAT'S NECESSARY FOR MAINTAINING THE PROPERTY IN PERPETUITY, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE GOOD THERE NOW, AND I ALSO LIKE THE FACT THAT THE STRUCTURE OF IT ALL IS SORT OF IMPROVED THE WAY WE WANT IT TO BE, KIND OF A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US, AND THAT'S ALL GOOD.
SO MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ME WITH THAT.
THAT WOULD BE GREAT. SO ANYWAY, I GUESS WE'RE NO OTHER QUESTIONS.
I GUESS WE'LL I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FROM WHOEVER WANTS TO MAKE IT.
OKAY. I WOULD MOVE THAT WE RECOMMEND TO THE FULL BOARD.
ENTERING INTO AN OMNIBUS MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF LIVERMORE.
ALL RIGHT, AND I WILL SECOND AND CALL FOR A VOTE.
GOOD. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
HAVE A GOOD MORNING. OUR NEXT ITEM IS A PILOT CHANGE, AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN SOMEBODY ELSE IS FLYING THE PLANE.
A PILOT CHANGE TO THE BOARD MEETING.
AGENDA STRUCTURE TO ADD A SECTION FOR BOARD PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS, AND YOU CAN REVIEW THAT.
WHAT THAT ALL MEANS AND WE'LL ENTERTAIN YOUR PRESENTATION.
AMANDA. SURE. GOOD MORNING, DIRECTOR MERCURIO AND DIRECTOR WAESPI.
SO THE ITEM BEFORE YOU IS A RECOMMENDATION TO MOVE THIS ITEM TO THE FULL BOARD THAT CONSIDERS A PILOT CHANGE TO THE BOARD MEETING AGENDA STRUCTURE.
THAT WOULD ADD AN ADDITIONAL STANDING AGENDA ITEM FOR BOARD MEMBERS TO BE ABLE TO REQUEST FUTURE BOARD MEETING AGENDA ITEMS THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED FOR REVIEW BY THE GENERAL MANAGER AND BOARD PRESIDENT.
SO THIS CHANGE TO THE BOARD AGENDA STRUCTURE WOULD ADD A SECTION CALLED PROPOSED FUTURE AGENDA.
ITEMS IN THAT SECTION WOULD COME BEFORE BOARD COMMENTS, AND THIS IS WE'RE CALLING IT A PILOT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT MAKING ANY OFFICIAL CHANGES TO THE BOARD OPERATING GUIDELINES FOR NOW.
THIS IS YOU KNOW, WE'RE TESTING IT OUT AND IF SUCCESSFUL, WILL MAKE ACTUAL CHANGES TO THAT TEXT.
SO I PRESUME THAT WOULD ALSO INCLUDE IF THERE WAS I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT MIGHT BE, BUT IF THERE WAS SOME TWEAKING OR SOME CHANGE THAT A DIRECTOR WANTED TO MAKE THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO IT AT BEFORE THE ACTUAL REAL CHANGES ARE MADE.
YES. YEAH. WE WILL BRING THE ACTUAL TEXT BACK FOR YOUR ALL REVIEW.
OKAY. YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I KNOW HAS BEEN DESIRED BY THE BOARD, AT LEAST SOME OF THE BOARD FOR A WHILE, AND I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOW COMING BEFORE US AND I THINK IT'S GOOD.
SO I THINK YOU KNOW, I WANT TO MAKE THAT COMMENT.
DID YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO MAKE ON THAT OR? NO, I JUST THANK STAFF FOR WORKING ON THIS BECAUSE I WAS IN FAVOR OF THIS AND I STILL AM.
I THINK IT'LL BE A GOOD ADDITION TO OUR AGENDAS.
[00:15:02]
ALL RIGHT. IT SEEMS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.SO WHY BEAT IT TO DEATH? I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THIS THIS ITEM.
YES. SO THAT IS WHAT THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO BRING THIS TO THE FULL BOARD FOR ACTUAL APPROVAL OF A PILOT PROGRAM, CORRECT? YES.
AYE AYE. WE'RE APPROVING THAT OKAY.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU'RE GONE ALREADY.
THANK YOU, AND WE NOW CAN MOVE ON TO INFORMATIONAL ITEMS.
[Informational Items]
WE HAVE TWO.THE FIRST ONE IS REGARDING THE 30 BY 30 CONSERVATION MOVEMENT UPDATE.
YES. THANK YOU. DIRECTOR MERCURIO, AND DIRECTOR WAESPI THE ITEM BEFORE YOU IS AN UPDATE OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE, LED BY THE PARK DISTRICT IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF.
CERTAINLY IN 2023 AND 2024, AND TODAY I'M INTRODUCING THE ITEM.
DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER, DOCTOR ANA ALVAREZ, BECAUSE WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM THE STAFF WHO ARE LEADING MUCH OF THE WORK ON BEHALF OF THE PARK DISTRICT AND MOVING FORWARD.
CONSERVATION OF EAST BAY'S NATURE.
SO, TO BEGIN, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE JULIA KERNITZ, WHO'S THE ACTING MANAGEMENT ANALYST WHO WILL BE MAKING THE PRESENTATION FOR YOU TODAY, AND ALSO IN THE ROOM, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE MEMBERS OF THE PARK DISTRICT'S 30 BY 30 LEADERSHIP TEAM HERE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS WORK AND ARE AND WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE AND ENGAGING IN AN INFORMATIONAL DISCUSSION WITH YOU.
SO WITH THAT BRIEF INTRODUCTION, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO JULIA SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN.
HI. GOOD MORNING. DIRECTOR WAESPI DIRECTOR MERCURIO.
ONE SECOND WHILE I FIGURE THIS OUT.
HI. GOOD MORNING, AND THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. MY NAME IS JULIA KERNITZ, AND I'M HONORED TO HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SPEAKING TO YOU TODAY ABOUT THE 30 BY 30 CONSERVATION INITIATIVE AND THE WORK THE PARK DISTRICT IS DOING TO ADVANCE AND ACCELERATE OUR CONSERVATION AND CLIMATE GOALS.
ABSOLUTELY HONORED TO SERVE AT BOTH DEL VALLE AND WILDCAT CANYON.
FOR THE LAST FOUR MONTHS, I'VE BEEN ACTING AS A MANAGEMENT ANALYST, AND THE GENERAL MANA GER'S OFFICE FOCUSED ON THE PROGRAMS OF THE 30 BY 30 INITIATIVE WITHIN THE PARK DISTRICT, AND I'VE USED THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CONSOLIDATE AND EVALUATE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISTRICT'S INTERNAL 30 BY 30 PROGRAMS AND ACHIEVEMENTS AS OF 2024 AND THIS EXPERIENCE HAS GIVEN ME INCREDIBLE INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW THE PARK DISTRICT FUNCTIONS AND WHAT WE ARE DOING TO SERVE THE COMMUNITIES OF THE EAST BAY, ESPECIALLY DURING THIS CRITICAL MOMENT IN HISTORY OF HUMANITY AND THE PLANET.
SO THE RESIDENTS OF THE EAST BAY, WHETHER THEY'RE HUMAN, ANIMAL OR PLANT, ALL DEPEND ON OUR PARK STAFF TO PROTECT THESE LANDS FOR THEIR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL WELL-BEING AND FOR THEIR SURVIVAL.
IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE TO OUR EAST BAY PARKS, AND I'M EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE MY REFLECTIONS WITH YOU ABOUT THE WORK WE ARE DOING TO SUPPORT THE EAST BAY AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA ON ITS JOURNEY TO 2030 AND BEYOND.
SO IN THIS PRESENTATION, I WILL GIVE A BRIEF BACKGROUND ON THE HISTORY OF THE 30 BY 30 INITIATIVE, FOLLOWED BY IMPORTANT UPDATES FROM THE STATE AND THEN HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF THE 30 BY 30 RELATED PROGRAMS AT THE PARK DISTRICT.
SO FOR A BIT OF BACKGROUND, THE MAIN GOAL OF THE 30 BY 30 CONSERVATION INITIATIVE IS A GLOBAL GOAL TO PROTECT 30% OF THE WORLD'S LANDS AND WATERS BY THE YEAR 2030.
THE LATE INSECT LOVER AND SCIENTIST E.O.
WILSON CLAIMED THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO ENSURE PROTECTIONS OF 50% OF THE PLANET TO SAFEGUARD GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY AND THE SURVIVAL OF MANY SPECIES, INCLUDING HUMANITY ITSELF, AND HE CALLED THIS HALF EARTH.
THE 30 BY 30 CONSERVATION INITIATIVE IS THE ANSWER TO THIS AMBITIOUS AND NECESSARY CALL, WITH 72 COUNTRIES COMMITTED TO REACHING THIS 30% MILESTONE BY THE YEAR 2030, AND THAT WOULD JUST BE THE BEGINNING.
SO CURRENTLY, 16.6% OF THE WORLD'S LAND IS PROTECTED AND 7.7% OF THE OCEANS.
SO ON EARTH DAY OF 2022, CALIFORNIA JOINED THIS MOVEMENT WITH THE LAUNCH OF ITS OWN 30 BY 30 PROGRAM THROUGH THE PATHWAYS TO 30 BY 30 CALIFORNIA REPORT. BEYOND JUST PROTECTING 30% OF LAND WATERS, THE STATE INITIATIVE HAS THREE MAIN PRIORITIES TO RESTORE AND PROTECT BIODIVERSITY.
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TO IMPROVE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO NATURE FOR ALL, AND TO MITIGATE AND BUILD RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN THE FORMATION OF THE CALIFORNIA'S 30 BY 30 PATHWAYS REPORT, WITH DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER DOCTOR ANA ALVAREZ SERVING ON THE STATE'S PARTNERSHIP COORDINATION COMMITTEE FOR 30 BY 30 IN 2022.
THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT IN 30 BY 30 HAS BEEN TOUTED BY THE STATE AS AN IMPORTANT MODEL OF HOW A SIGNIFICANT URBAN ENVIRONMENT LIKE THE EAST BAY CAN PROVIDE WIDESPREAD PROTECTION OF PUBLIC LANDS FOR MILLIONS OF RESIDENTS, BOTH HUMAN AND NONHUMAN.
SO CALIFORNIA'S AGENDA LAID OUT IN THIS PATHWAYS TO 30 BY 30 REPORT IS ALREADY WELL UNDERWAY.
IN MAY OF 2023, THEY RELEASED THEIR FIRST ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT, AND WE ARE AWAITING THE 2024 PROGRESS REPORT, WHICH SHOULD COME OUT ANYTIME NOW, AND IN SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS REPORT WERE THE ADDITION OF 631,000 ACRES OF LAND ADDED AS PROTECTED SINCE 2022.
ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONS IN THIS LAND WAS THE CREATION OF THE DOS RIOS STATE PARK NEAR MODESTO, AND THIS RESTORED AN AGRICULTURAL LAND RANCHING LAND INTO THE ORIGINAL NATIVE FLOODPLAIN, AND THE DOS RIOS STATE PARK PROVIDES A STATE PARK TO A PART OF CALIFORNIA, WITH THE LOWEST AMOUNT OF ACCESS TO NATURAL AREAS FOR ITS RESIDENTS. SO IT WAS QUITE A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT, AND I KNOW SOME PARK STAFF HAVE BEEN TAKING TOURS OF THAT STATE PARK, AND I HAVE YET TO DO SO, BUT LOOK FORWARD TO IT.
ANOTHER IMPORTANT HIGHLIGHT IN THE STATE'S ACTION IS IN MAY OF 2023, THE OUTDOORS FOR ALL STRATEGY WAS RELEASED, AND THIS IS A STATE PROGRAM THAT AIMS TO CREATE PARK ACCESS FOR COMMUNITIES WITH LITTLE OUTDOOR SPACE AND FOSTER A SENSE OF BELONGING FOR ALL, ALL CALIFORNIANS IN THE OUTDOORS AND I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT IT'S BEEN ENHANCING THE PILOT PROGRAM OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE LIBRARY PARK PASS, WHICH YOU MIGHT BE FAMILIAR WITH, WHERE RESIDENTS CAN GO TO THEIR LOCAL LIBRARY AND GET A STATE PARK PASS FOR FREE ENTRANCE INTO STATE PARKS, AND THEY ALSO CAN RESERVE GEAR AND SOMETIMES GET TRANSPORTATION FROM THE LIBRARY TO THE STATE PARK, AND I JUST THINK THAT'S A REALLY COOL MODEL FOR ENHANCING EQUITABLE ACCESS TO OUR DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES WITH PARTNERSHIPS.
SO LET'S SEE, HOW WOULD WE EVER GO BACK? OH, NOPE.
OKAY. GOSH SCROLLING FINGERS CAN GET CARRIED AWAY.
OKAY. THE INDIGENOUS CO-STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOP.
IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, SEVERAL STAFF HELPED TO CO-HOST, SPONSOR, AND ORGANIZE THE HISTORIC AND FIRST EVER INDIGENOUS CO-STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOP ENTITLED LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE. OVER 800 TRIBAL LEADERS AND LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES FROM THE UNITED STATES, CANADA AND MEXICO CONVENED TO DISCUSS SUCCESSFUL MODELS OF TRIBAL CO-STEWARDSHIP OF LAND FROM AROUND THE CONTINENT.
A KEYNOTE ADDRESS WAS GIVEN BY THE HONORABLE GREG SARRIS, CHAIRMAN OF THE FEDERATED INDIANS OF GRATON RANCHERIA, ALONG WITH OPENING PRESENTATIONS BY SAMUEL KOHN, A SENIOR COUNSELOR TO OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, AND ARMANDO QUINTERO, DIRECTOR OF CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS.
PARK DISTRICT STAFF PARTICIPATED IN WORKSHOPS, WENT ON FIELD TRIPS, AND TOOK PLACE IN RELATIONSHIP BUILDING WITH LOCAL TRIBAL PARTNERS AND LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES, AND THIS HISTORIC EVENT CAN BEGIN THE PROCESS OF LEARNING LESSONS FROM OUR DEVASTATING PAST AND CREATING THE RELATIONSHIPS TO CO-MANAGE AND CO STEWARD PUBLIC LANDS WITH OUR TRIBAL PARTNERS. SO, ALONG WITH THE STATE, THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT HAS BEEN MOVING TOWARDS ITS OWN 30 BY 30 GOALS, AND REALLY, THE WHOLE MISSION OF THE PARK DISTRICT IS INHERENTLY DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO ALL OF THE 30 BY 30 PRINCIPLES.
THE PARK DISTRICT IS CONSISTENTLY PROTECTING AND RESTORING HABITAT FOR BIODIVERSITY, WHILE ALSO PROVIDING ACCESS TO NATURE FOR 3 MILLION CALIFORNIANS AND BEING COMMITTED TO FINDING WAYS TO BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND BUILD IT INTO OUR OPERATIONS AND PROCEDURES.
SO IN ADOPTING AN INTERNAL 30 BY 30 CONSERVATION INITIATIVE HAS ALLOWED THE PARK DISTRICT TO BUILD, STRUCTURE AND DEFINE TIMELINES AND GOALS FOR THESE PROGRAMS THAT ARE ALREADY SO INTEGRAL TO THE MISSION OF THE PARK DISTRICT, AND IT HAS CREATED PROCESSES THAT ENCOURAGE CROSS COLLABORATION AND GIVE A VOICE TO ALL STAFF IN THE PARK DISTRICT, AND I LOVE 30 BY 30 BECAUSE AS A PARK RANGER, I WORK IN THE SAME PARK WITH THE SAME COUPLE OF PEOPLE ALL THE TIME, AND THIS HAS BEEN SUCH AN AMAZING VESSEL TO BRING
[00:25:05]
PARK RANGERS AND FIELD STAFF TO THE TABLE, WITH FOLKS IN THE OFFICE AND FOLKS FROM ALL DEPARTMENTS TO START TO STRATEGIZE ON SOME OF THESE COMPLEX CONSERVATION ISSUES.NEOMA LAVALLE, PRINCIPAL PLANNER ASD.
I'M GOING TO DO A QUICK PREAMBLE ON OUR EFFORTS REGARDING THE GAP CODES AND OUR LAND DESIGNATIONS.
SO WHEN THE 30 BY 31ST REPORT CAME OUT, THE PARK DISTRICT REALLY ONLY HAD MAYBE 50.
A LITTLE LESS THAN 50% OF OUR LANDS WERE CONSIDERED GAP ONE AND GAP TWO, WHICH IS A USGS MAINTAINED CODE SYSTEM, AND REALLY, GAP ONE AND TWO WERE THE HIGHEST KIND OF LEVELS OF PROTECTIONS UNDER THIS DESIGNATIONS, AND WE REALLY FELT WHEN WE LOOKED AT THAT INITIAL REPORT THAT THE PARK DISTRICT'S LANDS SHOULD REALLY THERE SHOULD BE A HIGHER PERCENTAGE IN GAPS ONE AND TWO.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE TOOK A STEP BACK AND REALLY LOOKED AT THE DEFINITIONS, AND THIS WAS MARYROSE AND I, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTOOD HOW THINGS WERE CLASSIFIED AND WHY THEY WERE CLASSIFIED BEFORE WE STARTED MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OUR OWN PARKLANDS.
SO ONCE WE HAD A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE DEFINITIONS OF THE GAP CODES AND WHAT FIT IN WHERE, AND LOOKED AT OTHER EXAMPLES OF HOW OTHER PARK, HOW OTHER OPEN SPACE AREAS WERE CLASSIFIED THROUGHOUT THE STATE.
THEN WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR OWN LANDS, PARCEL BY PARCEL, TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE MAKING CONCRETE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHAT SHOULD BE IN GAP ONE AND GAP TWO, THREE AND FOUR, AND THEN I'LL LET MARYROSE GET INTO SOME OF THE TECHNICAL GIS, BUT IT'S SUPER.
IT WAS A REALLY INTERESTING PROCESS AND IT'S VERY EXCITING.
KIND OF WHERE WHERE THE PROCESS ENDED UP.
YEAH. SO I HELPED WORK ON THE GIS EXERCISE FOR THIS WORK, AND IT WAS AN INTERESTING PROCESS.
WE, LIKE NEOMA, SAID WE DECIDED TO DO A DETAILED GAP ASSESSMENT.
SO WE LOOKED AT EACH PARCEL OF OUR LANDS TO DETERMINE IF THERE WERE IN GAP ONE, WHICH IS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION FOR THAT PARCEL. GAP TWO IS ALSO HIGHLY PROTECTED, BUT THERE MAY BE SOME MORE RECREATIONAL ACCESS AND OTHER TYPES OF MANAGEMENT IN THAT LAND.
GAP THREE AND GAP FOUR ARE LESS PROTECTED.
SO THOSE WERE KIND OF FELL INTO OUR MORE RECREATIONAL FOCUSED LANDS.
SO PARCELS THAT WERE FOR REGIONAL TRAILS OR THINGS LIKE THAT WERE IN GAP THREE.
GAP FOUR MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIKE POOLS OR BUILT UP ENVIRONMENTS LIKE ROADS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO YEAH, SO I WENT THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
SO I CREATED THIS DASHBOARD, WHICH HELPED KIND OF CLEARLY OUTLINE WHAT PERCENTAGE OF OUR LANDS ARE CATEGORIZED IN THESE WAYS, WITH DEFINITIONS AVAILABLE FOR STAFF TO SEE AS WELL? AND SO WE SUBMITTED THESE RECOMMENDATIONS TO GREEN INFO NETWORK, WHICH IS THE ORGANIZATION THAT'S MANAGING THIS DATA SET STATEWIDE, AND THEY ACCEPTED OUR RECOMMENDATIONS IN THEIR LATEST RELEASE OF THE DATA BACK IN THE LAST MONTH OF JUNE.
SO WE NOW HAVE 96% OF OUR LANDS COUNT TOWARDS THE 30 BY 30 EFFORT, AS OPPOSED TO THE 40% THAT WAS ORIGINALLY PART OF THEIR DATA SET. SO THAT'S A BIG IMPROVEMENT.
SO WE'RE SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THAT.
QUESTIONS? THANK YOU SO MUCH, MARYROSE, NEOMA.
WE WENT FROM 42% BEING CLASSIFIED AS CONSERVED UNDER 30 BY 30 TO 96%, AND MOSTLY BECAUSE RIGHT AWAY THE DATA THAT THEY HAD, THEY DEFAULTED A LOT OF OUR PARKLANDS TO BEING GAP FOUR.
[00:30:03]
SO THAT'LL BE GAP FOUR BECAUSE IT JUST HAD THE NAME PARK IN IT.SO MARYROSE AND NEOMA AND THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WERE ABLE TO GO THROUGH EACH PARCEL AND SAY, NO, REDWOOD PARK IS DEFINITELY A GAP TO AN OPEN SPACE THAT IS PROTECTED FOR BIODIVERSITY, MUCH MORE SO WE WERE ABLE TO MORE ACCURATELY PORTRAY THAT.
SO YEAH, IT'S A REALLY EXCITING.
THERE'S CLIMATE EQUITY ASSESSMENT.
SO IN THE SUMMER OF 2023, THE GENERAL MANAGER'S OFFICE HOSTED THE DORIS DUKE SCHOLAR KAILANI B.
DAY FROM TUFTS UNIVERSITY IN BOSTON.
OVERALL, HER RESEARCH PROJECT WILL BE FEATURED IN THE UPCOMING ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA ANNUAL MEETING IN LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THAT IT'S REALLY INTERESTING AND INCREDIBLE REPORT THAT I HOPE WE CAN USE TO IMPROVE EQUITABLE ACCESS IN ALL OF OUR PARKS.
YOU THESE SPACE STEWARDSHIP NETWORK.
THESE SPACE STEWARDSHIP NETWORK WAS STARTED IN 2019 TO BUILD A CROSS COLLABORATION BETWEEN 15 LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES IN THE EAST BAY TO ADDRESS THE REGION'S CONSERVATION CHALLENGES. SO SINCE THEN, THIS GROUP HAS SUPPORTED BIODIVERSITY THROUGH THE NATURE CHECK PROGRAM, WHICH ASSESSES THE ECOLOGICAL HEALTH OF THE REGION BY EVALUATING THE HEALTH OF VERY CERTAIN KEY KEYSTONE SPECIES LIKE THE GROUND SQUIRREL AND BATS.
THESE SPACE STEWARDSHIP NETWORK ALSO SECURED FUNDING FOR FINE SCALE VEGETATION MAPPING IN BOTH COUNTIES, AND FOR WILDFIRE RISK MAPPING OVER BOTH COUNTIES, AND THE EAST BAY STEWARDSHIP NETWORK ALSO FOUND FUNDING FOR A POND RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM IN THE EAST BAY, AND WE HAVE DINA ROBERTSON HERE TODAY WHO'S BEEN REALLY INSTRUMENTAL IN THE CREATION OF THESE SPACE STEWARDSHIP NETWORK TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THAT.
THE 30 BY 30 MINI GRANT PROGRAM, WHICH IS NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART THE ANNUAL 30 BY 30 MINI GRANT PROGRAM, IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL INTERNAL PROGRAMS WE HAVE TO AMPLIFY AND FUND THE CLIMATE PRIORITIES OF OUR FIELD STAFF.
THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARKS AND WORKSITES TO ADDRESS DIRECT ACCESS, DIRECT FUNDING FOR PROJECTS THAT THEY IDENTIFY TO HELP RESTORE BIODIVERSITY, CREATE EQUITABLE ACCESS, AND BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE.
SO AS A PARK RANGER, I APPLIED FOR TOO MANY GRANTS LAST YEAR FOR THE WHOPPING SUM OF $7,000 AND TO FUND NATIVE PLANT RESTORATION AND ACORN PROPAGATION PROPAGATION IN WILDCAT CANYON.
FIRST EDUCATION, WE DEVELOPED A LITTLE BOOT SCRUBBING STATION, AND WE JUST FINALIZED LANGUAGE FOR SIGNAGE FOR THAT TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON SCRUBBING THEIR BOOTS AND ARRIVING AND LEAVING CLEAN FROM OUR PARKS TO STOP SLOW THE SPREAD OF PLANT PATHOGENS FROM PARK TO PARK.
WE PARTNERED WITH URBAN TILTH TO GO BACK AND TO CONTINUE TO ASSESS THE OAKS THAT HAD BEEN IN THIS PROGRAM, AND THEN WE HAD A RESTORATION CAMPAIGN WHERE WE PARTNERED WITH THE WATERSHED PROJECT TO HAVE SEVERAL VOLUNTEER DAYS WHERE WE COLLECTED ACORNS AND THEN PROPAGATED THEM AND PLANTED AND PROTECTED THEM IN A RESTORATION PROGRAM.
WE ARE ASSESSING THE SUCCESS OF THESE OAKS.
SO THIS WAS A REALLY INCREDIBLE WAY TO FEEL EMPOWERED AS A PARK RANGER TO ACCESS FUNDING AND START A PILOT PROGRAM, AND IF IT SUCCEEDS, TO BE ABLE TO SCALE IT UP AND THEN REPLICATE IT IN OTHER PARKS.
WE HAVE THIS ABUNDANCE OF COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS WHO ARE READY AND WILLING TO SUPPORT OUR RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION WORK, AND WE REALLY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM. THE PUBLIC CARES SO DEEPLY ABOUT THESE LANDS AND HAS SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE AND SKILL TO PROVIDE TO OUR CONSERVATION CHALLENGES, SO WORKING WITH VOLUNTEERS HAS BROUGHT SO MUCH MEANING AND SUCH A SENSE OF COMMUNITY TO MY JOB AS A PARK RANGER, AND THEY HELPED ME REALIZE THAT WE ARE ALL STEWARDS OF THIS LAND.
EVERYONE IN THIS COMMUNITY IS PART AS STEWARDS OF THE LAND THAT WE LOVE.
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SO THIS YEAR WE FUNDED 15 MINI GRANT PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE PARK DISTRICT, AND I HAD THE INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY OF RUNNING THIS PROGRAM OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, AND I BROUGHT DIFFERENT FOLKS FROM AROUND THE PARK DISTRICT TO ASSESS THE APPLICATIONS AS THEY COME IN, AND I SEE THIS WHOLE MINI GRANT PROGRAM AS A WAY TO KIND OF DEMOCRATIZE THE PARK DISTRICT AND INVITE FOLKS TO EMPOWER FOLKS FROM ALL STAFF AND ALL ROLES TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPACT THEIR WORK.SO WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT.
SO WE'VE BEEN DOING SOME PUBLIC OUTREACH ON OUR 30 BY 30 WORK.
LAST YEAR, IN THE SUMMER 2023 ISSUE OF COMPASS MAGAZINE BY THE REGIONAL PARKS FOUNDATION, WE HAD THE FRONT STORY, A CALL TO ACTION ON THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT'S INVOLVEMENT IN 30 BY 30, AND THEN I'VE PROVIDED SOME STICKERS AND PATCHES THAT WE ARE USING TO DO MORE PUBLIC OUTREACH, BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY FOR OUR 30 BY 30 INITIATIVE.
ANOTHER ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL PROGRAMS IN THE PARK DISTRICT'S 30 BY 30 INITIATIVE IS THE FORMATION OF THESE FIVE 30 BY 30 WORKING GROUPS. SO THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, CONSERVATION STRATEGIES, EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, FINANCE AND ADVOCACY, AND THE BIG ONE SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS, HABITAT RESTORATION AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE.
SO OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, ABOUT 100 STAFF FROM AROUND THE PARK DISTRICT HAVE BEEN PARTICIPATING IN THESE WORKING GROUPS, AND THEY MEET MONTHLY FOR ABOUT AN HOUR OR MORE TO DISCUSS AND STRATEGIZE ON PRIORITIES IN THESE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, AND THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE KIND OF IN THE THEY'RE FINALIZING ITEMS THAT THEY WANT TO BE PRIORITIZING, AND THEN WE'RE FINDING WAYS TO FIND FUNDING FOR THESE ITEMS, TO MOVE THEM FORWARD AND INTEGRATE THEM INTO OUR SECOND CENTURY PLAN. SO I'M A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORKING GROUP, AND AS A MEMBER, WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO DEFINE WAYS TO ENHANCE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC IN THE 30 BY 30 INITIATIVE.
WE ARE GETTING TRAINING THIS AUGUST FROM THE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION JUSTICE OUTSIDE, WHO'S A TRUSTED PARTNER OF THE PARK DISTRICT AND THE STATE, AND THE TRAINING WILL BE ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COMMUNICATION THAT WE HOPE TO APPLY TO ENHANCE OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY AND INVOLVE THEM IN THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
WE ALSO DID RECEIVE A MINI GRANT THIS YEAR TO ENHANCE THE RECOGNITION OF OUR CURRENT DEVOTED VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS, SO THE CONSERVATION STRATEGIES WORK GROUP IS FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING A STRATEGY ON HOW TO BALANCE THE NEEDS OF RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AT THE ALAMEDA CREEK OVERLOOK IN SUNOL, ALSO KNOWN AS LITTLE YOSEMITE.
SO THEY'RE IN THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN NATURE AND PEOPLE.
WE HAVE AN ISSUE OF NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, AND HOW CAN WE EDUCATE THE PUBLIC? LET'S SEE, WHERE AM I? HOW CAN WE EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON THESE NATURAL SENSITIVE? THESE SENSITIVE NATURAL RESOURCES AND ALSO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECREATION? SO THE CONSERVATION STRATEGIES WORKGROUP IS GOING TO DEVELOP, HOPEFULLY A PILOT PROGRAM THAT WE CAN USE IN OTHER PARKS, ON OTHER COMPLEX CONSERVATION CHALLENGES WHERE THE NEEDS OF NATURE AND THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE COMBINED.
THE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT WORKING GROUP ONE OF THEIR MAIN PROJECTS, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE SEVERAL, IS HOSTING THE ANNUAL AND VERY POPULAR 30 BY 30 STAFF WORKSHOP. SO LAST YEAR'S WORKSHOP FOCUSED ON INSPIRING FIELD STAFF WITH A PERSONAL ACCOUNT FROM OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER, JOHN JARVIS, WHO STARTED AS A SEASONAL PARK RANGER AND THEN ENDED UP AS DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.
HIS PRESENTATION INCLUDED VERY RELATABLE REFLECTIONS ON HIS CAREER, MOMENTS OF BUILDING TEAMWORK, ENHANCING EQUITY, AND DEVELOPING STRONG LEADERSHIP IN EVEN THE MOST DIFFICULT OF TIMES. THE WORKSHOP ALSO FEATURED ANNIE BURKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TOGETHER BAY AREA, WHO SHARED PERSPECTIVES ON CALIFORNIA'S 30 BY 30 CONSERVATION INITIATIVE AND THE COLLABORATION OF LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES FROM AROUND THE STATE.
SO, OVER 120 STAFF CAME TO LAST YEAR'S STAFF EVENT.
THERE'S GOING TO BE ANOTHER ONE THIS YEAR, NOVEMBER 20TH.
WE WERE ALL GIVEN COPIES OF JOHN JARVIS'S BOOK THE FUTURE OF CONSERVATION IN AMERICA, WHICH HE SIGNED PERSONALLY AT THE EVENT, AND I JUST HAVE TO SAY, PERSONALLY, THESE 30 BY 30 EVENTS ARE SOME OF MY MOST INSPIRING DAYS OF THE YEAR AS FIELD STAFF.
LIKE I SAID, WE WORK WITH THE SAME 3 OR 4 PEOPLE IN THE SAME PARK EVERY DAY ON JUST SPECIFIC ISSUES, AND THESE EVENTS ALLOW FIELD STAFF FROM ALL OVER THE PARK DISTRICT TO COME TOGETHER AND COLLABORATE ON THESE ISSUES AND TRADE NOTES AND BRAINSTORM AND BE PART OF A LARGER CONVERSATION AND UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE PART OF A VERY LARGE MOVEMENT AND AN AMAZING PARK DISTRICT THAT IMPACTS THE ENTIRE EAST BAY.
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OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, THE FINANCE AND ADVOCACY GROUP HAVE BEEN COMING TOGETHER TO MEET THE MOMENT AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOME OF THE HISTORICAL RESOURCE ALLOCATIONS FOR 30 BY 30.SO THEY WERE ABLE TO FIND SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING FOR SOME OF THESE CAPITAL PROJECTS, INCLUDING THE RESTORE WILDCAT CREEK AND REPLACE THE CROSSING AT BROOKE ROAD PROJECT, THE HAYWARD MARSH RESTORATION PROJECT, THE TIDEWATER DAY USE EXPANSION PROJECT, AND SO ON, AND THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN WORKING ON FINDING ADVOCACY AND FUNDING TO ENHANCE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO OUR PARKS AND FOR FINDING FUNDING TO SUPPORT A HABITAT RESTORATION PROGRAM IN OUR PARKS.
SO THEY HOPE TO SYNCHRONIZE ALL OF THIS WORK INTO THE SECOND CENTURY PLAN.
THE LARGE WORKING GROUP, SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS, HABITAT RESTORATION AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE HAS OVER 60 MEMBERS AND THEY, OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH A LIST OF 74 PROPOSED ITEMS THAT THEY HAD ON WHAT WE COULD PRIORITIZE IN THESE THREE AREAS OF CONSERVATION, AND THEY WHITTLED IT DOWN OVER MONTHS TO THESE SIX PRIORITIES, AND RIGHT NOW THEY'RE LOOKING INTO FEASIBILITY OF THESE ITEMS, WHETHER OR NOT THEY CAN MOVE FORWARD, WHERE BUDGETING COULD COME FROM, AND HOW THEY CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO OUR SECOND CENTURY PLAN.
SO WHAT COMES NEXT OVER THE NEXT SIX YEARS? WE'LL CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE ON PRIORITIES IN THE WORKING GROUPS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO FUND INNOVATIVE PROJECTS IN THE MINI GRANT PROGRAM, WE WILL CONTINUE TO CROSS COLLABORATE IN OUR STAFF EVENTS, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO INTEGRATE ALL OF THIS WORK INTO THE SECOND CENTURY PLAN.
WE HAVE SIX YEARS UNTIL 2030, AND THEN THAT'S JUST THE BEGINNING.
SO WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE CALLS FOR PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY AND PROTECTING OURSELVES FROM OURSELVES.
SO TO BE STRATEGIC IN THE NEXT SIX YEARS, WE NEED TO FOCUS ON PROGRAMS THAT ACCELERATE, AMPLIFY AND SCALE UP THE WORK THAT WE'RE ALREADY DOING TO ANSWER TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE 30 BY 30 MOVEMENT.
SO WHEN THEY DEVELOP THE THIRD THIRD CENTURY PLAN AND I KNOW WE'LL ALL BE THERE, WE HOPE SOMEONE WILL BE ABLE TO LOOK BACK AND KNOW THAT WE PROTECTED THESE IMPORTANT ECOSYSTEMS FOR CALIFORNIA.
WE HOPE THAT EVERY COMMUNITY MEMBER IN THE EAST BAY WILL HAVE REGULAR OR EVEN DAILY ACCESS TO THEIR NATURE AND THE PARKS, SO THE INTENTION AND WORK WE DEDICATE TO THIS MOMENT RIGHT NOW WILL DETERMINE THE FUTURE FOR US AND FOR THE SPECIES THAT DEPEND ON US, AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROTECT THEMSELVES.
SO IF WE'RE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE LASTING IMPACT FOR THE EAST BAY AND PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT EXAMPLE FOR OTHER URBAN AREAS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA AND THE PLANET. SO THANK YOU.
THIS THIS GOAL IS IN ITSELF INSPIRATIONAL.
DIDN'T WE MEET AT THE EARTH DAY? YEAH, YEAH. OH YEAH.
JOHN MERCURIO CAME OUT AND VOLUNTEERED FOR A WHOLE MORNING ON EARTH DAY AT WILDCAT.
TACKLED A MEDIUM SIZED PROBLEM, AND WE SOLVED IT.
SO I'M SURE THERE'S QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS TO BE MADE HERE.
WELL THANK YOU JULIA, AND AGAIN I ADMIRE YOUR YOUR YOUR ENTHUSIASM FOR THIS, AND I THINK WE ALL HAVE THAT, AND I'M GLAD THAT THE PARK DISTRICT'S SO FAR IN FRONT OF THIS WHOLE THING AND I NEED TO NOTE, THANK YOU FOR INCLUDING AND MENTIONING PARK RANGERS AND FIELD STAFF. IT'S KEY TO THE WHOLE DEAL TO INCLUDE THOSE FOLKS, AND I'M GLAD YOU'RE EMPHASIZING THAT, YOU KNOW, I GUESS SO WHAT I'M WONDERING IS AND THEN VERY THANKFUL WHEN WE FIRST HEARD THIS REPORT, WHEN DOCTOR ALVAREZ GAVE IT INITIALLY, I SAID, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WE GOT 126,000 ACRES.
IF THIS ISN'T PROTECTED LAND, WHAT IS AND WHAT'S UP WITH ONLY 50%? I'M GLAD STAFF WAS ABLE TO CONVINCE FOLKS THAT NOW WE'RE UP TO 90 SOME PERCENT OF OUR LAND IS CONSIDERED PART OF THE 30 BY 30 PART OF THAT GOAL.
I'M WONDERING SO AND I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT I ASSUME THIS THE TIMELINE WAS CALIFORNIA REALLY WENT BIG ON EARTH DAY IN 2022, RIGHT? THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.
YES, AND I ASSUME REGIONAL PARKS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST IN CALIFORNIA, RIGHT? I MEAN, WE'VE GOT TO BE UP THERE.
WHAT'S EAST BAY MUD DOING? WHAT ARE OUR NEIGHBORS DOING? OH, THAT'S SUCH A GOOD QUESTION.
I DON'T KNOW, I WANTED TO LOOK INTO THAT, BUT I DON'T HAVE THOSE FIGURES.
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SO WE'RE KIND OF SMALL BUT MIGHTY ON THE OBVIOUSLY THE SCALE OF CALIFORNIA, WE'RE 0.4% OF PROTECTED LAND, BUT WITHIN BOTH COUNTIES, ALAMEDA AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, WE'RE 12%.SO WE'RE ABOUT 12.8% OF THE TOTAL LAND MASS, AND 12.2% IS NOW CONSIDERED PROTECTED UNDER 30 BY 30.
SO WHEREVER WE ARE, WE ARE, YEAH, WE ARE PROVIDING PROTECTED LAND, AND I KNOW YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT I'M SORT OF WONDERING WHAT I CAN UNDERSTAND LET'S PRESERVE 30%.
OKAY, GOOD. GIVE ME DEL NORTE COUNTY AND SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, DON'T WE GET EXTRA POINTS FOR BEING NEXT TO WHERE HUMANS ARE AND PEOPLE THAT WOULD, YOU KNOW, QUOTE, USE THE PARKS AND THERE IS THE EQUITY COMPONENT OF THIS.
TECHNICALLY IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE WE DO, BUT I THINK THERE IS A LOT OF PRIORITY TOWARDS AND THEY HAVE AN AMAZING MAPPING TOOL SIMILAR TO OUR INTERNAL ONE THAT MARYROSE CREATED CALLED THE CA NATURE MAPPING TOOL, AND YOU CAN LOOK AT CONSERVED LANDS AND THEN HOW THEY IMPACT HOW THE HOW ACCESSIBLE THEY ARE TO CALIFORNIANS.
SO YOU CAN LOOK AND ALTHOUGH IT DOESN'T GIVE US MORE POINTS CERTAINLY WE SURE YOU CAN HAVE A BUNCH OF BLM LAND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, OR DEATH VALLEY THAT MIGHT BE NOT ACCESSIBLE TO MOST OF CALIFORNIANS, BUT WE HAVE 3 MILLION PEOPLE WHO CAN GO TO AN EAST BAY PARK WITHIN, YOU KNOW, A TEN MINUTE DRIVE. SO ALTHOUGH WE TECHNICALLY DON'T GET MORE POINTS FOR THAT IN THE 30 BY 30 NUMBERS, I THINK WE GET A LOT OF POINTS FOR THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TO PROVIDE EQUITABLE ACCESS, AND IF I MAY THANK YOU.
JULIA. THE 30 BY 30 PROGRESS REPORT HAS DIFFERENT METRICS.
THAT'S WHERE THE ADDITIONAL METRICS COME IN, AND THOSE ARE HOW RESILIENT IS THE LAND TO THE TO THE ANTICIPATED IMPACTS FROM A CHANGING CLIMATE? THAT'S THE DURABILITY OF THE LAND.
ANOTHER METRIC IS HOW ACCESSIBLE IS THE LAND TO THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE NEAR THE LAND, AND THOSE METRICS ARE BEING THE INFRASTRUCTURE TO CONTINUE TO MAP THOSE METRICS WITH THE STATE IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON THOSE PIECES, AND CERTAINLY THE EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK DISTRICT, ONE OF THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FOR THE FOR THE HEADLINE AS IT'S GOING TO BE ANNOUNCED BY THE STATE FAIRLY SOON.
THE INCREASE OF OUR PROTECTED LANDS, 96.6% IS A VALIDATION OF THE WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE HERE BY THE PARK DISTRICT OVER THE COURSE OF 90 YEARS, AND IT VALIDATES THE FACT THAT WE CAN CONSERVE AND PROTECT BIODIVERSITY IN NATURE IN AN URBAN SETTING.
THAT'S THE HEADLINE, AND SO IT'S FORWARD LOOKING IN TERMS OF BEING VERY HOPEFUL OF WHAT CAN BE AND WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED IN OTHER SETTINGS.
SO AGAIN, THE PARK DISTRICT BEING TOUTED AS AN EXAMPLE, A DEMONSTRATION PROJECT OF A NEW CONSERVATION MODEL IN CALIFORNIA, WHAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE PROTECTING THE LAND.
THANK YOU, AND I GUESS TO DIVE A LITTLE FURTHER.
SO I'M TRYING TO THINK IN ALAMEDA COUNTY, I MEAN WATER DISTRICTS.
SANTA CLARA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT IS GIANT.
I MEAN, DO THEY PARTICIPATE DO CITIES PARTICIPATE? BECAUSE YEAH, AND I THINK BECAUSE IT'S STILL PRETTY EARLY IN THE PROCESS OF REASSESSING, I THINK MOST OTHER LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES ARE DOING THE PROCESS THAT OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT JUST DID AND ONCE THE NEXT PROGRESS REPORT COMES OUT, WE'LL UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT HOW MUCH LAND IS NOW CONSIDERED CONSERVED UNDER THEIR REASSESSMENT.
SO I'M CURIOUS TO SEE, AND THAT'S INFORMATION I DON'T HAVE.
ALL RIGHT. DOCTOR ALVAREZ, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE? THANK YOU SO MUCH, DIRECTOR MERCURIO.
I'D JUST LIKE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY EMPHASIZE THAT ALL THIS WORK IS REALLY THE CULMINATION OF EVERYONE AT THE PARK DISTRICT, AND JULIA KEEPS SAYING IT. IT'S EMBEDDED WITHIN THE CORE OF OUR MISSION, BUT TO AMPLIFY, ESCALATE AND ACCELERATE.
IT'S REALLY TAKING IT'S BEEN QUITE A MOVEMENT HERE IN THE PARK DISTRICT AND BRINGING EVERYBODY TOGETHER IN A VERY HOPEFUL WAY AND VERY UNCERTAIN FUTURE THAT WE MAY BE FACING. YEAH.
I'LL EXTEND THOSE COMMENTS THAT THE BIG TAKEAWAY I'M GETTING HERE IS THAT THERE IS A REAL STRONG SENSE OF OPTIMISM IN BEING ABLE TO TAKE A GIANT PROBLEM AND PICK AWAY AT IT IN A MEANINGFUL WAY.
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GLOBAL EFFORT BEING MADE.YOU KNOW, I LIKE THAT. WE'RE PART OF THAT.
WE'RE PART OF THE STATE AND WE'RE PART OF THE WORLD.
THE WHOLE WORLD IS LOOKING AT THIS AS BEST THEY CAN.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN A POSITION TO DO THESE THINGS, AND SO I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT WE ARE AND JUST HAVING THESE GOALS IS AN AID TO ACHIEVEMENT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT TO, YOU KNOW, IF I'M OUT FOR A WALK, A HIKE OR SOMETHING AND I'M JUST KIND OF LIKE WANDERING AROUND IN SOME PARK, THAT'S ONE THING, BUT WHEN THERE'S A PEAK THERE AND I AND I, I WANT TO, I WANT TO GO UP THERE, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP.
THAT'S A WHOLE DIFFERENT THING, YOU KNOW? AND SO A GOAL, IT'S A GREAT GOAL.
I'M GLAD WE HAVE IT, AND ALONG THE WAY OF PROTECTING THE PLANET, ALONG THE TRAIL OF OF PLANETARY PROTECTION.
WE'RE GETTING ALL THESE LOCAL BENEFITS FOR OUR WILDLIFE AND OUR PLANT LIFE AND OUR AND OUR HUMAN LIFE, AND SO I THINK THAT'S NOT LOSE TRACK OF THAT, IS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT GOALS BEING ACHIEVED HERE, AND SOME OF THEM IS, YOU KNOW, BENEFITS TO US, YOU KNOW, LOCALLY HERE.
I MEAN, I WANT TO REALLY LOOK AT IT.
YOU MENTIONED THE DOS RIOS STATE PARK WAS 2000 ACRES I THINK, YOU KNOW, I'M WONDERING I KNOW SOME OF THE STAFF HAVE BEEN OUT THERE, BUT I'M WONDERING JUST MAKE A GENERAL KIND OF REQUEST IF THERE WAS SOME ORGANIZED WAY FOR SOME OF US TO A BUNCH OF US, TO GO OUT THERE AND VISIT THAT.
THE MINI GRANT PROGRAM, ALL THOSE LITTLE SMALL LIKE YOU SAY MINI GRANTS FOR MANY PROJECTS.
SOME OF THEM AREN'T SO MANY, REALLY.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THEY'RE SIGNIFICANT, AND THAT'S A REALLY IMAGINATIVE WAY TO TAKE THESE THINGS ON, AND THERE'S PROBABLY A PERSON OR 2 OR 3 BEHIND EACH ONE OF THOSE.
I WOULD THINK. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE, THE ACTUAL PROJECT PART OF IT AND THEN HOW IT IMPACTS, YOU KNOW, OUR STAFF, YOU KNOW, BEING ABLE TO HAVE THE WHEREWITHAL, THE FUNDING TO TACKLE SOMETHING THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, IT HAS TO BE THAT THEY HAD INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ISSUE THAT NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED, AND THEN THEY WERE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
SO, YEAH, I'LL TELL YOU, IT WAS SO FUN TO BE AT A PARK LIKE IN WHEN THE APPLICATION OPENS, AND I MEAN, I JUST EXPERIENCED IT THAT ONE YEAR, BUT THE BRAINSTORMING THAT'S HAPPENING, WE ALL IDENTIFY ISSUES WHEN WE'RE OUT EVERY DAY THAT WE NEED FUNDING FOR, AND THE REGULAR BUDGET PROCESS MAKES IT A LOT MORE INTIMIDATING AND A LOT MORE IT'S A MUCH SLOWER PROCESS, AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET DIRECT FUNDING FOR LIKE, THIS LITTLE.
WE JUST NEED LIKE 4000 EXTRA DOLLARS TO DO THIS ONE THING, AND THEN WE'RE ALL BRAINSTORMING, OKAY.
WHAT ARE THE MAIN PRIORITIES? WHO'S GOING TO MOVE IT FORWARD? WHO'S PASSION PROJECT IS IT, AND IT JUST BROUGHT SO MUCH MEANING TO THE WORK THAT WE DO.
IT'S LIKE YOU'RE JUST A LITTLE GRAIN OF SAND IN A BEACH THERE, YOU KNOW? AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE NO IMPACT ON WHAT GOES ON.
WHEREAS HERE THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR AN INDIVIDUAL OR 2 OR 3 TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
SO I CAN ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF IT, YOU KNOW.
YEAH, AND I FEEL IT THE I MEAN, WHATEVER VESSEL IT IS, WHETHER IT'S 30, WHETHER IT'S 30 BY 30 OR SECOND CENTURY, JUST ANY ADVANTAGE OR OPPORTUNITY FOR STAFF TO FEEL EMPOWERED TO EITHER ACCESS FUNDING OR RUN THEIR OWN PASSION PROJECTS OR COLLABORATE WITH OTHER PEOPLE IS REALLY POWERFUL, AND THEN THE WORKING GROUPS THAT YOU DESCRIBE.
I MEAN, THAT'S JUST THE WAY THAT'S BEEN ORGANIZED AND IMPLEMENTED.
SOMEWHERE IN THERE, THERE WAS TALK ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IN ORDER TO MAKE OUR PARKS MORE
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ACCESSIBLE, AND I JUST WANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT IS A TOUGH THING TO IMPLEMENT, AND I APPRECIATE THAT WE DON'T JUST GIVE UP ON IT. OH, YOU KNOW, AC TRANSIT ISN'T DOING ANYTHING.FORGET IT. YOU KNOW IT'S LIKE THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN THAT I SEE AND SO YOU KNOW, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HOW, WHAT IMPROVEMENTS CAN BE MADE TO THAT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IT MAYBE IT USED TO BE BETTER IN THE PAST AND NOW IT'S NOT AS GOOD.
WE GOT TO WE NEED TO GET IT BACK TO AT LEAST THE WAY IT WAS AND MAKE IT BETTER.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S CONTROVERSIAL, BUT I IT JUST IS INSPIRING.
I THINK WE CAN FIND SOLUTIONS TO MAKE OUR PARKS MORE ACCESSIBLE.
YEAH, THAT'S, YOU KNOW I FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT THERE WILL BE SOME, SOME BENEFITS MADE FROM THAT EFFORT. YEAH, AND THEN I HAD A QUESTION YOU HAD A REFERENCE THERE TO A DISTRICT NURSERY PROJECT OR.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT DOING.
SO WHAT DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE BACKGROUND YOU CAN GIVE ABOUT THAT? YEAH, AND THE ONE OF THE MAIN CO-LEADERS OF THAT WORKING GROUP IS HERE, DINA.
SHE CAN ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS.
IT COMES UP KIND OF LIKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
IT COMES UP PROBABLY DAILY IN THE PARK DISTRICT.
WE SPEND SO MUCH MONEY ON PLANTS FOR OUR RESTORATION WORK FROM OUTSIDE NURSERIES, AND WE'RE ALWAYS.
EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE GREAT PHYTOSANITARY CONDITIONS IN KEEPING THEIR PLANTS AND SOIL CLEAN, WE STILL TAKE THE RISK OF BRINGING OTHER PLANTS IN THAT REALLY MIGHT NOT EVEN IT.
THERE'S A LOT OF RISK THERE AND A LOT OF MONEY.
SO WE ARE IT'S JUST A FEASIBILITY STUDY RIGHT NOW.
IS IT POSSIBLE DOES IT MAKE SENSE FOR THE DISTRICT TO HAVE ITS OWN NURSERY.
SO THAT'S JUST AN IDEA, AND THAT WORKING GROUP HAS DECIDED TO PRIORITIZE THAT AS JUST IS IT FEASIBLE WHERE, HOW HOW MUCH? THAT'S ALL. THAT'S ALL THEY'VE GOTTEN TO SO FAR, BUT YEAH, DINA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO THAT AT ALL? YEAH, OKAY.
I'M BETTING THAT IT IS, BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S JUST MY OPINION, SURE, WE'LL SEE.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? QUESTIONS? CHAIR MERCURIO. WE DO HAVE SOMEONE ON THE LINE.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S DO IT. LET'S BRING THEM IN.
KELLY ABREU. KELLY, I'M GOING TO BRING YOU IN.
LET'S SEE. LET'S GO DOWN MY LIST.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO ADVOCATE WITH OTHER AGENCIES, SO WHY NOT THE SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION? AND THEN GAP ONE VERSUS GAP TWO, I HAD TO GO GOOGLE THIS STUFF, AND WHAT IS 30 BY 30? AND I LEARNED A LOT ON GOOGLE AND HAVING EXPERIENCED AT MISSION PEAK I KNOW THAT THIS 30 BY 30 IS HAS GOT SOME SERIOUS THINGS INSIDE OF IT, FOR EXAMPLE, GAP ONE VERSUS GAP TWO.
THE MAIN DIFFERENCE I SEE IS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES MAY DEGRADE QUALITY NOW OUT HERE IN THE REAL WORLD, AND IF YOU WALK AROUND AND OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK AROUND, GO TO VARGAS PLATEAU REGIONAL PARK, GO TO MISSION PEAK REGIONAL PRESERVE.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE YOU'LL SEE BETWEEN THESE PLACES IS A LEGALISTIC, SOPHISTIC DISTINCTION BETWEEN YOU KNOW WHAT 'S GAP ONE AND GAP TWO.
THESE THESE PLACES ARE JUST ABOUT THE SAME, AND IF ANYTHING, VARGAS PLATEAU MIGHT BE BETTER CONSERVED BECAUSE THEY PUMP SO MUCH MONEY INTO PROTECTING SALAMANDERS AND AND, AND FROGS IN THE LITTLE PONDS.
THEY SPENT A LOT OF MONEY ON THOSE AT VARGAS, BUT SOMEHOW IT'S A LOWER CATEGORY BECAUSE ON PAPER IT'S A LOWER CATEGORY, BUT . SO I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT JUST LOST IN THIS LEGALISTIC WORLD, AND THEN THAT THE REALITY OF THINGS ON THE GROUND WHERE VARGAS PLATEAU IS PROBABLY EQUALLY GOOD AS MISSION PEAK SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED, AND THEN WHAT THE WHAT IS WHAT ELSE DID I LEARN ON GOOGLE?
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WELL, THE FIRST THING ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I POPPED UP ON THE FIRST PAGE WAS SOMETHING CALLED THE 30 BY 30 LAND GRAB, AND APPARENTLY, AND I CAN SMELL THIS A MILE AWAY. I CAN SPOT THIS STUFF 100 MILES AWAY.THERE IS A POLITICAL BACKLASH.
WE'RE EXPERTS ON THIS MISSION PEAK LANDOWNERS AND THE CITY OF FREMONT.
THEY ACTUALLY TOOK OVER THE CITY OF FREMONT.
THEY OWNED THE POLITICIANS, AND THEY GOT THE CITY OF FREMONT TO SHUT DOWN MISSION PEAK AT THE BEGINNING OF A PANDEMIC, A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, AND THEY SHUT DOWN A REGIONAL PARK THAT WAS DRAWING LOTS OF VISITORS, PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO LEAVE THEIR LIVING ROOMS AND NOT GET INFECTED BY MEMBERS OF THEIR OWN FAMILY. WE'RE CLOSED.
THANK YOU, KELLY. THAT'S YOUR TIME, KELLY.
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THOSE COMMENTS.
I CAN QUICKLY RESPOND TO THAT.
KELLY, IT'S SO COOL TO HAVE AN AUDIENCE MEMBER FROM THE PUBLIC.
OH, WELL, YOU KNOW, HE'S FREE TO CONTACT YOU OFFLINE.
ALL RIGHT. SO THAT IS AN INFORMATIONAL ITEM.
NO VOTE NEEDED, BUT IT WAS NOT ONLY INFORMATION AS I SAID, BUT INSPIRATION AS WELL.
I HAVE ONE MORE. OH CAN I GO ONE MORE? I WAS INSPIRED BY ALL OF THE TALK OF THE 30 BY 30 GRANTS AND ALL THE GREAT IDEAS.
COULD THE BOARD MAKE A 30 BY 30 GRANT APPLICATION? I WILL LET ANA ANSWER THAT.
SO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO $348 MILLION TO ACCELERATE CONSERVATION.
YEAH, AND ALL THE AND ALL THE BUREAUCRACY THAT GOES WITH IT TO DO A 30 BY 30.
[CHUCKLING] WE HEARD YOUR INTEREST AND WE'LL EXPLORE THAT.
SOON. SEE, THE IDEA IS JUST DON'T EVER STOP, YOU KNOW? ALL RIGHT. SO NEXT IS THE MID-YEAR REVIEW OF THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2024 LOOK AHEAD CALENDAR.
CAN YOU MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT BIGGER? THANK YOU. DIRECTOR MERCURIO AND DIRECTOR WAESPI.
THE ITEM BEFORE YOU IS A MID-YEAR PROCESS TO REVIEW THE LOOK AHEAD CALENDAR AND THE LOOK AHEAD CALENDAR IS A TOOL THAT WAS RECENTLY INTRODUCED TO THE PARK DISTRICT IN THE LAST YEAR.
THAT ALLOWS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION OR A DISCUSSION IN UNDERSTANDING THE ITEMS THAT MAY BE THAT MAY BE BROUGHT FORWARD FOR THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE'S ATTENTION IN CONSIDERING THE POTENTIAL BOARD ACTION AT THE FULL BOARD BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS.
SO IN AS PART OF THE A PROCESS AT THE BEGINNING OF JANUARY, AND I BELIEVE IT WAS AT THE MEETING OF JANUARY, IN THE MEETING OF JANUARY STAFF BRINGS FORWARD A 2024 OR AN ANNUAL LOOK AHEAD CALENDAR AND WE HAD A BRIEF DISCUSSION OF WHAT THE YEAR MAY LOOK LIKE FOR THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, AND IN THE HALFWAY POINT, WHICH IS WHERE WE ARE, WE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO A MID-YEAR REVIEW, AND IN CONDUCTING THE MID-YEAR REVIEW, IT GIVES US A CHANCE TO UNDERSTAND HOW ARE WE GOING TO FINISH THE YEAR, WHAT ARE THOSE ITEMS THAT MAY BE BROUGHT FORWARD THAT ARE INFORMATIONAL AND ACTION ITEMS FOR POTENTIAL POLICY DECISIONS BY THE FULL BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND ALSO, IT GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK BACK RETROSPECTIVELY TO UNDERSTAND HOW DID THE FIRST SIX MONTHS GO BY, WHAT DID OCCUR, AND SO I'M HERE TO HARE WITH YOU THAT SINCE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A LOOK AHEAD CALENDAR AS AN AGENDA PLANNING TOOL, WE'VE DONE FAIRLY WELL IN THE LAST TWO QUARTERS.
SO IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS WE WERE ABLE TO MEET ALMOST 90% OF THE ITEMS THAT WE WANTED TO ENGAGE THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE WITH IN A CONVERSATION AND A DISCUSSION, AND ALSO WE WERE ABLE TO PRETTY MUCH ADHERE TO THE BOARD CALENDAR, WHICH WAS ADOPTED BY THE FULL BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND NOW I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO I CAN'T I NEED A MOUSE TO SCROLL.
[01:05:09]
IF YOU CAN HELP ME SCROLL.WHAT REMAINS FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS? THANK YOU AND I'M DATING MYSELF; I WORK WITH A MOUSE, BUT IN THE MEETING OF JULY, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAD A FULL AGENDA.
AUGUST IS THE RECESS THAT WE'RE TAKING WITH THE BOARD OF.
DIRECTORS GOES ON SUMMER RECESS, SO THERE WILL BE NO MEETING, AND WHAT REMAINS ARE FOUR MEETINGS OF THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, WHICH WE'RE PLANNING ON BRINGING ABOUT 17 AGENDA ITEMS, WHICH IS FAIRLY CONSISTENT WITH LAST YEAR.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT IT'S FAIRLY BALANCED.
WE HAVE A GOOD DISTRIBUTION OF OF INFORMATIONAL ITEMS AS WELL AS POTENTIAL POLICY ITEMS, AND IN THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER, WE'RE GOING TO BE RECEIVING AN UPDATE ON OUR FEMA PROJECTS, WHICH IS A VERY CRITICAL ELEMENT THAT WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW AS WE RECOVER FROM THE WHIPLASH OF THE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND THEIR ADVERSE IMPACTS TO PUBLIC PARKLANDS.
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE CONTRA LOMA SWIM LAGOON, AND WE'RE BRINGING MEASURE WW EXTENSION AND ACCEPTANCE OF THE GRANT SCHEDULE, AND ALSO WE WILL BE RECEIVING AN UPDATE ON THE PERALTA OAKS NORTH BUILDING, AS WELL AS HAVE A AN UPDATE, POTENTIALLY FROM THE CREATIVE DESIGN GROUP IN THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIVISION, AND CERTAINLY WE WILL HAVE A RECOMMENDATION TO ADOPT A BOARD CALENDAR FOR THE NEXT YEAR IN 2025. IN OCTOBER, WE ARE LOOKING AT BRINGING A JOINT USE AGREEMENT WITH CLAYTON RANCH.
ALSO AN UPDATE ON THE CAPITAL PROJECT, TILDEN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER PROJECT, AS WELL AS AN UPDATE ON FROM THE PUBLIC SAFETY DIVISION, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ON FUEL VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PROGRAM AND WE'RE GOING TO HEAR ONE MORE TIME, WHICH WE REALLY APPRECIATE, THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT COMING AND GIVING US AN ADDITIONAL UPDATE ON THE SECOND CENTURY DISTRICT PLAN.
HOW ARE WE DOING ON THAT PROGRESS REPORT, ON THAT PROGRESS IN PLANNING FOR THAT KEY POLICY AND PLANNING DOCUMENT? THEN IN NOVEMBER, WE HAVE WE ANTICIPATE, TO HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE BIG BREAK CLIMATE ADAPTATION STUDY, WHICH IS A VERY CRITICAL PLANNING DOCUMENT.
CERTAINLY BECAUSE OF ITS GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION WITH SACRAMENTO DELTA, AND THEN WE WILL HAVE AN UPDATE ON THE WILDCAT REGIONAL PARK MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAIL, AND IN DECEMBER, WE WILL CLOSE THE YEAR WITH LOOKING AT HOW ARE WE DOING ON THE BRIONES PILOT PROJECT, AND WE WILL ALSO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE MCLAUGHLIN EASTSHORE NORTH BASIN STREET RESTORATION PUBLIC ACCESS STUDY, AS WELL AS RECEIVE END OF THE YEAR REPORTS THAT WE'VE COMMITTED TO THROUGH BOARD RESOLUTIONS, ON REPORTING OUT ON THE 2024 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BOARD'S SPONSORSHIP POLICY, AND ALSO, THIS IS THE TIME WHERE WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM OUR FOLKS IN GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS TO UNDERSTAND THE PARK ADVISORY ANTICIPATED OBJECTIVES FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR, AS WELL AS ANY NOMINATIONS FOR NEW PARK ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS, AND THAT'S HOW WE PLAN TO CLOSE THE YEAR.
SO AT THIS TIME, I'M WE WOULD LIKE TO ENGAGE IN A CONVERSATION IN A DISCUSSION. WE'RE NOT TAKING ANY FORMAL ACTION.
THIS IS AN INFORMATIONAL ITEM, BUT WE CERTAINLY WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A GENERAL UNDERSTANDING OF ANY INFORMATIONAL ITEMS THAT YOU MAY LIKE TO SEE US EXPLORE IN POTENTIALLY ADDING IT TO THE LOOK AHEAD FOR THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
DO YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? NO. I THINK THIS IS A GREAT PLAN FOR THE FUTURE.
I'M A LITTLE TROUBLED BY SO I WAS LED TO BELIEVE THAT THE ON CALL FIRE FIGHTER SITUATION WOULD BE DEALT WITH SHORTLY, I'M TOLD.
ALWAYS SHORTLY, AND THE STRIKE CAMP AT LAS TRAMPAS, AND IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT WE CLOSED 39 PARKS BASED ON ONE WAS FIRE, ARE WE GOING TO ADDRESS THESE ISSUES AT SOME POINT? IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT'S SCHEDULED THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR.
[01:10:02]
YOU'VE IDENTIFIED WOULD NEED TO BE SHEPHERDED THROUGH THE BOARD EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY TAKE A LOOK AND GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT.OKAY. I WOULD THINK THAT THE STRIKE CAMP WOULD BE RISE TO THE LEVEL OF COMING BEFORE THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, FOR SURE, BUT BUT WHATEVER ALL RIGHT. THANKS.
I KNOW I'M JUST AN ALTERNATE, BUT I CAN'T HELP BUT NOTICE THAT NOVEMBER HAS TWO ITEMS AND DECEMBER HAS FIVE, AND THEN I'M ALSO THINKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN DECEMBER.
ANYTHING IMPORTANT? THE BUDGET IS A HUGE, HUGE THING, BOTH IN IMPORTANCE AND ITS IMPACT ON THE BOARD MEMBERS.
SO IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR REASON THERE COULDN'T BE MORE OF AN EQUALIZATION OF 1 OR 2 OF THOSE DECEMBER ITEMS INTO A DIFFERENT MONTH? YES, WE CAN CERTAINLY TRY TO DISTRIBUTE BETTER BETWEEN THOSE TWO MONTHS, NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER.
NO, I UNDERSTAND THAT. YEAH, AND MAYBE NOTHING CAN BE CHANGED, BUT I JUST WANT TO THROW THAT OUT THERE THAT IT KIND OF JUMPS OUT AT ME KNOWING THAT WHAT IT TAKES TO DEAL WITH THE BUDGET AND THEN HAVE FIVE ITEMS FOR THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ALSO, AND SO WELL-SPOKEN AS A CHAIR OF THE BOARD FINANCE COMMITTEE, WHERE THAT'S THE BOARD'S STANDING COMMITTEE, WHERE THE BUDGET REALLY IS VETTED.
SO JUST SOMETHING TO CONSIDER, I HOPE.
ANY OTHER? IS THAT IT? OKAY. SO THAT DOES IT.
SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YEAH.
DO WE HAVE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM ANYBODY? I DO NOT.
OKAY, THEN, WE'RE ADJOURNED AT 11:46.
THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYBODY WHO'S HERE.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.