Environmental Impact Statement - Sonoma Land Trust

California Department of Fish and Game
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Section 3.6. Land Use and Public Utilities
Ranch parcel, which is largely south of the SMART rail line, is used for oat hay
farming; however, the easternmost portion of the property is maintained as
upland game bird habitat. Shooting and hunting activities are permitted on this
portion of the property leased by the Black Point Sports Club.
Adjacent Land Use and Ownership
Land use and ownership in the vicinity of the Project are described below, and
illustrated in Figure 1-3.
Federal and State Land
The project area is adjacent to the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge
(SPBNWR), which is largely comprised of thousands of acres of tidelands leased
from the SLC. Currently, SPBNWR lands in the project vicinity include the
Lower Tubbs Island Unit east of the project site, and the strip marsh along and
including the open waters of San Pablo Bay south of the site. The SLT-owned
350498-acre parcel between Highway 37 and the rail line is also within the
approved SPBNWR boundary; however, it is currently held in trust by the SLC
and will remain a public trust property of the state until it isbe transferred to the
USFWS at a later date. Other federally- and state-owned lands adjacent to the
project area include the CDFG’s Napa-Sonoma Marshes Wildlife Area and Tolay
Creek restoration areas to the east, and Sonoma Baylands, a property of the
California Coastal Conservancy, to the west.
Private Land
Privately-owned lands in the project vicinity include SLT’s Leonard Ranch and
North Parcel properties to the west, the Silva and Station Casino properties to the
northwest, Infineon Raceway property to the north, and Paradise Vineyards to the
northeast. The SMART District also owns the rail line and right-of-way that
traverses the property south of Highway 37.
Regulatory Setting
Sonoma County General Plan
The government of Sonoma County is responsible for regulating development
within its unincorporated areas. The County's principal means for accomplishing
this is the General Plan, which prescribes the policies and guidelines for making
land use decisions (County of Sonoma 2007a).
The current Sonoma County General Plan was adopted in March 1989, and
includes a land use element. In addition, the County is currently preparing an
Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration
Project Final Environmental Impact
Report/Environmental Impact Statement
3.6-2
April 2012