Environmental Impact Statement - Sonoma Land Trust

Sonoma Land Trust
Chapter 4. Consultation and Other Requirements
habitat. Due to the nature of the soils and the lack of an irrigation water supply,
the areas that would be converted to wildlife habitat are generally restricted to
production of oat hay, which is a low margin crop. The Bel Marin Keys Unit V
expansion of the Hamilton Wetland Restoration project would also result in the
loss of low-quality hay crops as did the prior Sonoma Baylands project. While
the cumulative loss of oat hay acreage would occur, there would not be a
significant impact on important farmland given that none of projects takes place
on areas designated as important (prime, state importance, or unique) farmland.
Therefore, the cumulative contributions for the project on agricultural resources
would be less than significant .
Recreation
As described above, the project would meet the Bay Trail objectives identified in
the Bay Trail Plan and Sonoma Bay Trail Corridor Plan and thus would have a
beneficial impact on public recreational use of the project site. The Full-Tidal
Alternative would not allow the development of the Bay Trail in its planned
alignment; however, some development of trails would occur, and the existing
gap in the Bay Trail could be reduced.
As described in Section 3.8, Recreation, as a condition of the purchase agreement
and as a base line condition, the Black Point Sports Club lease would not be
renewed beyond 2011, or prior to the transfer of this portion of the Dickson
Ranch to CDFG; however, public recreational hunting would be allowed
throughout in the Project site under USFWS and CDFG’s ownership and
management. Given the relative proximity of alternate hunting and shooting
facilities to the hunt club, the potentialsome of which provide opportunities to
hunt upland game bird species on private farmlands in the project vicinity, and
the new hunting opportunities within the project area that will be created once
USFWS and DFG assumes ownership of a portion of the Sears Point properties,
the elimination of the hunt club would not constitute a substantial impact with
respect to the loss of upland game bird hunting or recreational shooting
opportunities in the region.
In the general vicinity of the project, other cumulative projects (such as the
Sonoma Baylands project and the Hamilton Wetlands Restoration Project – both
of which include new extensions of the Bay Trail and neither of which displaced
public recreation) would serve to facilitate rather than hinder public recreational
use and thus a cumulatively significant impact to recreation is not identified.
Therefore, the contribution of the project to potential cumulative impacts on
recreational resources would be less than significant.
Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration
Project Final Environmental Impact
Report/Environmental Impact Statement
4-15
April 2012