Environmental Impact Statement - Sonoma Land Trust

California Department of Fish and Game
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Chapter 1. Introduction, Purpose, and Need
the site entirely; rather, it seeks to balance the broader goals of ecosystem
restoration with the preservation of existing compatible land uses, while
converting what has been privately help property into a public resource.
Due to the nature of existing land uses within the Sears Point project area, public
access to the project site is currently prohibited. The project site has also been
identified as a candidate site for a segment of the Bay Trail in Sonoma County
Regional Park’s Sonoma Bay Trail Corridor Plan, which serves to update the trail
routing recommendations set forth in the Association of Bay Area Government’s
(ABAG’s) Bay Trail Plan. Thus, the proposed action is needed to provide public
recreational opportunities not currently available at the site, as well as to meet the
public access needs identified in Sonoma County Regional Park’s and ABAG’s
respective plans.
Project Goals
The project goals are:
1. For the diked baylands portion of the site, to implement the
recommendations of the Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Report (San
Francisco Bay Area Wetlands Ecosystem Goals Project 1999), including:
• Preserve and restore a large continuous band of tidal marsh along the
bayfront between the Petaluma River and Tolay Creek.
• Establish a natural wetlands-uplands transition to the greatest extent
possible and provide an upland buffer outside the baylands boundary.
• Establish managed marsh or enhanced seasonal pond habitats on
agricultural baylands that are not restored to tidal marsh.
• In baylands that are not presently restored to tidal marsh, implement the
project in such a way that future phasing of tidal restoration activities is
possible.
2. For the watershed, the goal is to improve conditions for native plants, birds,
mammals, reptiles, and amphibians through the following approaches:
• Control exotic plant and animal species
• Enhance existing streams, wetlands, and riparian areas
• Improve range management practices
• Support viable rangeland practices
3. To ensure the conservation of these lands as open space in perpetuity and
public benefit.
4. To protect cultural and historic resources on the site and to promote
culturally important plant species restoration where possible.
Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration
Project Final Environmental Impact
Report/Environmental Impact Statement
1-9
April 2012