SFPUC 2001 Alameda Watershed Management Plan

III. ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING AND IMPACTSE. NATURAL RESOURCESUnder the Management Plan, the most important means of reducing potential impacts onvegetation from operations and management activities is Action veg1, which calls for thepreparation of a Vegetation Management Plan; and Actions veg2 and veg3, which requireidentification of specific vegetation communities prior to planning Watershed activities andinitiating surveys for special-status species in ecological sensitivity zones. Action veg5.1 callsfor development of a native planting program for implementation in disturbed areas incoordination with grazing and fire management activities. Action veg6.1 requires theidentification of stands of exotic trees that serve as important roosting and nesting sites forvarious raptors and other birds protected by CDFG Code 3503. The action includes direction towork with appropriate agencies to preserve core habitat. In addition, Action wil1 requiresavoidance of nest disturbance during construction, removal of nests during the nonbreedingperiod, and tagging and avoiding nests discovered during construction until the nests areabandoned or the young have fledged.Implementation of these management actions, as described above and in Section IV.E, wouldreduce the potential impacts to natural resources from operations, maintenance, and constructionactivities to a less than significant level. The impacts of day-to-day management activities thatimplement the Management Plan are analyzed in this EIR and generally would not be subject tofurther environmental review. No unavoidable significant program-level natural resourcesimpacts related to Watershed operations, maintenance, and construction activities have beenidentified in this EIR. However, the San Francisco Planning Department would requireexamination of many specific management actions proposed in the Management Plan at the timethey are proposed for implementation to determine if further environmental review at a moredetailed project-specific and site-specific level were necessary. Table II-1 identifies the specificmanagement actions that are likely to require such study.Increase in Public Access and UseCurrently, the SFPUC leases a portion of its Watershed to the East Bay Regional Park District(EBRPD) for public hiking, equestrian, and mountain bike trails. The EBRPD has designatedtwo wilderness areas: the Sunol Regional Wilderness, open to the public without a permit; andthe Ohlone Regional Wilderness, accessed by permit only. The Alameda WatershedManagement Plan includes facilities that could result in increased public visitation of theWatershed by providing new trails (Policies WA15.2 and WA15.4), golf course expansion(Policy WA18.1), and increased information (such as maps and brochures) regarding publicactivities on the Watershed. These facilities include information kiosks (Action pub3), aWatershed Visitor Education Center (Action pub4), public recreation area around the SunolWater Temple (Action sun14); commercial site (Action sun19), overnight nature study area(Action sun20), and trail connections (Action sun21). The Management Plan proposes new trailsin low vulnerability zones nearest urban areas that would be accessible by individuals and groupswithout a permit. In addition, provision of universal access at Watershed facilities could increasepublic use of the Watershed (Actions des8 and sun17).The development of new trails could adversely affect wildlife if trail construction occurredwithin or near woodland and forested areas and during the bird breeding season (February–July).NOP 96.223E: Alameda Watershed Management Plan III.E-30 ESA / 930385January 2001