Initial Study MND - Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and ...

Taylor MountainINITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION5. Linwood Avenue – The location at the end of Linwood Avenue provides access to thenorthwest quadrant of the property (see Figure B.1-9). This site would provide a secondaryaccess point for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians from the neighborhood andsurrounding area. A small parking lot for about 20 cars would be provided when LinwoodAvenue is improved to applicable public roadway standards. Until the street is improved,this location would provide access to pedestrians and cyclists with a walk-in/bike-in gate.6. Bath-Watt (Panorama Drive) – This staging area would be reached from a driveway thatstarts at the end of Panorama Drive (see Figure B.1-10). It is the highest-elevation plannedaccess point and would provide a limited access point to Taylor Mountain, emphasizingpedestrians and mountain bikers with a walk-in/bike-in gate. Vehicle access would berestricted by a key card gate. A small parking lot (maximum of 10 spaces) would beprovided for vehicles with ADA placards and for groups and individuals with special usepermits from Regional Parks. Service, emergency and other authorized vehicles could usethis access point, but no other visitors would be allowed to park at the site. The MasterPlan includes a provision for establishing a residential parking permit program to ensurethat Preserve visitors do not park on Panorama Drive or the adjacent residential streets.Natural Resource Restoration and EnhancementThe goals for natural resource management of the Preserve are to preserve and enhance itsnatural habitats, conserve native biodiversity, and protect ecological processes. Balancingrecreational access and a variety of other human influences on the property with those goals isaddressed through the strategies identified in the Master Plan. The Master Plan includesprovisions for protecting and/or improving key physical and ecological processes, planningpublic access to minimize resource impacts, monitoring changes to the property where impactsmay occur, and adjusting management strategies over time to incorporate new informationgleaned from monitoring efforts or other relevant sources. Specific strategies include:Restoration, protection and monitoring of wetlands, forests, woodlands, and grasslandsProtection of special-status plant and animal speciesRemoval and prevention of invasive non-native speciesReduction of fire hazardsPlanning for climate changeMonitoring habitat changes, restoration success, Sudden Oak Death (SOD), and trailconditionsManagement of livestock grazing.Individual resource standards and guidelines that reduce or avoid potential impacts arereferenced throughout the impact analysis in Section B.3 of this IS/MND.Final B-20 September 2012