EIR for Rancho MissionViejo developmentis initiated 2

The Heart and SoulCoalition, achievingit mission 2

Visit new website:www.ehleague.org 2

EHL in the News 3

Job Announcement 3

Membership Signup 3

In Memoriam:Chuck Nathanson 4

“Robins” (a poem) 4

We publish this newsletter four times a year to informour generous supporters — and the many other friendsof the Endangered Habitats League — about our plans,activties and successes throughout the ecoregion.

If you are not yet a member of the Endangered HabitatsLeague, please join us in the ongoing effort to preserveand protect the Southern California ecoregion’s irreplacableplants, animals and places. Form is on page 3.

ENDANGEREDHABITATSLEAGUENEWSLETTER

Dedicated to Ecosystem Protection and Sustainable Land Use +++ Vol. 13 No. 3 +++ Summer 2003

what’s inside?

Draft Palos Verdes NCCP ReleasedWith the recent release of a draft plan, the Palos Verdes Pen-

insula Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) is near-ing fruition. For the last decade, work has moved slowly butsteadily forward. Now, the long-anticipated Portuguese BendNature Preserve will become a reality, keystone to permanentprotection for more than 1500 acres of prime open space under theNCCP. The environmental community has always seen the openspaces on the south side and in the canyons of the Palos VerdesPeninsula as the last recourse for many once-common species.

These hillside habitats of coastal sage and cactus scrub aresanctuaries for birds like Califronia Gnatcatcher and Cactus Wren,for gray foxes and for gorgeous Mariposa Lilies. Throughoutsouthern California, these and many other resident species depen-dent on native ecosystems have experienced devastating declinesin population because of development. In PV, their fate has hung onthe whims of politics, finance and the interpretation of geotechnicaldata, hardly the raw materials of sound conservation policy.

The most visible part of the NCCP reserve would be the Portu-guese Bend Nature Preserve, consisting of almost all of the uphillopen space visible from PV Drive South. In addition, AguaAmarga Canyon, the Forrestal Quarries and most of the coastalbluffs would also be part of the NCCP reserve. All of these proper-ties will be, or have been, acquired for public benefit from privatehands. When added to several existing publicly owned parcels,

they will create a regionally-significant wildlife area. Betteryet, the NCCP also provides formuch-needed habitat restora-tion and enhancement.

There are many details stillto be resolved, but one majorhurdle looms—funding. Asubstantial part of the moneyneeded to complete NCCP landacquisition is expected to comefrom Prop 50’s funds for LACounty projects. Without this,realization of the NCCP reservemay be delayed for years. Toapply for the funds in a timelymanner, the draft plan and EIRmust be finalized and approvedby the public, the City andwildlife agencies within thenext few months. A dauntingtask, but possible with everyoneworking together.

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Now the long-anticipated Portuguese Bend Nature Preserve will become areality—a keystone to permanent protection for more than 1500 acres ofprime open space.

Coastal land in San Diego will be protected by the Multiple HabitatConservation Program, which involved years of collaborative workby EHL and other stakeholders.

Carlsbad reaches precedent-settingagreement with Coastal CommissionJune 12, 2003–Ending over two years of disputes, the CaliforniaCoastal Commission approved the City of Carlsbad’s HabitatManagement Plan (HMP), a critical element of the larger MultipleHabitat Conservation Plan for North County cities. The crux ofthe dispute was how different laws covering the same territory arereconciled: the Coastal Act, the state and federal EndangeredSpecies Acts, and the California Natural Community Conserva-tion Planning Act. In many ways, the Coastal Act’s mandate foravoidance of Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area (ESHA) isthe most stringent. However, comprehensive, multi-jurisdictionalhabitat plans, formulated under the other laws and extendinginland from the coast, provide unique ecosystem benefits.

A system of avoidance and mitigation that strongly emphasizesrestoration was devised to achieve “no-net-loss” of ESHA, whileproviding some flexibility for the HMP. This reconciliation sets ahigh standard and an excellent precedent for other areas along thecoast. EHL offered testimony in support, in addition to providinghelp and encouragement along the way. Credit is due to City ofCarlsbad and Commission staff for their persistence and dedica-tion, and to the City Council and the Coastal Commission.

San Diego County moves forwardon General Plan “2020” UpdateJune 25, 2003–After days of testimony from community groupsand from advisory committee members like EHL, as well as fromhundreds of property owners protesting potential downzoning,the Board of Supervisors moved forward on the momentousGeneral Plan “2020” Update. In doing so, the Board incorpo-rated a planning framework of higher density country towns,limitation of new estate lots, and rural and agricultural preserva-tion. This framework resulted from EHL’s collaboration withother stakeholders. The “Working Copy” land use map, a staff-brokered compromise between the Interest Group advisorycommittee and community groups, will become the preferredalternative in the DEIR.

However, hundreds of landowner requests for map changeswill be referred to staff and brought back to the Board. Potential-ly, these could harm the planning effort irretrievably. In addition,staff was asked to recommend policies for “pipeline” projectsthat might be processed prior to adoption of the new plan. Suchprojects could produce a failed outcome.

There are issues on which EHL and other Interest Groupmembers will continue to work. These include rural clustering—termed Open Space Subdivisions—and an “equity mechanism”to benefit rural landowners. To further complicate matters, SaveOur Forests and Ranchlands is circulating a citizen’s initiativethat would preempt large parts of the 2020 Update.

EHL congratulates all the Supervisors for moving ahead.

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The Heartand SoulCoalition,achievingits mission

The Heart and Soul Coalition, dedicated to preserving Rancho Mission Viejo’sopen space and sensitive habitat, now has endorsements from 1,200 localindividuals and over 100 community groups in Orange County.

The Heart and Soul Coalition (HSC) isdedicated to preserving Rancho MissionViejo’s open space and sensitive habitat.Formed over a year ago, HSC now hasendorsements from 1,200 local individualsand over 100 community groups in OrangeCounty. Together, these two categoriesrepresent thousands of Orange County

residents. Individual endorsers come from of all vocations andwalks of life, including elected officials, educators, doctors andnurses, business owners, clergy, and scientists. Communitygroups aligned with HSC include environmental organizations,senior, recreational and political groups, as well as youth groups.At the national level, The Heart and Soul Coalition is endorsedby Defenders of Wildlife, the National Wildlife Federation andthe Endangered Species Coalition. Total membership in theseorganizations is over 2.5 million people.

Heart and Soul Coalition presentations to community groups,elected officials, and businesses continue to raise public aware-ness about the importance of preserving Rancho Mission Viejo.Our outreach program communicates with the public throughcommunity events and educational programs for children.

NCCP alternatives viewed at public workshop

EIR for Rancho Mission Viejodevelopment initiated

As they begin to write the last chapter for Orange County’sremaining natural heritage, the County of Orange has startedprocessing an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a massivedevelopment proposed by the Rancho Mission Viejo Company.EHL submitted extensive comments on the “Notice of Prepara-tion” for this document.

The last 23,000acres of historicRancho Mission Viejoharbor irreplaceablecoastal sage scrub,with over 80 pair ofCalifornia gnatcatch-ers. Rancho MissionViejo is also primecoastal watershed forSan Mateo Creek,which supports thelast steelhead trout runsouth of Malibu. Dueto efforts by The Heart

and Soul Coalition, which EHL initiated, there is now widespreadsupport for protecting the Rancho. (See right-hand column.)

EIR linked to Conservation Plan

The EIR is closely linked to a Natural Community Conserva-tion Plan (NCCP) for upland habitat, and a Special Area Man-agement Plan (SAMP) for wetland and aquatic resources. How-ever, the planning guide-lines issued by the NCCPand SAMP are disappoint-ing and do not provide asufficient basisfor the NCCP/SAMP.

At a workshop held onMay 28, 2003, attended byhundreds of conservationactivists, EHL critiqued theguidelines and also calledfor the return of an alternative that offered near-total preserva-tion. EHL submitted a letter from the Conservation BiologyInstitute that stated the guidelines would allow excessive frag-mentation of intact habitat and watershed lands. If ultimatelyadopted, “halfway measures everywhere” would produce afailed NCCP/SAMP. We called for revisions that direct alldevelopment away from key resources areas.

SCORE proposesalternatives

Meanwhile, alternativesproposed for inclusion inthe EIR were presented at ameeting of the SouthCounty Outreach andReview Effort (SCORE),Supervisor Tom Wilson’sforum for public participa-tion in planning for theRancho. Even though eachalternative corresponds toone of the NCCP alterna-tives in terms of develop-ment footprint, the landuses—residential, commer-cial, number of units, etc.—are modifications of theRancho Mission ViejoCompany’s preferred alter-

native (“The Ranch Plan”). We are therefore concerned that theapplicant is controlling many underlying assumptions—assump-tions which will be important in determining the feasibility ofdifferent options.

EHL continues to support SCORE and the NCCP/SAMPprograms as the best vehicles for a solution that protects the keyresources areas and also provides for some development, How-ever, much work remains to be done.

We are delighted to announce the launch of ourwebsite. The initial phase includes messages about ourwork and some of our many projects, as well as other basicinformation about EHL.

We will soon add an action alert system, a section oncurrent news, an archive of all of our newsletters, anddetails about EHL staff and board members. We want theEHL web site to become an effective resource for anyoneserious about conservation in Southern California.

In coming months many enhancements will be added:⇒ A photo gallery including information on some

of the many precious species and habitats withinour region

⇒ Sections on the various aspects of sustainableland use, growth management, and planning,and information on our policy and legislationwork

⇒ Resources and links, including details about ourcollaborative relationships

⇒ Updated information about our current projectsand, most importantly,

⇒ The latest information on how you can help orparticipate

We will post information on web updates in the news-letter. In the meantime, visit the site and watch for theenhancements as we work toward better communication.If you have any questions or comments, please feel free tocontact our Communications and Development Director,NicaKatherine Knite: e-mail nicasdreamin@cox.net

Visit our new website:www.ehleague.org

There are many deer at Rancho Mission Viejo.

The Rancho is now a working cattle ranch.

In Southern California, where thereare deer, often there are cougars, too.

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NicaKatherine Knite ......... Communications and Development Director

The Endangered Habitats

League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit

organization. All contributions

are tax-deductible to the full

extent allowed by law.

Dan Silver ........ Board Member & Executive Director

Jack Bath ........... Board Member & Secretary

Michael Beck ... Board Member & San Diego Director

Jane Block ......... Board Member

Pete DeSimone .... Board Member

Karen Messer ....... Board Member

Jess Morton .......... Board Member & Treasurer

Lynne Baker ......... San Diego Project Manager

✄

Membership Signup

✄

If you are not yet a member of the EndangeredHabitats League, please join us in the ongoing

effort to preserve and protect the SouthernCalifornia ecoregion’s irreplacable plants,

animals and places.

Fill out the form below and mail it withyour donation. Please print.

I/we are enclosing a donation in the amount of

$______________________________

Your Name (s)

Address 1

Address 2

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Home phone Fax

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Gift Membership

I/we would like to give an EHL membership in the

amount of $______________________________

To: Name (s)

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Please mail this form with your donation(s) to:

Endangered Habitats League8424-A Santa Monica Blvd., #592

Los Angeles, CA 90069-4267

EHL in the NewsOn April 6, 2003, the Californian —in a run-up article for

Riverside County’s consideration of their new general plan—quoted EHL Executive Director Dan Silver: “‘It’s a historicpoint where decision-makers have some profound choicesin front of them,’ said Dan Silver of the Los Angeles-basedEndangered Habitats League. (Silver) said Riverside Countywill either become a model for other counties on how to dealwith growth responsibly by implementing the plan or it willrepeat the mistakes made throughout Southern Californiaand become an extension of that sprawl.”

The Riverside Press Enterprise, in a similar run-up article onthe Riverside County multiple species plan dated May 4, 2003,also quoted Silver on the public benefits of the plan. “‘This isa way of ensuring that open space will be there forever, thatwe won’t end up like the L.A. Basin— paved in concrete,’ saidDan Silver, coordinator of the Endangered Habitats League.”

June 17, 2003—the Los Angeles Times quoted EHL BoardMember Jane Block in an article that featured her photograph:“Jane Block, who has fought to save open space in the countyfor 24 years, said that without the (Riverside County) plan,‘you’d just continue to have chaos.”

On May 8, 2003, the Riverside Press Enterprise covered theeffort by EHL, Center for Biological Diversity, and San Ber-nardino Valley Audubon Society to acquire 2,500 acres alongLytle Creek in San Bernardino County. This opportunity aroseout of a legal settlement. Dan Silver was quoted, describingsome of the local benefits of acquisition in terms of meetingESA requirements. “‘Lytle Creek will in a very significantway resolve San Bernardino County issues involving the(San Bernardino) kangaroo rat,’ he said. ‘It’s a greatproblem-solver.’”

June 2, 2003—the Los AngelesTimes covered potentialroutes for a new transporta-tion corridor, including aroute that would go throughthe existing Lake Mathewsreserve: “Dan Silver, execu-tive director of the Endan-gered Habitats League in LosAngeles, said that the road …would destroy coastal sagescrub, chaparral, grasslandsand colorful wildflowers. Hesaid the area that the roadwould cut through is a criti-cal part of the reserve, and

the transportation agency would need to set aside severalthousand acres of additional land to compensate for the destruc-tion caused by the thoroughfare—which commission officialssaid they would consider. ‘If you do bisect it with a road, youreally do have to make amends in a big way,’ Silver said.”

Job AnnouncementWe are seeking an experienced Inland Empire Project Manager for Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

Responsibilities include ensuring proper multiple species preserve assembly, participation in CEQA reviewof projects, endangered species protection, and helping to implement “smart growth.”

Strong networking, writing, and interpersonal skills are essential. A background in biology or planningis desirable.

Salary is competitive.

If interested, please send a cover letter and resume to Dan Silver <dsilverla@earthlink.net>

Endangered Habitats League8424–A Santa Monica Boulevard, #592Los Angeles, California 90069-4267

This newsletter is printed on recycled stockwith a high level of post-consumer content.Editorial and design services: Gary Kemper, ABC

RobinsIt is a wintry day—

dull skies and a bitter wind

scattering the littering leaves

as the dead straw stalks stir;

shades of green grass and flower.

All day, wild flurries blow

over the frigid landscape

and into the skeletal trees;

but not of snow, or rain—robins

are traveling up the valley.

Bright robins, in their loose flocks,

gust from the air, settle and go.

Right now, alert in a terminal oak,

a dozen passengers take ten,

all of their tickets marked spring.

Jess Morton

In Memoriam:ChuckNathanson

In June, ChuckNathanson, head of SanDiego Dialogue and friendof the environment, passedaway after a long strugglewith cancer. Chuck was a

truly extraordinary individual – journalist, academic,activist. While focusing on cross-border issues, theDialogue provided a forum for advancing a variety ofcivic issues.

Chuck assisted EHL in connecting with San Diego“movers and shakers” in the business and governmentalsectors, and gave the environmental cause great credibility.He was instrumental in introducing new models for rapidtransit and in bringing together a broad-based “Quality ofLife Coalition” to work on regional funding for openspace, housing, and water quality. In another tribute,Chuck was justly noted for his “tenacity, forthright intel-lectual abilities, fortitude, vision, compassion, graciousnessand style.” He sought solutions, but never sacrificed hisprinciples.

There is no replacing Chuck Nathanson, but we willcarry on his work.

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