The half-cent TransNet sales tax for transportation includes an environmental mitigation program, and this year’s grant awards include $61,000 for a recreation management plan at Wright’s Field in Alpine and $50,000 for a new burrowing owl breeding node at Rancho Jamul Ecological Preserve.
The half-cent TransNet sales tax for transportation includes an environmental mitigation program, and this year’s grant awards include $61,000 for a recreation management plan at Wright’s Field in Alpine and $50,000 for a new burrowing owl breeding node at Rancho Jamul Ecological Preserve.
The San Diego Association of Governments approved the environmental mitigation program grants on an 18-0 vote July 27 with no city of El Cajon representative present. A total of 19 projects received a combined $2,000,000 of grant funding.
The environmental mitigation program has two components: a threat reduction stewardship element and a species and habitat recovery portion. SANDAG’s September 2017 board meeting approved the call for projects with $1,200,000 being available for species and habitat recovery and $800,000 earmarked for threat reduction stewardship projects. Species and habitat recovery awards are for three-year to five-year periods while threat reduction stewardship grants are considered gap funding for projects of up to 18 months. SANDAG received 18 species and habitat recovery proposals seeking a cumulative $5,040,515 and 21 threat reduction stewardship proposals with a total desired amount of $1,313,886 by the January 12 deadline.
The threat reduction stewardship scoring criteria included addressing a high-priority species and its habitat, action to address an urgent need, identification and reporting of success criteria, likelihood of results, and identification of needed activities and funding after the 18-month period.
Species and habitat recovery proposals were scored using criteria of addressing a high-priority species and its habitat, the degree to which the proposed actions meet preservation objectives and benefit targeted species, the likelihood of long-term success of the management activities, identification and reporting of success criteria, synergy with other efforts, and the use of matching funds.
The Wright’s Field recreation management plan will include trail decommissioning and rerouting, interpretive signage, and a 58-acre fire fuel reduction and weed control program. The establishment of the new burrowing owl breeding node at Rancho Jamul Ecological Preserve will be supported with supplemental burrowing owl releases from an existing conservation breeding program.
