Road and Trail Management Plan/Environmental Impact Report
Overview
The Marin County Open Space District (MCOSD) is initiating the development of its first comprehensive Road and Trail Management Plan (RTMP) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to direct future use and management of roads and trails on MCOSD’s 34 preserves. The RTMP/EIR will employ extensive public involvement, and will incorporate MCOSD’s mission, community preferences, natural resources goals, and the best available science in decision making. Land managers from sister agencies in Marin County also will be engaged to maximize opportunities to serve the Marin County citizens, and to coordinate protection of Marin’s natural lands and important habitats. Project Timeline
Background
Since its inception in 1972, MCOSD has acquired and preserved nearly 16,000 acres of marshland, forests, creeks, and rolling hills that define the character and quality of life in Marin, promote health and wellness, and protect important natural habitats and ecosystem functions. These lands include over 200 miles of unpaved roads and trails that consist of former logging and ranch roads, fire roads that are shared use trails, narrow recreation trails, and wildlife trails. Over time, many of these trails have been improved and opened for use by hikers, dog walkers, equestrians, bird watchers, mountain bikers, and those who want to be immersed in nature in their recreation pursuits. These recreation opportunities in MCOSD’s beautiful and diverse preserves have become well known and much loved.
In addition to the recreation opportunities of the preserves, the preserves provide critical benefits to the ecosystem including carbon sequestration, the natural cleaning of our water and air, and the protection of wildlife. The roads and trails provide access for other agencies’ community and emergency services (e.g., Marin County Fire, Marin Municipal Water District).
The demand for recreational use of the roads and trails grows every year, as do conflicts among user groups and impacts from use to the natural environment. Trails not sanctioned by MCOSD have developed as a result of repetitive informal cross-country use, and the unauthorized construction of trails by private parties on MCOSD lands. Roads and trails, especially unplanned informal trails, can have a number of undesirable effects on the natural environment. They can contribute sediment to streams, fragment habitat, provide opportunities for the influx or spread of invasive weeds, and create visual scars through once lushly vegetated areas. MCOSD has struggled to keep up with the maintenance, mitigation, enforcement, and improvement of the formal and informal roads and trails system.
All of this has led MCOSD to determine that a planning and analysis process is necessary to provide the forum to consider a common vision, and establish a set of strategies to address all of these management challenges going forward.
Process and Outcomes
The RTMP/EIR will employ a robust, inclusive, transparent public process to study appropriate types and locations of road and trails for public use in the preserves, and analyze relative impacts of alternatives. It will provide direction for future management to achieve the following outcomes and outputs.
Outcomes
- A fair, desirable, and appropriate range of recreation opportunities – and associated infrastructure – for the public to enjoy the preserves will be determined.
- The impacts to the natural environment from the modified road and trail network will be acceptable under the California Environmental Quality Act.
- Conflicts among users will be minimized.
- The road and trail network’s foreseeable construction, maintenance, and enforcement responsibilities will be financially feasible.
Outputs
- The system of roads and trails to be officially built and maintained by MCOSD will be broadly described.
- Key improvements will be detailed.
- Strategies to retire, restore, and decommission existing trails that are not to be part of MCOSD trails system will be identified.
- Best Management Practices to upgrade and maintain sanctioned preserve roads and trails will be studied.
- An approach for monitoring for success in achieving outcomes will be put forth.
Consistency with Existing Plans and Policies
The development of a RTMP/EIR is consistent with countywide and MCOSD plans and policies, including the following:
Supporting Documents
A key element of the RTMP/EIR is improving our understanding of visitor use of the open space preserves. MCOSD hired Alta Planning + Design to undertake a Visitor Use Census and Survey. The effort provided data regarding visitor demographics, trail use mode ( walk, bike, equestrian) and patterns of use (time and frequency, where users enter and exit preserves), and visitor experiences and preferences. This work will inform the development of the RTMP/EIR.
Preliminary Draft Road and Trail Management Plan
The draft plan is presented in individual chapter format:
Public Involvement
Public involvement will be critical to the success of the RTMP/EIR process. MCOSD will host public workshops at key stages of the process to solicit input, convey information, and to bring divergent interests together to resolve differences. Below is information about the first round of public workshops for the RTMP/EIR process, including dates, locations, and agendas. Additional documents will be placed here as the process unfolds. Throughout the development and implementation of the RTMP/EIR, MCOSD will work closely with stakeholders, neighborhood and community groups, and the general public to ensure information sharing and transparency in the development and implementation of the RTMP/EIR.
All public meetings and events sponsored or conducted by the County of Marin are held in accessible sites. Requests for accommodations may be made by calling (415) 473-2495 (voice/TTY) or 711 for the California Relay Service or by e-mailing disabilityaccess@marincounty.org at least four work days in advance of the event.
Staff presented the Preliminary Draft Road and Trail Management Plan/Environmental Impact Report.
Date: Monday, October 29, 2012
Time: 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Marin Health and Wellness Campus Connection Center
3240 Kerner Boulevard, San Rafael
MCOSD presented information about visitor use management zones, visitor use policies, preparing and implementing the Road and Trail Management Plan, and conducting the environmental review process. Participants visited map stations and provided direct feedback to staff.
Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012
Time: 8:30am – 12:00pm
Location: Marin Health and Wellness Campus Connection Center
3240 Kerner Boulevard, San Rafael
MCOSD presented the draft results of the visitor use census and survey, the draft results of the existing conditions assessment and the results from the June 18 workshop. MCOSD then conducted a follow-up exercise to revisit how participants think the road and trail network might be altered.
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2011
Time: 8:30am – 12:30pm (doors open at 8:00am)
Location: Marin Health and Wellness Campus Connection Center
3240 Kerner Boulevard, San Rafael
MCOSD presented results from the March 26 community workshop, provided an update on the status of the Vegetation Management Plan and commencement of its environmental review process, described the relationship between the Road and Trail Management Plan and the Vegetation Management Plan, explained the road and trail inventory process and its status, and conducted an exercise to encourage and capture workshop participants’ ideas about where and why MCOSD’s road and trail network might be altered.
Date: Saturday, June 18, 2011
Time: 8:30am – 12:30pm
Location: Marin Health and Wellness Campus Connection Center, 3240 Kerner Boulevard, San Rafael
MCOSD provided a forum for staff, invited guest speakers, and community members to discuss recreational use in open space preserves and consider the ranges of appropriate and desired resource conditions and visitor experiences.
Date: Saturday, March 26, 2011
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Location: Marin Health and Wellness Campus Connection Center, 3240 Kerner Boulevard, San Rafael
Background Materials
Other Reference Materials
Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), MCOSD held a public scoping meeting to consult with the public and interested agencies about the Road and Trail Management Plan/Environmental Impact Report (RTMP/EIR) process. This meeting represented the official launch of the RTMP/EIR’s CEQA process, which will result in the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report.
Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Time: 3:00pm – 7:30pm
Location: Marin Center, Manzanita Room, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael
MCOSD held a series of workshops to kick off the preparation of the RTMP/EIR. The workshops were held in different locations throughout the county to facilitate community participation.
Date: November 29, 2010
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Location: Margaret Todd Senior Center, “Hill Room”, 1560 Hill Road, Novato
Date: November 30, 2010
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Location: Lagunitas School Multipurpose Room, 1 Lagunitas School Road, San Geronimo
Date: December 1, 2010
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Location: Mill Valley Community Center, Mountain View Room, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley
Date: December 2, 2010
Time: 6:30pm-8:00pm
Location: Board of Supervisors Chambers, Room 330, 3501 Civic Center Drive, San Rafael
Environmental Review Process
For more information, contact Chief of Planning and Resources Elise Holland at eholland@marincounty.org or (415) 473-2820.