WCMSHCP: Habitat Plan Continues: Coalition Letter

This is the text of a letter submitted to the Board of Supervisors by a coalition of the Building Industry Association, Property Owners Association of Riverside County, land owners, and Riverside County Farm Bureau:

March 13, 2001

VIA FACSIMILE AND U.S. MAIL

Board of Supervisors
County of Riverside
4080 Lemon Street
Post Office Box 1605
Riverside, California 92502-1605

Re: Qualified Endorsement of Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan Project Description (Agenda Item No. 12.1)

Dear Honorable Board of Supervisors:

We endorse the Board’s approval of County staff’s proposals on the Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan ("MSHCP") set forth at pages 1 and 2 of Attachment "A" with the following qualification. Several significant issues listed in the attachment to this letter must be resolved in order for our constituents to determine whether they will support the MSHCP.

Much work remains to be done for the MSHCP Advisory Committee to complete the MSHCP Funding and Implementation Outline. We look forward to receiving staff’s report on the outline next month.

Respectfully submitted,

/s/ Robert Perkins, Riverside County Farm Bureau

/s/ Jim Forbes, Riverside County Property Owners Association

/s/Cindy Domenigoni, Landowner

/s/Ed Sauls, Chair, Environmental Issues Committee, Riverside County Building Industry Association

The following significant issues must be addressed to the satisfaction of the stakeholders in developing the MSHCP:

1. Assurance that critical habitat designations will be coterminous with the MSHCP Reserve;

2. Conservation analysis, including number of species to be covered by the MSHCP, number of acres to be subject to MSHCP Conservation Criteria, and focused survey requirements;

3. Funding, including equitable distribution of MSHCP costs among state, federal and local sources, cash flow considerations, and acquisition priorities;

4. Timing of MSHCP development and integration with the General Plan update and CETAP transportation planning;

5. Conservation Criteria, which are in the process of being developed and which have not yet been presented to the MSHCP Advisory Committee; and

6. Outstanding Funding and Implementation Program elements, including treatment of wetlands and narrow endemics, conflict resolution process, and "safety nets."