HomeMy WebLinkAboutLCPA 02-10; Habitat Management Plan; Local Coastal Program Amendment (LCPA) (36)US Fish and Wildlife Service
Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office
60 10 Hidden Valley Road
Carlsbad, California 92009
California Department of Fish & Game
South Coast Regional Mice
4949 Viewridge Avenue
San Diego, California 92123
(760) 43 1-9440 (858) 467-4201
FAX (760) 431-5902 FAX (858) 467-4299
In Reply Refer to:
FWS-SDG-847.2
Mr. Mike Reilly, Chair
California Coastal Commission
San Diego Coast District
7575 Metropolitan Drive, Suite 103
San Diego, California 92 108-4402
Re: City of Carlsbad Local Coastal Program Major Amendment 1-2003B
Dear Mr. Reilly:
The California Department of Fish and Game (Department) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), the wildlife agencies, have reviewed the Carlsbad LCPA No. 1-03B, including the
second addendum to the Carlsbad Habitat Management Plan @IMP). The wildlife agencies have
worked for several years with the City of Carlsbad to develop its HMP, which provides for
significant conservation of important habitat areas supporting many sensitive species, as well as
delineates appropriate areas for focusing development, consistent with the joint state and federal
regional conservation planning effort, the Natural Community Conservation Planning (NCCP)
program. The HMP represents one subarea planning unit within the larger north San Diego
County subregional conservation planning area, known as the Multiple Habitat Conservation
Program (MHCP).
We believe that the LCP Amendment, with the California Coastal Commission (Commission)
staffs suggested modifications, represents an appropriate balancing of the goals and objectives of
the NCCP and the Coastal 14ct. Implementation of the HMP and LCP Amendment (modified)
will result in more predictable, efficient and focused growth and development; greater overall
conservation of sensitive biological resources; more open space that is accessible to the public;
and management of those open space lands. We are in support of Commission staff
recommendation of approval of the City of Carlsbad Local Coastal Program Amendment as
modified by the May 22, 2003, staffreport. We are also support the Commission staff
recommendation for a conditional concurrence regarding the Federal consistency determination.
The HMP proposes to preserve large, contiguous blocks of habitat that support the highest
concentrations of sensitive species, with linkages to ensure that these large blocks remain
fbnctional. Consistent with a key tenet of conservation biology, the resulting reserve system will
avoid the potential for fragmentation of habitats that often results from the application of
avoidance and mitigation requirements in the absence of an overall conservation strategy.
Individual projects that are processed through the HMP will conserve the majority of the sensitive
c
Mr. Mike Reuy cF\Ns-SDG-847.2) 2
resources on-site or mitigate fbr unavoidable impacts by assisting in the acqujsitiodprotection of
areas that have been identified as important to the long-term. The HMP emphasizes development
to be focused in less-sensitive locations, although this would not avoid all impacts to
EnVironmerrtany Sensitive Habi;tat Areas @SHA). However, by emphasi conservation of the
meas that support the highest resource values, and allowing existing fragmented or less-sensitive
meas to be impacted, the overaU comervation benefits are rmximimd. Within the context of the
proposed habitat reserve system, the cornbination of avoidance and mitigation will provide more
conservation than could occur in the absence of the HMP.
This approach to balancing cowmation goals between &e NCCP and Coastal Act has been
considered and was adopted by the Coastal Commission kt its approval of the City of M&%u LCP
Land Use Plan (September 13,2002). The Land Use Policies ofthat LCP state that “If a
comprehensive NCCP is certified by the Commission as consistent with the: Coastal Act through
amendment to the City of Malibu LCP, the ammdmmt will include revised ESW maps and
criteria as appropriate, which designate meas of ESHA where development can be dowed and
areas that wiu continue to be protected and will be managed in pephuty fbr their ecological
resource values.” We believe that the crtrlsbad HMP (with second addendum) and the LCP
amendment (with suggested modifications) fuuy meet the expectations ofthe Coastal Commission
to provide for the conservation of coastal resams, the regional conservation goals of the
wildlife agencies, and the economic and social goals of the City of Carlsbad,
We greatly appreciate the hard work of tbe Coastal Commission and City st& to reach an
equitable balance between the LCP and HMP processes. Please contact Mi. Bill Tippets, Deputy
RegiOnal Manager (Depwtmenk), at (858) 467-4212 or Ms. Lee Ann Carranza, Chiec North San
Diego Branch (Service), at (760) 43 1-9440, if you have any comments regardiag this
correspondence.
Sincerely,
I/ C. F. Raysbrook
Regional hhager
South Coast Region
CA Department of Fish and Game
Field Office Supervisor
Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office
U. S. Fish and Wild& Service
cc: CA Department of Fish and Game
Ron Rempel, Deputy Director, HabiW Conservation Division