DATE:
October 16, 2019
09
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
MOUNTAIN MEADOW PRESERVE - APPROVE AGREEMENTS WITH U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY AND THE SAN DIEGO FOUNDATION RELATING TO THE MANAGEMENT OF THE PRESERVE (DISTRICT: 5)
Body
OVERVIEW
On September 28, 2018, the County of San Diego (County) acquired the 670-acre Mountain Meadow County Preserve (Preserve) south of Mountain Meadow Road and east of Interstate 15 near the headwaters of Escondido Creek. The U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) matched County funding to acquire the Preserve with Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) buffer program funds for Camp Pendleton. The REPI program helps offset damage that occurs to sensitive habitat during training maneuvers. Prior to acquisition, an additional approximately $2.0 million was committed from the REPI program to fund management of the Preserve with the final value to be set once a habitat management plan was finalized. The Escondido Creek Conservancy (TECC) agreed to manage the Preserve under an agreement with the County and will be reimbursed for their management costs pursuant to an existing REPI agreement.
The County, TECC and Navy finalized a habitat management plan for the Preserve on July 12, 2019. The plan details stewardship activities planned for the Preserve and estimates costs associated with those activities. After approval of the plan, the Navy funded a total of $2.15 million split between an endowment fund ($1.55 million) for long-term management and a non-endowment fund ($0.6 million) for approximately three years of start-up work on the Preserve. The San Diego Foundation (Foundation) received the Navy funding on August 28, 2019 and will manage the two funds in perpetuity. TECC and the Foundation have executed agreements so that TECC is eligible to be reimbursed from the non-endowment and endowment funds for its stewardship activities at the Preserve. The County also needs to execute agreements with TECC and t...
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