Regional Connectivity and Road Effects Mitigation - Project | LDA 190, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Architecture

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Regional connectivity androad effects mitigation Information Center for the Environment

Patrick Huber^ LDA 190^ Jan. 8, 2008

Two pilot projects ‡^ Elkhorn Slough Pilot Project^ „^ Road effects mitigation ‡^ Pleasant Grove Pilot Project^ „^ Road effects mitigation^ „^ Connectivity

Elkhorn Slough Pilot Project ‡^ Caltrans Headquarters Division of EnvironmentalAnalysis ‡^ Goal is to implement early and regional biologicalmitigation planning at the watershed scale ‡^ Pilot project in Elkhorn Slough Watershed^ „^ Collaboration with Caltrans District 5 and Elkhorn SloughFoundation

Elkhorn Slough Pilot Project ‡^ Traditional Mitigation Assessment

has been on a ‘project-by-

project’ basis ‡ The US Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation EquityAct (SAFETEA – LU 2005) directs agency planners to use regionalplanning ‡ Regional planning will enable earlier mitigation needsassessments, better mitigation practices, and save time andmoney ‡ Agencies with long planning horizons may be able to

more

effectively implement projects if they can predict mitigation needseffectively.

Elkhorn Slough Pilot Project Early Planning ‡^ Improves efficiency of projects by reducing delays ‡^ Cost savings by reducing delays ‡^ Opportunity costs- price of or availability of mitigation sites goesup ‡^ Advanced mitigation may also permit the acquisition of landsthat would become too expensive, or vegetation types thatsimply are no longer available to acquire.

ElkhornSloughWatershed • Located inthe center ofthe MontereyBay ofCalifornia • Multiplescales ofenvironmentalplanning

Fine Scale Land Cover

Protected Areas

Caltrans Transportation Projects

Systematic Conservation Planning ‡^ Complimentarily of land cover protection^ „^ Insure that all habitat types are protected^ „^ Under represented land cover types should be prioritized ‡^ Minimize financial cost of parcels ‡^ Minimize the boundary length^ „^ Additional conserved parcels should be adjacent to otherprotected parcels (lowers management cost)

Bigger parcels cost less per acre90 % Quantile Regression line

MARXAN Reserve Design Algorithm ‡^ Computer software that delivers decision supportfor reserve system design ‡^ Selects a system of spatially cohesive sites thatmeet a suite of biodiversity targets ‡^ Minimizes cost to purchase the parcels and thetotal boundary length while meeting user-definedbiodiversity targets

• Dune Scrub % Protected Target % Target Area
• 82% 95%
  • Mudflat 1,
  • 86% 95% 1,
    • Saltmarsh 1,
    • 72% 95% 1,
      • Saltwater
      • 71% 90%
        • Freshwater
        • 19% 75%
          • Freshwater Wetlands
          • 30% 75%
            • Maritime Chaparral 2,
            • 24% 75% 1,
              • Riparian
              • 14% 65%
                • Conifer
                • 6% 25%
                  • Eucalyptus 1, - 7% 30% - Grassland 17, - 8% 45% 7, - Oak Woodland 12, - 10% 50% 6, - Sage Scrub - 13% 50% - Rock - 0% 10% - Disturbed 11, - 8% 0% - Boundary Modifier - Boundary Modifier - Boundary Modifier