Agmt 2007 California State Coastal Conservancy

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INVASIVE SPARTINA PROJECT (]SP) previous CEQA finding: that the environmental effects associated with.the proposed treatment and eradication and the mitigation measures needed to reduce or avoid those effects were fully identified and considered in the FEIS/R adopted by the Conservancy September 25, 2003. (See Exhibits I and 2). 3. The proposed authorization is consistent with the Project Selection Criteria and Guidelines adopted by the Conservancy on January 24, 200l. 4. The California Wildlife Foundation and Friends of Corte Madera Creek Watershed are private nonprofit organizations existing under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code, whose purposes are consistent with Division 21 of the California Public Resources Code." PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Introduction As explained in detail in previous stafIrecommendations (Exhibits 1 and 2), treatment and control of invasive Spartina and its hybrids within the San Francisco Bay Estuary are critical to the long-term health ofthe Estuary and to the species which inhabit and rely upon the salt marshes and tidal flats along its perimeter. Invasive Spartina spreads at a greater than exponential rate, and every marsh restoration project implemented within the south and central San Francisco Bay Estuary in the past 15 years has been invaded by non-native invasive Spartina. Since 1999, the Conservancy has managed the regionally coordinated effort to address the problem. Since 2003 the Conservancy advanced the project through the following authorizations: . In September 2003 andJune 2004, the Conservancy: 1) certified the "Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report, San Francisco Estuary Invasive Spaitina Project: Spartina Control Program" (FEISIR); 2) authorized disbursement of Conservancy funds as contracts for environmental consulting services needed to operate and manage the Control Program, and as a grant to th~ Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to initiate a signage program; an~ 3) authorized disbursement offunds available from two CALFED grants, as separate grants to ten organizations for implementation of Phase I of the Control Program involving treatment and removal of invasive Spartina on 12 demonstration sites. . In March and June 2005, the Conservancy au~orized implementation of Phase II of the Control Program through 2006 including 1) ongoing and expanded environmental consulting services to prepare 23 site-specific plans covering 132 sub-sites, and environmental documentation, mapping and monitoring; 2) augmentation of existing grants and awards of new grants to organizations to implement treatment in 2005 and 2006 for all known infested sites throughout the Estuary; and 3) augmentation ofa grant to ABAG to coordinate with partners to install signage at all treatment sites. These activities were funded using the remaining funds in the two CALFED grants and funds provided through a 3 EXHIBIT 4