HomeMy WebLinkAboutReso 056-00 Whipsnake RESOLUTION NO. 56 - 00
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN
AUTHORIZING A COMMENT LETTER ON THE
PROPOSED DESIGNATION OF PORTIONS OF THE CITY OF DUBLIN
AS CRITICAL HABITAT FOR THE THREATENED ALAMEDA WHIPSNAKE
WHEREAS, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing to designate portions of
the City of Dublin including Schaefer Ranch and open space lands surrounded by urban uses in the City
of Dublin as Critical Habitat for the Threatened Alameda Whipsnake; and
WHEREAS, the Alameda Whipsnake was listed as a federally threatened species in December
1997; and
WHEREAS, the designation of Criticfil Habitat is intended to protect habitat that is essential to the
conservation of the species; and
WHEREAS, Critical Habitat is intended to be applied where the primary constituent elements of
habitat such a scrub habitat, chamise-redshank chaparral, coastal scrub, and annual grassland and oak
woodlands that lie adjacent to scrub habitats exist, and
WHEREAS, the primary constituent elements of habitat necessary for the Alameda Whipsnake are
not present on the Schaefer Ranch property and open space lands surrounded by urban uses in the City of
Dublin as determined by LSA Associates; and
WHEREAS, annual grassland is the primary habitat type on Schaefer Ranch and in the open space
areas surrounded by urbanized uses in the City of Dublin proposed to be designated as Critical Habitat for
the Alameda Whipsnake and is likely to remain that way in the future; and
WHEREAS, the proposed' critical habitat is not a corridor linking actual habitat for the Alameda
Whipsnake to other nearby actual habitat and the areas in Dublin that are proposed for designation as
critical habitat are at the extreme southeast extent of the proposed Oakland-Las Trampas Unit and do not
providelinkages to other Alameda Whipsnake habitat areas; and
WHEREAS, LSA associates has performed several protocol trapping studies for the Alameda
Whipsnake on Schaefer Ranch using procedures established by the USF&WS and no Alameda Whipsnakes
were found on the site; and
WHEREAS, if no Alameda Whipsnake are found on Schaefer Ranch, it is less likely that they
would be found in open space areas in suburban neighborhood~ in the city; and
WHEREAS, the economic impacts of the designation on the City exceed $100,000,000; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that Schaefer Ranch has a value in excess of $300,000,000 and the
value to the City far exceeds that amount due to the economic multiplier effect; and
WHEREAS, the proposed Federal rule establishing the critical habitat for the Alameda
Whipsnake states that it is assumed that all of the designated habitat is occupied by the Alameda
Whipsnake, however, field evidence from a professional biologist shows that the areas proposed to be
designated as critical habitat for the Alameda Whipsnake in Dublin are not occupied, are not likely to be
occupied, and do not contain the primary constituent elements for the Alameda Whipsnake; and
WHEREAS, any project in this area would be subject to mitigation measures and/or design
constraints that would eliminate the economic value of the project; and
WHEREAS, the loss of this project due to its designation as critical habitat would have significant
negative regional and local economic effects; and
WHEREAS, the loss of the Schaefer Ranch project would resuk in the loss of a significant portion
of the regional riding and hiking trail running through the hills of the East Bay and of a hiking and riding
staging area.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT TIlE Dublin City Council does hereby
authorize the City Manager to send a letter to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service requesting
that lands within the City within Schaefer Ranch and in open space areas within the urbanized area of
the City not be designated as Critical Habitat for the Alameda Whipsnake and further requesting that a
public hearing be held on the determination of Critical Habitat for the Alameda Whipsnake and that the
City be directly notified of such public hearing.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 18th day of April, 2000.
AYES:
Councilmembers Howard and Zika, Vice Mayor Lockhart and Mayor
Houston
NOES: None
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
None
Councilmember McCormick
ATTEST:
g:ESA/AWS CCRESO
K2/G/4-18 -00/reso-~vhipsnake.doc (Item 8.5 )