North County Multiple Species Conservation Plan 

Effects Analysis

Virtual Public Workshops

Tuesday October 24, 2023 & Wednesday November 1, 2023
6:00 p.m.
Zoom

Introduction

The County of San Diego (County) holds public workshops during the development of key components of the North County Multiple Species Conservation Plan (North County Plan). The workshops are held to incorporate feedback and adjust the plan as needed.

On October 24 and November 1, 2023, the County held virtual public workshops to discuss the Effects Analysis. The Effect Analysis forecasts impacts to species habitat from the Covered Activities, which are private and public land uses, infrastructure development, and conservation activities that may result in the “Incidental Take of Covered Species” This is used to estimate the amount of "take" needed under the North County Plan. Natural habitat is then preserved to replace or "mitigate" those impacts.

The events were promoted using e-newsletter announcements, social media posts, and emails directly to stakeholders. County staff also attended stakeholder meetings to promote the workshops. Twenty-five participants joined the events. They represented environmental, economic, recreation, and community organizations as well as interested North County residents.

If you were unable to attend the workshops, the summary below provides an overview of the meeting objectives and format, how input was solicited, and what we learned from the meeting participants. The presentation slides (English and Spanish) are available and video recordings (English and Spanish) for the meeting are also available. Find information on all of our past public workshops the North County Plan Public Outreach webpage.

Objectives

The meeting was organized to accomplish the following objectives: 

• Create a comfortable environment where participants can provide input and share their concerns.  
• Explain how the County plans to forecast habitat impacts and future mitigation.
• Share information and get input on key factors of the Effects Analysis. This includes the types of development covered under the North County Plan and where development might occur.
• Share information and get input on single-family home exemptions and agricultural clearing exemptions.
• Use the input provided to help develop a balanced and successful plan. 

Format

At the virtual meeting, community members participated in a staff and consultant-led presentation. The presentation included interactive questions. Participants were invited to share their opinions by answering these interactive questions. They could also provide input and ask staff questions using the Zoom Q&A feature at any time. At the end of the workshop, any remaining questions were answered live. Members of the public also had an opportunity to have an open discussion with staff. There were two main aspects of the Effects Analysis that participants were asked to provide feedback on during the workshops. They were the habitat impact analysis and the mitigation exemptions.

Interpretation was available for attendees whose primary language is Spanish. Registrants could also request interpretation in the other seven threshold languages. The meeting materials were offered in both English and Spanish on the project website. A link to these materials was provided to attendees at the workshop in the chat.

Major Themes

The input received can be grouped into three major themes. These themes are below. The ordering does not reflect importance or frequency.

• Preservation of the natural environment
• Ensuring that the public has reasonable and well-managed access to open spaces and educational activities
• The County should consider wildlife corridors, recreation areas, wildfire risks, and existing infrastructure when analyzing where future development is likely to occur

Interactive Question Responses

Staff asked seven questions during the Effects Analysis workshops. Twenty-two workshop participants responded using the interactive questions. Three workshop participants were unable to access the interactive question application to submit responses. They were instructed to submit their responses using the Zoom Q&A feature. Their responses are included in the summary below.

Habitat Impact Analysis

To begin the workshop, staff wanted to know why the participants attended. To find out, staff asked, “What brought you here today? Please explain your interest in the Multiple Species Conservation Plan.”

Following the responses, staff asked which category of development was most important to them.

Next, County staff presented the factors that go into estimating the impacts on habitat from future development. This includes both private and public development. Factors used to estimate the impacts include the General Plan, regulatory environment, and access to infrastructure. After this part of the presentation, participants were asked if there were any other factors to consider. There were nineteen responses that can be grouped into five themes. The table below shows the themes of the responses.

Mitigation Exemptions

Next, staff presented information on how single-family home and agricultural clearing mitigation exemptions are incorporated into the Effects Analysis. For these projects, the County would take on the mitigation to provide cost-saving benefits that are also included in the South County Subarea Plan. The forecasted impacts by single-family home exemptions are 5,091 acres and the anticipated mitigation is 6,760 acres. The limit on future impacts to natural habitat from new or expanded agricultural operations covered by the exemption is 6,000 acres. The anticipated mitigation is 7,256 acres. After this portion of the presentation, participants were asked if the 6,000 acres would meet the needs of the community. 

Participants who answered “no” were asked a follow-up question so they could provide additional input. 

Based on lessons learned from implementation of the South County Plan and to be consistent with other County conservation programs, the County is proposing some additional parameters to ensure the clearing aligns with the goals of the North County Plan and is equitably distributed among farmers. Staff then asked which proposals should be included in the North County Plan.

For the last question, the participants were asked about the proposed limit on the acreage allowance for a single property owner under the agricultural clearing exemption. 

What’s Next?

The County will thoughtfully consider the feedback we received and incorporate it into future drafts of the Plan. There will be another virtual public workshop on the Conservation Strategy on Thursday, November 16^th
at 6 PM.