In September, 2016 the State created a pilot program for the development of Regional Conservation Investment Strategies. This program was modified in 2017 to expand its reach to transportation infrastructure agencies. The Transportation Agency recently received a $375,810 grant from the Caltrans Adaptation Planning grant program to develop the Monterey County Regional Conservation Investment Strategy. The Transportation Agency is matching this grant with Measure X funds from the Habitat Management / Advance Mitigation program. The receipt of these grant funds leverages the Measure X funds over seven times.
The Monterey County Regional Conservation Investment Strategy (or Strategy) will assess the vulnerability of species and habitat to climate change related stressors and pressures (temperature shift, precipitation change, drought, and wildfire, among others); develop conservation strategies to improve resiliency from the identified stressors. Conservation actions identified in the Strategy may be then be turned into mitigation credits that can streamline project delivery and result in superior species conservation.
Some examples of potential conservation strategies that could be identified through the Regional Conservation Investment Strategy include:
- Wildlife crossings under or over State highways and highly-travelled regional corridors, such as the Scenic State Route 68 between Monterey and Salinas, that preserve and improve habitat connectivity while reducing animal-vehicle conflict points;
- Wetlands protection and restoration that protects transportation infrastructure from the effects of flooding and storm water impacts, such as State Route 156 in north Monterey County; and
- Land acquisition for species and habitat restoration and conservation (including preservation of agricultural lands) that creates a more drought-tolerant landscape and healthy species habitat as well as protects nearby infrastructure from climate-related events such as wildfires and landslides.
With the passage of Senate Bill 1 and Measure X, Monterey County’s self-help transportation sales tax measure, the Transportation Agency for Monterey County has habitat mitigation needs for numerous regional transportation improvements in corridors that are highly constrained by environmental factors, with some projects lying within the coastal zone. These habitat protection needs present an opportunity to develop the Monterey County Regional Conservation Investment Strategy to identify conservation strategies with co-benefits to transportation infrastructure climate resiliency and public safety, and then implement those strategies as advance mitigation for the transportation improvements.
The Strategy will seek to accomplish the following specific objectives:
- Identify locations for habitat and agricultural mitigation for transportation projects, to create more meaningful land preservation and improve the resource agency approval process
- Identify adaptation strategies to remedy identified climate-related vulnerabilities;
- Advance the planning of specific climate adaptation projects;
- Provide benefits to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.
The draft Strategy is anticipated to be available for public review in spring 2020. Once finalized, the Strategy may facilitate advance mitigation planning where environmental mitigation can be achieved in advance of project impacts, resulting in conservation actions that have greater benefit and expedited project delivery.