A state law passed in 2016, AB 2087, established a conservation planning tool called a Regional Conservation Investment Strategy (RCIS) to promote the conservation of species, habitats, and other natural resources. The Monterey County Regional Conservation Investment Strategy (or Strategy) is designed to assess the vulnerability of species and habitat to climate change related stressors and pressures (temperature shift, precipitation change, drought, and wildfire, among others); and develop conservation actions to improve species and habitat 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 from the effects of flooding and storm water impacts, such as potentially restoring Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander pond habitat for the 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.
To assist with the development of the Monterey County Regional Conservation Investment Strategy, the Transportation Agency contracted with AECOM consultants. TAMC convened a steering committee composed of Caltrans, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Nature Conservancy. A broader stakeholder committee was also established that included local conservation organizations, such as the Elkhorn Slough Foundation and the Big Sur Land Trust, and other public agencies, such as the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The Agency has held regular steering committee and stakeholder meetings to solicit feedback during the development of the Strategy.
The components of the draft Strategy include: 1) establishing the Regional Setting and identifying the boundaries of the Regional Conservation Investment Strategy, which in this case is all of Monterey County; 2) developing a list of Focal Species that will be considered as part of the strategy; 3) determining the Pressures and Stressors that are impacting the focal species (such as airborne pollutants, sensitivity to flooding or temperature changes, and loss of habitat or connectivity); and 4) crafting Conservation Strategies that help to support continued persistence of species through the protection, enhancement, restoration, and creation of habitat.
After holding a virtual public meeting in July, TAMC staff and AECOM prepared the draft of the Strategy (Executive Summary is attached, full report included as a web attachment) and held a 60-day public comment period, which included notification to all of the cities and county within the Strategy boundary area and all the adjacent cities and counties. A compendium web portal was also prepared that includes the information contained in the Strategy in a searchable format, with specific pages dedicated to the focal species and habitat and the conservation strategies that can support them. The web portal can be found at:
TAMC RCIS Portal Home :: Monterey County RCIS (montereycountyrcis.org)
The draft Strategy is being revised to respond to comments received, and a final Strategy will be brought back to the Board for approval. Once the final Strategy is submitted to the Department, the RCIS guidelines set a 30-day timeline for the Department to make a determination to approve the final Strategy. Once finalized, the Strategy can be used to develop Mitigation Credit Agreements to facilitate advance mitigation planning in advance of transportation project impacts, resulting in conservation actions that have greater benefit and expedited project delivery.
To assist with the development of Mitigation Credit Agreements, AECOM also prepared two additional reports to accompany the Strategy. The first is a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment that analyzes the potential for regional transportation infrastructure to be impacted by sea-level rise and wildfires. The purpose of this report is to highlight how implementing the conservation actions included in the draft Strategy that could reduce the likelihood of wildfires and protect against sea-level rise also have co-benefits to transportation infrastructure. The second report is a Transportation Mitigation Needs Assessment that estimates the potential habitat impacts the Agency's regional transportation projects could have and what types of mitigation may be needed. All of the Agency's projects will undergo environmental review, but this report highlights the potential habitat needs in the future and allows the Agency to begin advance conservation planning efforts and seek grant funds. Both reports are included as a web attachment.