Agenda

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C.25

To:	Board of Supervisors
From:	Catherine Kutsuris, Conservation & Development Director
Date:	January 18, 2011

Contra

Costa

County

Subject:

San Francisco Estuary Institute Contract Amendment

APPROVE	OTHER
RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR	RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE

Action of Board On: 01/18/2011

APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED

OTHER

Clerks Notes:

VOTE OF SUPERVISORS

AYE:

John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Gayle B. Uilkema, District II Supervisor
Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor
Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor
Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor

Contact:

Abby Fateman (925) 335-1272

I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown.
ATTESTED: January 18, 2011
David Twa,

BY:	, Deputy

RECOMMENDATION(S):

APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Director of the Department of Conservation and Development, or designee, to execute a contract amendment with the San Francisco Estuary Institute (Contract # C49563), effective December 31, 2010, to extend the term of the contract from December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2011 to allow Contractor to provide additional services associated with an assessment of historic natural resource conditions in the County.

FISCAL IMPACT:

No impact to the general fund. The proposed contract amendment extends the term but does not change the expenditure limit, effect the project cost nor effect funding sources.

FISCAL IMPACT: (CONT'D)

The Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) and the Flood Control District (District) have raised $364,000 in grant and mitigation funds to support the East Contra Costa County Historical Ecology Project. Grant funding for this project has been secured through grants from the California Coastal Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Game and the Contra Costa County Fish and Wildlife Propagation Fund. Additional funding for this project has been provided from Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District mitigation funds. Of the funds raised, $350,000 would be spent under the contract with the San Francisco Estuary Institute and $14,000 will be spent to support administrative costs of DCD and the District. Staff from the DCD will also provide some project management services in-kind as part of the required local match for the grants.

BACKGROUND:

The proposed extension of the contract with the San Francisco Estuary Institute is needed to provide more time to complete the expanded scope (approved April 27, 2010) and reflects an extension in the grant period approved by the Coastal Conservancy. The scope of the project was previously expanded to provide additional information on areas that will aid the Flood Control District in planning and implementation of capital projects.

The Historical Ecology Project has been recognized by individuals and organizations involved in the Contra Costa Watershed Forum as an important initiative providing information on historical conditions to better assist future restoration and management of natural resources. The completed project would provide direct benefits to the County, including:

• New Geographic Information System (GIS) data layers such as digital, ortho-rectified versions of the earliest available aerial photos for the County (ca. 1939) that can be overlain with other layers in the County’s GIS; and

• Baseline information and analysis useful for flood protection and integrated water management (e.g., information useful for locating sites for County projects and for providing the most cost-effective and sustainable mitigation and infiltration opportunities); and

• Baseline information on landscape trends and trajectories that will help guide conservation and restoration efforts in which the County is involved, such as the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservation Plan / Natural Community Conservation Plan.

The project is county-wide in scope but has an East County focus. At the County scale, the project is collecting baseline historical data resources. Data collected on a county-wide basis includes historic aerial photos, Spanish rancho maps and other geographic information from the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley, early public land surveys and an array of other sources that the Contractor has found useful and available. The project has produced an initial public outreach document for the County that was released at the third quadrennial Contra Costa County Creek and Watershed Symposium in November 2007. For eastern Contra Costa County, the project will carry out more detailed data collection, mapping, analysis, and reporting. The intention is to extend this same detailed analysis to other areas of the County in future project phases when additional funding becomes available. The county-wide data collection that is part of this initial project will support those future phases.

Staff recommends that the Board authorize the Director of the Conservation and Development Department or her designee the authority to extend the existing contract with the San Francisco Estuary Institute for funded work associated with the Historical Ecology Project.

CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:

Negative action would result in the project not being completed and a loss of grant funds from the State Coastal Conservancy that are funding this project.

CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:

None