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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 18Next meeting: January 15, 2008 9:00 am – Kitchen Conference Room Page 1 of 3 Los Altos Hills Open Space Committee Meeting Minutes of December 18, 2007 (Actions Items Printed in Bold) Present: Nancy Couperus, Mary Davey, Karen Lemes, Richard Partridge, Sue Welch Regrets: Patty Ciesla, Alice Sakamoto, Roger Spreen, Jean Struthers Guests: Susan Mandle, Associate Member Staff: none 1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 9:00 am. The minutes of the November 20th meeting were approved as written. 2. Introductions/Presentations/Guests: None 3. Current Business:  Sudden Oak Death Nancy informed the Committee that Alicia Earle (Santa Clara County Dept. of Agriculture and Environment Management) did get back to her about SOD mapping. Apparently, this had slipped through the cracks and Alicia has now spoken to the data entry person about entering confirmed locations of SOD on the SOD mapper. Alicia said that she didn’t know how soon the information would be available online but they are working on it. Nancy also said that the consensus of opinion on transmission of the pathogen by human activity was not conclusive and that it would probably be counter- productive to close down trails through Byrne Preserve. Karen asked that a sign be posted as was discussed at the previous meeting, informing residents of the presence of confirmed SOD in Byrne Preserve. Nancy agreed to let Roger know about this so that he could make a request to Town staff for signage. Susan Mandle shared some new information about SOD transmittal. She stated that an arborist has said that infected bays, which are cut down during rainy periods, can spread SOD because the spores are more easily spread during the wet season. Next meeting: January 15, 2008 9:00 am – Kitchen Conference Room Page 2 of 3 Susan also said that the Santa Clara Valley Water District is checking with MPROSD on protocols to avoid spread of the pathogen on truck tires. Soon the Adobe Creek project will get underway. Preparations are being made for tree removal along Adobe Creek Reach 5. Residents want to protect their oak trees and want to be sure that everything is being done to keep SOD out of the area. Mary Davey stated that Mid-Peninsula Open Space is working proactively with Berkeley researchers to find resistant trees whose acorns can be grown for future planting. The OSC passed a motion to allocate $250 to the California Oak Mortality Task Force for the services it has provided to our Town. Nancy will relay this to Roger.  O’Keefe Open Space Preserve Shelterbelt is working on a proposal for restoration of Purissima Creek. This is expected to be finished in a couple of months. Sue received a copy of Cupertino’s Vision Plan. It included maps for laying out individual “visions” of how the site (Stevens Creek Corridor) could best be used. Cupertino received over 350 responses from residents. The underlying theme was to restore the creek. Among the goals -- providing trails compatible with the natural setting, and preserving and restoring the natural environment of the creek corridor for park users and as habitat for wildlife. The project cost $10 million. The OSC concluded that residents of the O’Keefe area should have input into where they would like trails to be located, benches, etc. to fit within the land use designation of the property as Open Space Preserve.  General Plan Update Nancy reported that the next General Plan Update meeting will be on January 16th. At the February meeting all committees will be invited to send representatives to give input on the Land Use Element. The OSC discussed the possibility of having a stand-alone Water Element as part of the General Plan. The OSC believes that the Water Conservation Committee needs to be represented at the GP meeting, as water has become a very important Town issue. According to Sue, 11% of water consumers in Los Altos Hills use 40% of the water – mostly for landscaping. Sue will look into what other cities do in regard to water issues and what is recommended by State Guidelines. Richard Partridge is working on a presentation of slope and slope density for the General Plan Committee. He passed out Recommendations currently found in the Land Use Element, which should be included in the updated Land Use Element. Next meeting: January 15, 2008 9:00 am – Kitchen Conference Room Page 3 of 3 Susan recommended networking with other committees so that the OSC is aware of their concerns.  Byrne Preserve Master Plan/Pasture Usage No news to report.  Fencing No new news.  Water Conservation Update Sue Welch is continuing her work for the Water Conservation Committee on revising the Town’s Landscape Guidelines.  Herbicide Reduction No new news.  Riparian Corridor Policy Nancy and Sue attended a Riparian Habitat Conservation and Flood Management Conference in Sacramento in early December. The correlation between riparian habitat restoration and increases in the number of native birds was of interest. Nancy provided some handouts from the conference. Sue passed around a publication from the Conference entitled “Bringing the Birds Back.”  Orr Property Sue asked if there had been any follow-up on the Orr property. Nancy will check with Roger and Debbie Pedro on the status of the property. NEW BUSINESS Water Element (discussed under General Plan Update) OPEN DISCUSSION: Richard asked whether or not there were demonstration gardens for native plantings. Sue Welch said that there were and offered to write up an article for the next Town Newsletter on landscaping with natives. (The deadline for the newsletter is Jan. 31st.) The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 am. Submitted by: Nancy Couperus The next meeting will take place on Tuesday, January 15th at 9:00 am.