Tuesday, September 6, 2005
On Monday, Sonoma County residents will have an opportunity to speak out about a precedent-setting compromise plan for ensuring the long-term viability of an endangered species - the California tiger salamander.
The plan is called the Santa Rosa Plain Conservation Strategy and, despite its complexity and cost, we encourage residents to give it their support.
The 47-page strategy calls for the county, the cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and Cotati, state and federal agencies and many other interests to work together instead of against one another in setting aside about 4,000 acres in Sonoma County for the preservation of the tiger salamander. In general, the plan requires the acquisition of 2 acres of salamander habitat for every acre of development. All told, the cost is estimated be between $300 million and $400 million.
While that's a lot of money for a lot of high-priced land, for landowners and developers, it's better than the alternative. If this strategy isn't adopted, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be forced to designate a much larger area as "critical habitat," creating an ill-defined system of rules for property owners and few guarantees for the preservation of the salamander.
The hearing will be held at the Veteran's Memorial Building in Santa Rosa beginning at 7 p.m. Now is the time to speak out.
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