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The U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County (RCD), and our environmental non-profit partner Sustainable Conservation have developed a countywide permit coordination program for environmentally beneficial projects on private lands in Santa Cruz County titled the “Partners in Restoration Permit Coordination Program” (Permit Coordination).
The links between streambank erosion, water quality, and fish and wildlife habitat in Santa Cruz County watersheds are a concern for agricultural, conservation, and regulatory interests. In particular, creeks and streams in Santa Cruz County provide critical habitat for the federally protected steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Riparian vegetation along many of these streams also serves as important migration corridors and habitat for other state and federally protected species such as the California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii). The quality of these habitats has been degraded largely through alterations in streambed morphology associated with implementation of flood control measures, removal of riparian vegetation, and subsequent accelerated erosion and sedimentation that further degrade these sensitive habitats.
Fortunately, farmers, ranchers, and rural landowners are increasingly interested in implementing conservation practices to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and enhance habitat on their lands. As the primary stewards of the land, they are very much engaged in protecting its health. They also depend on this land for their livelihoods and constantly seek ways to improve its value and productivity. Unfortunately, these farmers face a major obstacle when contemplating the introduction of conservation practices into their management plans: the time, cost, and complexity of regulatory review.
Having been in Santa Cruz County for over 30 years, the NRCS and RCD have a long-term understanding of issues faced by local landowners and land managers. Traditionally, when we have offered farmers and landowners technical assistance or cost-sharing for conservation practices, it has been their responsibility to obtain and pay for the associated permits, prior to the onset of construction. After recognizing that the process of applying for, obtaining, and paying for permits was a significant barrier for farmers and landowners desiring to implement voluntary conservation measures, the Permit Coordination program was born.
The model of a streamlined permitting approach was first developed by NRCS and Sustainable Conservation in 1998 in the Elkhorn Slough Watershed in Monterey County, California, to assist landowners who were faced with resource concerns associated with steep slopes, sandy soils and intensive agricultural production.
Permit Coordination is based on a model of coordinated, multi-agency regulatory review that ensures the integrity of agency mandates, but makes permitting more accessible to rural landowners, farmers, and ranchers than does the traditional approval process. The permits and agreements that are issued by the regulatory agencies for this Program are valid for five years (with the exception of the Master Permit from the County which must be extended after the first three years) and authorize multiple activities that fall within the limits of the permit conditions. While this coordination makes the permit process much simpler for the landowner, it places additional responsibility on NRCS and RCD staff to include regulatory conditions in the project designs and specifications, to monitor the activities to ensure that the conditions of the permits and agreements are met, and to report back to the regulatory agencies on a regular basis throughout the year.
The conservation projects we think are appropriate for approval under the program are relatively small in size, have demonstrated a net environmental benefit, and are usually performed for erosion control or restoration in and around waterways. The work authorized under Permitting Coordination revolves around NRCS conservation practices, also known as best management practices (BMPs) or management measures. These practices, when applied in the appropriate setting, help landowners and land managers improve the productivity of their operations and protect and improve the natural functioning of adjacent and nearby natural areas. These standardized practices are selected from the NRCS’s California Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) and mirror the BMPs promoted by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)to help meet Clean Water Act (CWA) mandates and the BMPs included in Management Measures promoted by the California Coastal Commission and the State Water Resources Control Board in the Plan for California’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program. The NRCS and RCD staffs have selected fifteen conservation practices from the NRCS's Field Office Technical Guide (FOTG) that address local land use and resource problems in Santa Cruz County. The environmental protection measures and conditions associated with implementation of any of these practices, as negotiated with regulatory agencies, will be specific to the resource concerns present in Santa Cruz County.
Coordinated watershed planning efforts are underway throughout the County, many of them sponsored by the State Coastal Conservancy. The Integrated Watershed Restoration Program is a countywide multi-jurisdictional task force formed to integrate watershed restoration efforts, improve coordination and efficiency, and leverage funds for restoration activities within Santa Cruz County. The RCD and the Coastal Watershed Council are co-leads on the task force, with participating partners that include local, state, and federal agencies, water districts, harbor districts, fire districts, local road associations, watershed councils, community groups, and local landowners and it is funded by the State Coastal Conservancy. In most cases, these watershed plans rely on voluntary conservation efforts on private lands to fulfill their recommendations. Permit Coordination facilitates implementation of many of the recommendations outlined in the regional watershed plans and those under development as well as meets the particular needs of landowners throughout the County.
The Santa Cruz Countywide Partners in Restoration Permit Coordination Program was finalized in 2005. Two projects were implemented in the Soquel Creek Watershed with permitting assistance from the program in 2005. The projects involved restoration of the riparian corridor through the removal of Arundo donax and English ivy. Since 2005, Arundo donax has successfully been removed from five additional sites along Soquel Creek over the last two years and more removal is scheduled at two new sites on Soquel Creek. Removal of English and Cape ivy (among other non-native invasive plants) and habitat restoration is ongoing on three sites along Soquel Creek, totaling about eight acres. In 2006, there were three road drainage improvement projects implemented, four invasive plant removal and habitat restoration projects completed, and one sediment basin installed. Eighteen more projects are slated for implementation in 2007.
Standard permitting processes could have taken up to three years for some of these projects. With the permit coordination program, the permitting took less than one year and these projects were able to move forward with the landowner’s support and available funding.
What are the successes of the Permit Coordination Program in Santa Cruz County?
• More projects were done. While the program was expected to have broad appeal, many believed that we would not exceed the five projects per year which were projected. Landowners who normally would put off conservation work or refuse to become involved in stream enhancement projects decided to participate. They eagerly responded to the ease with which the program allowed them to deal with erosion, flooding, and degradation on their land.
• A broader range of projects was implemented. Some landowners and farmers previously had been reluctant to pursue the necessary permits for work in riparian areas on their own, directing most of their effort towards on-farm projects that have fewer regulatory restraints. With the permit coordination program in place, these farmers initiated projects to reduce severe stream bank erosion and to enhance the natural functioning of riparian corridors and wetlands.
• The quality of projects improved. The conditions approved by the public agencies under the permits sometimes made the work more complicated to implement, but ultimately improved the quality of the projects. The landowners and managers were willing to do the work to the “higher” standards in exchange for the streamlined permitting process that allowed them to deal with their resource problems efficiently.
The program already serves as a model for Santa Clara, San Benito, and Santa Barbara Counties. It may soon be applied throughout California.
Regulatory partners involved in the development and approval of this IWRP program include representatives from the following agencies: California Department of Fish and Game, Regional Water Quality Control Board #3, NOAA Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Coastal Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, County of Santa Cruz.
The Permit Coordination Program also relies on working with private and public landowners and land managers, non-profit organizations, local governments, and private consultants, to successfully implement projects. Some of these partners include the Friends of Soquel Creek, San Lorenzo Valley Women’s Club, California Native Plant Society, Coastal Watershed Council, the Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County’s Natural Resources and Employment Program, California State Parks, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District, San Lorenzo Valley High School Watershed Academy, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Zayante Fire Department, and private and public landowners and land managers.
Funders are diverse for the projects implemented under the Permit Coordination Program. They include the California Department of Fish and Game, Santa Cruz County Fish and Game Commission, Natural Resources Conservation Service, State Water Resources Control Board, Coastal Conservancy, and various foundations.