FONC Meetings and Agendas
BLM Field Manager Ormsby's 11/8/2023 Presentation to RBDA
SUMMARY of Current Status of BLM's Thinking as of Field Manager Ormsby's 11/8/2023 Presentation to RBDA
Zachary Ormsby, Field Manager of BLM’s Central Coast Field Office headquartered in Marina, was the featured program at the RBDA’s 11/8/2023 Meeting. He brought with him his Assistant Field Manager, two Law Enforcement Rangers, and an Interpretation Ranger who also spoke. By clicking HERE, you can read a Transcript of Field Manager Ormsby’s Presentation as seen in RBDA’s Video Recording of the meeting. Clear HERE for the video recording. (Dave Rubin’s Introduction begins at Minute 6:00.)
The following is a Summary of where things appear to stand after Zachary’s Presentation.
(Tr.p. = Transcript page)
In many respects, BLM’s approach appears to be more and more consistent with what we have been working to achieve. The proof (if it happens) will be the new Proposal Zachary stated he hopes (albeit an “ambitious” goal) to publicly release about a month from 11/8/2023.
Not in Zachary’s Presentation but also of interest is the inclusion in County Parks-managed North Coast Facilities and Management Plan (NCFMP) of “Development of trailhead parking lot for up to 77 spaces, 3 ADA spaces, and 5 pull-through equestrian trailer spaces put forth by TPL and FONC to provide southern access to Cotoni-Coast Dairies.” This the only southern access identified in the NCFMP and lists TPL as Lead Agency and BLM as “Agency to coordinate with.”
Zachary Ormsby, Field Manager of BLM’s Central Coast Field Office headquartered in Marina, was the featured program at the RBDA’s 11/8/2023 Meeting. He brought with him his Assistant Field Manager, two Law Enforcement Rangers, and an Interpretation Ranger who also spoke. By clicking HERE, you can read a Transcript of Field Manager Ormsby’s Presentation as seen in RBDA’s Video Recording of the meeting. Clear HERE for the video recording. (Dave Rubin’s Introduction begins at Minute 6:00.)
The following is a Summary of where things appear to stand after Zachary’s Presentation.
(Tr.p. = Transcript page)
In many respects, BLM’s approach appears to be more and more consistent with what we have been working to achieve. The proof (if it happens) will be the new Proposal Zachary stated he hopes (albeit an “ambitious” goal) to publicly release about a month from 11/8/2023.
- Southern Entrance. Zachary’s Presentation included a statement that “… there's still is going to be a Southern parking lot. It's just looking at them each individually one at a time. … Northern Area … now and once that is complete or resolved, we plan on moving down to the Southern area.” Tr.p.5. In an email to FONC on October 23, 2023 Zachary stated that while past relations with TPL had been like oil and water, there has been a “recent commitment between the BLM and TPL to address regional parking needs in the southern area.”
Not in Zachary’s Presentation but also of interest is the inclusion in County Parks-managed North Coast Facilities and Management Plan (NCFMP) of “Development of trailhead parking lot for up to 77 spaces, 3 ADA spaces, and 5 pull-through equestrian trailer spaces put forth by TPL and FONC to provide southern access to Cotoni-Coast Dairies.” This the only southern access identified in the NCFMP and lists TPL as Lead Agency and BLM as “Agency to coordinate with.”
- Northern Entrance. During his Presentation, Zachary showed a drawing and stated “down here is almost a hybrid proposal of what the BLM was originally proposing [knoll top parking] with what FONC, DNCA and RBDA had been proposing and putting the parking area down here along the Mocettini Cheese Barn.” Tr.p.5. The drawing shows an inland road connecting those two parking lots as we have sought. Click HERE to see our Schematic. The knoll top would be phase one and the Mocettini Barn level parking would be phase two and dependent on consistency with (or non-applicability of) historic and riparian regulations. Main remaining problems: Roundabout for entrance to knoll-top lot at intersection of Warrenella and Cement Plant Road should be eliminated; Interim parking for RVs and other large vehicles should be created at foot of knoll, north-side, to avoid impassibility in narrow stretch to the south on Cement Plant Road; and setbacks and/or other adequate protections are needed for Monarch overwintering site along Cement Plant Road and adjoining knoll-top lot.
- Baseline. Zachary described the Baseline data as consisting of the following. Tr.p.8. This is the first time BLM has stated that it has done any semblance of a Baseline; the prior Field Manager informed RBDA that BLM had no money for doing a Baseline. This data needs to be compiled into one identified Baseline Document and some needs to be bolstered or clarified.
- “Floristic inventory for the entirety of the property has been conducted by a botanist” and “is publicly accessible, on calflora.org.;”
- “intense surveys on cultural and archaeological resources throughout the property;”
- “coho and we have salmon on property that we work with NOAA and the local resource conservation district and have location devices on those so we can monitor movements and population dynamics of those;”
- “bird surveys;”
- “small mammal surveys throughout the entire property;”
- “been monitoring streams for the last years;”
- “been monitoring range land health;”
- “been monitoring soil hydrology;”
- “[a]ll of the biological data that we've done” (apparently what was provided to John Barnes in response to FOIA request);
- “we've just begun contributing to Chris [Wilmer]'s research and we'll formalize the agreement. Tr.p.12. What would be hunted would be deer. We want to understand what the impacts of that prey are or that as a prey item to the mountain lion habitat so we can understand how our decisions impact mountain lions and the deer population and we're going to use those data to inform our land management decisions. Chris will be consulted and his data will be looked at once we reach a formalized agreement to evaluate those decisions moving forward. And that's also movement data, not just of the prey but of the mountain lion.”;
- “We're spelling out the resources, objects, and values that we're legally required to manage by. We're partnering with the University of California, Santa Cruz, to invite faculty and student researchers out to help us conduct research to meet our legal obligations [Tr.p.9], but to do research for the sake of research. And a member of the Davenport community, Don Croll, is leading that effort.”; and
- “Davenport Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan that our scientists created, Mike Powers, with Bill Henry, years ago. We haven't shied away from learning about monarch butterflies and how to manage for them better. We created a management plan for the town, in fact, to do that. We assisted in that effort. So there's concern about the monarchs where the parking lots are proposed. Its great information when somebody brings it to our table that, hey, there's a species and it's important and you need to work to protect them. That's what we do. That's what national monuments are for. So we don't take that lightly.” Tr.p.10.
- Hunting. Zachary also stated that “[a]s of now, there is no immediate plan and there is no data that supports hunting on the monument at present.” Tr.p.9. We would also note that the Coastal Commission has not concurred that hunting is consistent with the California Coastal Management Program. The Coastal Commission will require a new Concurrence Determination prior to inclusion of hunting at Cotoni-Coast Dairies and has postponed any decision as to that issue until Phase 2 of BLM’s Resource Management Plan.