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Your Five Minute News Flash
Greenbelt Alliance * Volume 3, Issue 8: August 2004

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In this edition
Feature: Poll Update on Californians and the Environment
Alert: Cloverdale: Sprawl Looms in Sonoma
Announcement: Solano Park District Summit on September 20
Feature: Contra Costa Open Space Funding Measure Loss
Announcement: Job Opening for South Bay Field Representative
Upcoming Outings & Events


Poll Update: Californians and the Environment
Last month, the Public Policy Institute of California released a statewide poll on the environment. The poll found that clearly, Californians value their environment, and are willing to take steps to protect it.

According to the poll, Californians:

• Strongly support environmental protection, as a policy priority and a funding priority.
• Are very concerned about air pollution and see it as a significant health threat; this is especially true for people of color and people from the Central Valley.
• Are considering buying more fuel-efficient cars, and overwhelmingly support a state policy to reduce auto emissions by 2009.
• Whether or not they are sure about global warming, believe we should act now to counter its effects.

For more information on the poll and its results, see www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=539.

Cloverdale: Sprawl Looms in Sonoma
Cloverdale is a small town of 7,000 residents in northern Sonoma County. But it may not be a small town for long. With land prices that are relatively low compared to the rest of Sonoma County, and a lack of growth management policies, sprawl development pressure is on the horizon in the Cloverdale area.

A newly proposed Alexander Valley Resort is the latest sign of sprawl, headed straight for Cloverdale. The proposed 267-acre development is located south of town on an old Louisiana-Pacific sawmill site. If built as planned, the development would include a resort hotel with up to 150 rooms, an additional 60 to 70 "resort homes," 140 single-family homes, and 25 more "estate homes." There would also be an18-hole golf course as well as restaurant, banquet, spa and shopping facilities.

The development's Draft Environmental Impact Report raises serious questions. It states that the project would require "substantial reconfiguration of the land form of the site through mass grading"—that is, bulldozing. There are also significant concerns about how the project will impact the nearby Russian River. And the Alexander Valley resort could set a major precedent for sprawl: 254 of the proposed development's 267 acres are outside of Cloverdale and would need to be annexed into the city.

Cloverdale is the only city in Sonoma County that does not have an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), clearly stating where development should and should not go. Greenbelt Alliance believes projects like the Alexander Valley resort demonstrate why Cloverdale needs a UGB. Over the next several months, we will be following this proposal closely.

To contact the City of Cloverdale directly about the Alexander Valley resort, call Community Development Director Bruce Kiby at 707-894-1701.

September 20: Solano Park District Summit
Interested in protecting Solano County's open space? Come to the Friends of Solano Regional Park District Stakeholder Summit on September 20th. There, you'll learn how a Park District could create regional parks on thousands of acres of already protected open space in Solano County. The Summit will be held on Monday, September 20, 2004 from 6:00 - 9:00 pm at the Solano County Office of Education at 5100 Business Center Drive (across from Costco on Interstate 80 in Fairfield).

While Solano County is the fastest growing county in the Bay Area, it is one of only two Bay Area counties without a Park District. A Solano Regional Park District would create and maintain regional parks. It would allow public access to Solano's scenic open space lands, for residents and visitors to enjoy. At this past July's Stakeholder Summit, outdoor enthusiasts, farmers, planners and parks managers agreed that Solano County would benefit from a countywide Park District. The September Summit will pick up where the first summit left off with a discussion of the needs and concerns of Solano farmers and a presentation of potential funding sources for a future Park District.

Contra Costa Open Space Funding Measure Loss
Last month, Contra Costa property owners voted on a measure to fund open space protection throughout the county. Unfortunately, the measure did not pass. It did garner a majority of the total number of votes, but when the votes were weighted by property amount, the measure lost.

Greenbelt Alliance did not take a lead role in the campaign, but we were strong supporters of the measure, and we are disappointed with the outcome. The measure's victory would have meant a significant boost for open space protection in Contra Costa County. It would have raised $8 million a year to pay for projects from expanding Mount Diablo Sate Park to protecting lands around local rivers, creeks and Bay shorelines; from preserving farmland in eastern Contra Costa to finishing the county's section of the San Francisco Bay Trail.

We will be working with allies to further analyze the vote results, and to help ensure that future efforts to fund open space protection meet with success. For more information on the measure, see www.cocoopenspace.org.

Job Opening for South Bay Field Representative
Greenbelt Alliance is seeking a South Bay Field Representative. The South Bay Field Representative works out of the San Jose field office to build grassroots support for land conservation and smart growth in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

For a job description, see www.greenbelt.org/getinvolved/sbfr.html.

Applications are due by Friday, September 10, 2004.

Upcoming Outings & Events
August 28: Greenbelt Outing, Briones by Moonlight
September 6: Greenbelt Outing, San Francisco to Sausalito
September 11: Greenbelt Outing, Sonoma County Cornucopia
September 12: Greenbelt Outing, A Summer Day on Mt. Tam

Planning for the Bay Area's Future
What will your legacy be? Have you ever thought about it?

There are many ways to leave a legacy—of service, of generosity, of inspiration to others. One way to create a legacy is through planned giving. If you want your legacy to be one of caring for the Bay Area and protecting its future, consider making a gift to Greenbelt Alliance's Endowment, donating a stock gift, or designating Greenbelt Alliance in your will.

For more information about estate planning, contact Steve Van Landingham, Development Director, at 415-543-6771 or svanlandingham@greenbelt.org.

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