SR 06:208 - Laserfiche WebLink

provides a valuable wildlife corridor linking Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park to the Southeast Hills, a crucial step to maintaining subregional-scale wildlife habitat continuity. The General Plan Map also designates as Wildlands Overlay substantial areas of grasslands and woodlands in the Southeast Hills, which form a bridge between the Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park and wildlands in the San Antonio Reservoir area. 1bis biologically diverse area encompasses several watersheds, including canyons. Around the east end of the lake, the San Antonio Reservoir area has a number of recorded Special Status Species sightings. 1bis watershed land contributes domestic water to the San Antonio Reservoir and provides a regional wildlife corridor, which connects Del Valle Regional Park and the Ohlone Wilderness to Pleasanton's Southeast Hills. The Arroyo Mocho, Arroyo de la Laguna, Arroyo del Valle, and Alamo Canal are the four major waterways traversing Pleasanton. Much riparian vegetation and wildlife exist along the arroyos. These and other arroyos provide the richest natural habitat in the Planning Area and also allow for stormwater drainage and groundwater recharge. The northeast comer of Pleasanton Ridge provides a particularly striking, dense stand of "heritage woodland" visible from Footbill Road and Canyon Way. 1bis woodland contains several species of relatively large trees, including California sycamore and some remarkably large California buckeyes. Steep terrain generally precludes this area from development. The areas designated as Wildlands Overlay constitute a resource that makes a variety of valuable community. The key to ensuring successful wildlands preservation lies in achieving a common community understanding that preservation is a worthwhile endeavor. Individual property owners, developers, and the general public must all benefit. To achieve a common goal for preservation, the City will continue developing incentive programs that encourage property owners and developers to cooperate in wildland-area preservation and restoration. The City needs more detailed information about existing wildlife species and communities in order to enhance and restore wildlife populations through habitat improvement. In addition, the City should continue preserving local and subregional wildlife corridors by minimizing wildlife-movement barriers created by roadways and development. To ensure that viable subregional wildlife corridors are maintained between Pleasanton Ridge, Del Valle Regional Park, and the Ohlone Wilderness, the City should consider guidelines to specifically address Footbill Road, I -680, and State Route 84 areas. Since the areas designated as Wildlands Overlay also contribute to subregional programs, the City should coordinate wildlands planning with other agencies to identify land fitting into a subregional wildlands mosaic. Con os Element, CC 082906, dean VII-32 c;ty Council 8/29/2006