More Los Osos In County Budget!

My quick read yesterday of the County Budget failed to locate this info on the Los Osos Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). Much stink was made the around the last sewer project about it's not having an HCP! Are we in danger of that again? NO (well, this being Los Osos, PROBABLY no)!

What is the HCP and why do we need it?

Approval of this HCP is also tied to one of the conditions needed prior to operations of the public Los Osos sewer system currently under construction.

Read the full HCP scoopage off this link:

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/planning/environmental/EnvironmentalNotices/LOCHCP.htm

There is a map about three-quarters of the way through the power point that shows the area that the HCP covers. It is a boundary OUTSIDE the Urban Reserve Line:

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/PL/environmental/Los+Osos+Communitywide+Habitat+Conservation+Plan/Scoping/LOScoping.pdf

Our HCP is not yet ready, but then neither is our sewer, so we are OK. The HCP is in the works however, it is at the Fish & Wildlife agency review stage, and here is some info on it:

See the bottom of page 3 of 6:

http://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/agenda/sanluisobispo/4342/SXRlbSBEb2N1bWVudCAoUHVibGljKSA=/14/n/40118.doc

Also see the gray box toward the bottom of page 11 of 26 on this linked document for the timing information:

http://agenda.slocounty.ca.gov/agenda/sanluisobispo/4342/RXhoIEFfcHJpb3JpdHkgbGlzdHMtVGJscyAxLTZfRmViIDIwMTVfZmluYWwucGRm/12/n/40112.doc

There is other Los Osos stuff to look at too, if you scroll down further.

Part of the Sewer Plan, the HCP

One of the conditions to the sewer project is the Habitat Conservation Plan (see the need for this and what it is at this link to project conditions - No. 92, page 37 of 98 if you open the document in Acrobat).

We haven't heard much about it, but it will be unveiled next week at the South Bay Community Center, Tuesday October 8. There will be two sessions for you to learn and to give input. The LOCAC website lists the times at 3:30-5:30 p.m. and at 7:30-9:00 p.m..

I have a copy of the old 2005 plan, but all the links to a copy of that plan online seem to be dead. So to get an idea of what this is about, here are some useful links:

For mostly what you need to know about what the plan is, click the blue links or just scroll through to the bottom:

https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/09/19/2013-22778/habitat-conservation-plan-for-the-community-of-los-osos-san-luis-obispo-county-ca-notice-of-intenthttps://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/09/19/2013-22778/habitat-conservation-plan-for-the-community-of-los-osos-san-luis-obispo-county-ca-notice-of-intent

Lots of info here on the County document at this link:

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/PL/environmental/Los+Osos+Communitywide+Habitat+Conservation+Plan/NOP.pdf

And here is the timeline/status report:

http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/Assets/PL/environmental/Los+Osos+Communitywide+Habitat+Conservation+Plan/statusreport.pdf

$300,000 in grant funds were awarded to SLO County from the Coastal Impact Assistant Program to pay for the state and federal EIR reports needed for this plan required for the wastewater treatment facility by the California Coastal Commission.

Public participation is invited and encouraged, so I hope to see you there!

(Not to confuse you, but this is not the same thing as the Habitat Management Plan which fulfills Special Condition 3 of the CDP or Coastal Development Permit.)