COUNTY OF SAN MATEO

Inter-Departmental Correspondence

DEPARTMENT OF PARKS

DATE:

March 31, 2008

BOARD MEETING DATE:

April 22, 2008

SPECIAL NOTICE/HEARING:

None

VOTE REQUIRED:

Four-Fifths Vote

TO:

Honorable Board of Supervisors

FROM:

David G. Holland, Director, Department of Parks

SUBJECT:

Acceptance of a National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Grant in the Amount of $400,000 for the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Interpretive Exhibits and Signage Project and Approval of an Appropriation Transfer Request in the Amount of $400,000

RECOMMENDATION:

Adopt a Resolution 1) authorizing the County of San Mateo to accept a National Marine Sanctuary Foundation grant award in the amount of $400,000 for a Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Interpretive Exhibits and Signage Project; and 2) authorizing the Director, Department of Parks, as agent to conduct all negotiations, execute and submit all documents including, but not limited to agreements, payment requests and so on, which may be necessary for the completion of this project.

Approve an Appropriation Transfer Request in the amount of $400,000 for contract services for the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Interpretive Exhibits and Signage Project.

VISION ALIGNMENT:

Commitment: Preserve and provide people access to our natural environment.

Goals 14 and 15: Important natural resources are preserved and enhanced through environmental stewardship. Residents have nearby access to green space, such as parks and recreational opportunities.

This $400,000 grant award will contribute to the commitment and goals as the funding, if accepted, will be used for a project to develop interpretive exhibits and signage at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve which both facilitates residents’ use and enjoyment of the Reserve and provides information related to protecting our environmental resources.

BACKGROUND:

The Reserve is a narrow three-mile-long, 402-acre strip located in Moss Beach and has numerous unique coastal habitats, which provide a species diversity greater than that of other similar habitats in central and northern California. The Reserve is designated as both a “State Marine Park” and an “Area of Special Biological Significance” (ASBS) by the State of California to protect the over 439 unique marine plant and animal species that have been found there.

The Reserve provides important educational and interpretive opportunities for people of all ages. Annually, the Reserve hosts over 23,000 students from Grade 3 through college, as well as over 110,000 other visitors. Such high visitation creates a critical need for the County to offer marine education programs and facilities.

After many community meetings, development of the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Master Plan (Brady/LSA, 2002), the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Resource Assessment Plan (Tenera Environmental, 2004), and the Conceptual Plan for Interpretation at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve (Acorn Group, 2004), interpretive priorities have been identified for new interpretive and information signage to educate visitors about the Reserve’s significant natural resources and to educate visitors about minimizing environmental impacts on the Reserve.

While this proposed project focuses on a direct collaboration between the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and the County of San Mateo, it is part of a larger effort to create a Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Interpretive Center.

DISCUSSION:

The Federal FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Package included funding for the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve Interpretive Exhibits and Signage Project. These funds are being provided to San Mateo County through a grant from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

The grant funds will be used for eighteen interpretive panels that will be installed throughout the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve from the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve parking lot to the adjacent Pillar Point Marsh, and for an outdoor sculpture that is part interpretive tool and part playground for young visitors to explore and discover. Larger than life, sculpted and stained concrete tide pool animals, including colorful monkey-faced eels, ochre stars, and giant green anemones will be positioned in the correct intertidal zone - low tide, middle tide, and high tide - and identified and described on brief interpretive panels. Colorful poured-in-place matting makes the outdoor sculpture accessible.

FISCAL IMPACT:

An Appropriation Transfer Request for the $400,000 in unanticipated revenue has been prepared for the Board’s approval. There is no impact to the General Fund.