Sonoma Valley Voice Sonoma's Hillside Open Space - Effects of Development on the Environment

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Sonoma's Hillside Open Space - Effects of Development on the Environment, by Richard Dale, Sonoma Ecology Center (July-September 1999, Page 4 - 15)

I. Effects on the Ecosystem

Sonoma’s Upper Mountain Cemetery area in its current state is part of a large, contiguous natural area behind Sonoma that reaches across the town’s hillside backdrop. Such areas are needed to support healthy animal and plant populations. Animals need to be able to move around to find food, water, mates and shelter. Likewise, plants need large unbroken areas with the same plant species and other plants and animals that compliment them in their life stages to survive and reproduce. All native species evolved together into a living web that is altered, sometimes beyond repair, when parts are removed or separated. Development would need to be in a band across the hillside to accommodate users of a resort so that guests would not need to climb large numbers of stairs. Not only would this make the land unavailable for native plants and animals, it would place a barrier across the hillside, breaking contact between elements in this living web. As a result, the numbers and kinds of native plants and animals that can survive near Sonoma would be reduced.

II. Water Use

Development of the area as a resort would require tens of thousands of gallons of fresh water each day. This would most likely come from groundwater. Groundwater is a limited resource and it is used by many in the area for agriculture and homes, as well as the City’s back-up water supply system which has its pumps near the area. Wastewater would most likely be reused on the site. As well as potential impacts to groundwater supplies, wastewater used for landscaping would change the nature of the landscape. Native plants and animals evolved here with dry summers. Native plants such as oaks would die, and non-native plants and animals would be even more able to thrive if water were used on the site throughout the year.

III. Invasive Plants and Animals

Any development of a natural area that requires grading, paving, landscaping, and buildings, disturbs the native landscape. Such disturbances set the stage for invasion by non-native plant species because they have few predators and spread quickly and aggressively. Plants like yellow starthistle, cape ivy and French broom quickly take over around disturbed sites. Meanwhile, human presence promotes invasion by animal species such as non-native mice, rats, feral cats, and starlings. These invasive plants and animals displace native species, depriving them of food and habitat. This further disrupts the connection and balance of native habitats and further impacts the survival of native species in nearby areas.

IV. Oak Woodlands

There has been a severe loss of oak woodlands in California over the last two hundred years. These ecosystems are among the richest in California’s landscape. Oaks provide habitat for many species of birds, mammals, insects, and amphibians. Sonoma’s hillside open space is the only surviving oak woodland that the City owns in trust for the people of Sonoma.

VII. Development on a Slope

A resort that proposes to develop 11 of the 60 acres on a steep hillside such as this one actually affects between 2 to 3 times that amount, because cutting and filling are necessary to create level ground for building. As many as 20 to 30 acres of this hillside might be disturbed.

VI. Night Lighting

Lights from a resort in the hillside area would be visible around the community and would change the night skyline and the already diminished night sky.

VII. Views from Sonoma

On-the-ground surveys and models using USGS data indicate that most of the hillside open space is visible as a person moves among several prominent public locations around Sonoma. It would be extremely difficult to hide a resort of any scale on the site. In addition, fire regulations require removal of overhanging branches, which would further expose the buildings. According to arborists, most native trees near buildings eventually die from compaction, water, and disease, which would greatly expose built areas.

VIII. Environmental Education and Access to Nature

Sonoma’s hillside open space is an historic, northern California nature preserve that can be used for environmental education and recreation. No such resource exists on public land within walking distance of the Plaza and at least five schools. The nearest public area with a similar opportunity for environmental education is Sonoma Valley Regional Park, five miles away. Trails to impres-sive vistas and natural areas around this open space have been planned for over three years.

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