SCAPOSD Meeting

SCAPOSD Meeting

Tuesday March 21

For those of us who want to see Helen Putnam County Park extended to D Street, instead of the Davidon luxury housing development on Kelly Creek, here’s our first opportunity to speak out publicly.

The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (SCAPOSD) is sponsoring a series of public hearings around the county to gather input on its “Vital Lands Initiative.”

Petaluma Meeting

Tuesday March 21, 6 to 8 p.m.

Petaluma Community Center

320 North McDowell

Lucchesi Park

For details, see http://www.sonomaopenspace.org/projects/vital-lands-initiative/

We are planning to attend, Sherri Fabre-Marcia from Petalumans for Responsible Planning will lead the group and have talking points, flyers, petitions, and a few “California red-legged frog” Tshirts there. (Dare we use the words “flash mob”?) The more who come, the better, so county officials know how important this is to us.

Here’s the deal: SCAPOSD is a source of potential funding for the extension of Putnam Park down Kelly Creek, together with the $1 million at Sonoma Land Trust and more that could be raised as matching funds. We may need this money not only to buy out some or all of Davidon’s development rights to the old Scott Ranch land, but also to finance wildlife conservation as well as public amenities such as the new trailhead, preservation of the red barn, restrooms, playground, picnic tables, and parking lot.

This IS a real case of “Vital Lands” within Petaluma city limits, because of the wild animals and plants protected by the Endangered Species Act, especially the California land-legged frog, for which US Fish & Wildlife has declared this a critical habitat “corridor” essential for the movement, breeding, and well-being of what is California’s “State Amphibian” (the famous Calaveras jumping frog!). Here's a picture:

Please show up and voice your support at this meeting! If you’re coming, just reply and let us know....

And if you’d like to order your own CLRF Tshirt, go here online to purchase them: http://www.cafepress.com/mf/33354638/california-redlegged-frog_tshirt?productId=369113318