MENDOCINO Co, CA, 2/2/23 — An estimated 75% of the North Coast’s riparian corridors and wetland zones have been converted to other land uses, according to a white paper from the Mendocino County Fish and Game Commission presented to the Board of Supervisors last week. Mendocino County’s general plan expresses a desire to protect these habitats, but there are no clear enforcement regulations or parameters — and meeting discussion made clear that we shouldn’t expect codified guidance any time soon.
In a presentation to the board last week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) explained that setbacks of any development from the riparian corridor — a “greenbelt” of critical vegetation — can prevent erosion, help control flooding, aid in recharging groundwater, and protect the many species that rely on these wetland areas.
“These setbacks and ordinances for riparian protections are not unusual,” 3rd District Supervisor John Haschak explained, citing codes in neighboring Humboldt, Lake, and Sonoma counties.
The Fish and Game Commission recommended that the Board provide clear direction to the Department of Planning and Building Services and formalize Mendocino County’s policy language. But as discussed in the meeting, the county is not well-positioned to create an ordinance quickly, particularly because existing land parcels did not account for wetland protections. Supervisors don’t want to put landowners in a position of not being able to build at all because of the specifications of a cookie-cutter ordinance.
“We have to tailor something very specific for us,” 1st District supervisor and board chair Glenn McGourty said in public comment, having recused himself because he owns wetland acreage. “We can’t just take somebody else’s ordinance and apply it.”
Supervisors hoped to pursue grant funding to aid in developing an ordinance, but Interim Director of Planning and Building Services Nash Gonzalez explained that the department simply doesn’t have the time to add another intensive project, in part because of the efforts already going toward updating the county’s Local Coastal Program.
“We couldn’t even start a project like this until 2026,” Gonzalez said. “There is no bandwidth and there’s no expertise in house. Even if you hired a consultant, you would still have to manage that consultant.”
He also encouraged supervisors to think about how the project might interact with other county goals, such as bolstering housing access.
“As you start limiting development on parcels, you’re also going to limit the development of housing in these areas,” Gonzalez said. “That’s something an ordinance like this has to look at.”
Ellen Drell, a board member of the Willits Environmental Center, said she understood the staff time struggles but encouraged the supervisors not to let this work fall by the wayside.
“As drought persists, riparian corridors and wetlands will become even more important — and it’ll become even more important that Mendocino County doesn’t lose any more,” she said.
The stakes are real; the Fish and Game Commission cited several instances of development that threaten Mendocino County’s wetland zones including a new septic system within 50 feet of York Creek, approved development in sensitive habitat harboring an endangered species in Laytonville, and permitted cannabis cultivation sites operating close to local streams.
Ultimately, his fellow supervisors appointed McGourty to work with the Fish and Game Commission and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to identify what maps currently exist of Mendocino County’s wetland zones and riparian habitats. Proposed initially by 4th District supervisor Dan Gjerde, this plan aims to make designations of wetland areas accessible to the public.
“If the information is made public, I think most people will make the right decision,” Gjerde said.
Drell also expressed interest in rallying interested community members to do research on this issue.
“There’s nothing ever going to stop you all from working on something together, even if the county of Mendocino doesn’t have money to bring it forward,” said vice chair and 2nd District supervisor Maureen Mulheren.
The white paper from the Fish and Game Commission:
11-07-22-FGC-White-Paper-Development-of-a-Mendocino-County-Riparian-Corridor-and-Wetland-Setback-Ordinace-2
The fact that we don’t already have specific protections for wetlands in Mendocino county is just more proof of how poorly this county has been managed.
Mendocino county government is really a joke.
The Report is not accurate and biased, they mention impacts from cannabis cultivation, but no impacts from Grapes or other agricultural impacts.
Why doesn’t Fish and Wildlife actually tell the truth?
They only listed a FEW examples. Not all.