Sunol - Ohlone Land Use Plan

In 2003 the East Bay Regional Park District released a draft 25 year Land Use Plan for Sunol and Ohlone Regional Wilderness Preserves. The Alameda Creek Alliance and a coalition of other environmental and flyfishing groups proposed an alternative plan (Alternative W) emphasizing restoration of wilderness values to the Preserves. The most important element of Alternative W was phasing out commercial cattle grazing, to restore habitat for rainbow/steelhead trout and other sensitive species.

Disappointingly, EBRPD ignored much of the public input and Alternative W. There were a few positive changes proposed for the parks, such as excluding cattle from about 7.5 linear miles of upper Alameda Creek and associated riparian areas. However, the Land Use Plan largely glossed over or ignored many significant impacts in the parks from cattle grazing. EBRPD issued a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the project, falsely claiming no significant environmental impacts. The ACA and Sierra Club insisted an Environmental Impact Report must be prepared.

What you can do:

The EBRPD has apparently discarded the entire Land Use Planning process for Sunol and Ohlone Parks. As of October 2005, the EBRPD Board of Directors still has not considered the Mitigated Negative Declaration.

The EBRPD documents are available online - click here for the Land Use Plan and the Mitigated Negative Declaration

Alternative W - The Community Wilderness Alternative for Sunol and Ohlone Preserves - August 2003

EBRPD Memo: Response to Alternative W - September 2003

ACA Comments on Neg Dec and Response to EBRPD Memo - October 2003

ACA Attorney's Comments on CEQA and Need for an EIR- October 2003

Regional Water Quality Control Board comment letter - October 2003

Regional Parks Association Comment Letter - October 2003

Friends of Sycamore Valley Comment Letter - October 2003

1979 Mt. Diablo State Park letter on grazing to EBRPD - 1979

Click here for more information about the ecological impacts of cattle grazing

Click here for feel-good propaganda, unsubstantiated claims, and agency denial about the true impacts of cattle grazing