HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Bill 5FLate3 12/07/2009 ep
From: Bob Dyer [nrdyer@comcast.net]
`Sent: ~ Saturday, December 05', 2009 1:01 PM
To: -City Clerk
Subject: Attachmerit'for Item 5.F
Attachments: duttaand thepetalumawetlands.DOG
If you can, please add this Word document as an attachment to 5.F for the December 7th council meeting.
Bob Dyer, 1708 Granada Court, Retaluma, 94954. 763-2934.
~~~~A A~~ ~~"~~ ~E~Aw'~~ ~~~~A~~S
Bob Dyer, Senior Docent
The $32 billion that birders spent generated $85 billion in economic. benefits for
the nation in 2001. This ripple effect on'the economy also produced $13 billion
in tax revenues and 863,406 jobs.
-(1. S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Girding in the United States, 2003
Last summer the Ellis Creek trail was opened to the public. Now one can walk over seven miles of
trails in the Petaluma Public Wetlands. The contiguous wetlands have much to offer - 200 species of
birds, 25 of mammals,. reptiles and amphibians and over 100 types of plants. The Greenbelt Alliance
and San Francisco Chronicle have described it as a top destination for nature lovers. The study cited
above says these are 46 million. birders in the U.S. and almost 4 million in California. Petaluma plans
to start promotin"g eco- tourism to the area.. Starting next January a part of the National Geographic
website on California's Redwood Coast will feature a section on our local wetlands, for example.
The success of any promotional effort will depend upon maintaining the purity of the 500 acres from
harmful development, such as the proposed Dutra plant which would be across the Petaluma River
from the heart of the wetlands, Shollenberger Park;. That operation would impact scenic vistas,
generate pollution, noise and potentially devastate aheron/egret colony on the Dutra property.
According to a 2008 census, on an average day over 400 people (mostly local residents) walk the
Shollenberger trail, amounting to some 150,,000 day-trips a year. Visitors use the park to bird watch,
exercise, ride their bikes., walk dogs or just enjoy a relaxing stroll. in a natural surrounding. The level
of carcinogens that would be .released by the plant will certain{y give pause to those who now use the
park trails. Anyone with respiratory problems (asthma, etc.,} most surely would have to forego walking
there.
Every spring park docents escort hundreds of local elementary school children to the fishing pier at
Shollenberger across from. the proposed Dutra barging operation, to view the heron/egret colony
(which produced over 70 chicks. in 2009). A healthy colony reflects a healthy environment. The Dutra
operation's noise at that location would exceed the General Plan standard and .require its
amendment because of this serious problem. It would probably mean. that docents will cancel this
important part of the children's learning. experience because of the noise and fear of auditory harm.
The colony may no; longer be there in any case. The excessive noise, and other aspects of the
proposed operation, including 10.0;000 annual truck trips in and out of the site would result in a
"substantial risk of colony abandonment" per Dr. John Kelly, Audubon Canyon ranch, the leading
expert on colony management in Northern California:
...these birds a:re apparently most sensitive to changes in human activity....-:loud
noises might disturb a colony if the noise levels. are ihcreased dramatically or. are
.associated wifh newor unpredictable human activities. Noise per se may not cause
disturbance if the birds associate the noise with normal conditions under which the
nesting sites were selected. [His emphasis.]
- Analysis submitted to Steve Dee, Sonoma County, February 24, 2008