Northeast Ridge (24 entries)

• How big is San Bruno Mountain?
  3300 acres -- about 3 times the size of Golden Gate Park.
• What is an endangered species?
  An endangered species is "any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range” (Endangered Species Act, 1973).
• What protection does the Endangered Species Act (ESA) give to endangered species?
  Most basically, if a species is put on the Endangered Species List, it becomes illegal to kill it or destroy its habitat.
• Who is in charge of the Endangered Species Act?
  The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), which is part of the Interior Department.
• What is an Incidental Take Permit (ITP)?
  Since the ESA is supposed to prevent the killing of endangered species, the USFWS has to issue a special permit that allows the “taking” of a species. The ITP is a ...
• What is a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)?
  An HCP is a plan, under the ESA, that allows development on endangered species habitat by issuing an Incidental Take Permit (ITP) for the endangered species. In return for the harm ...
• Who is in charge of the HCP?
  The USFWS is the ultimate authority. In the San Bruno Mountain HCP, the San Mateo County Parks Department is the plan operator. The HCP Trustees, composed of the city ...
• Why are they still building on San Bruno Mountain? – I thought it was saved.
  The HCP allowed for a certain amount of planned development. SBMW has fought nearly all of these. When we have been unsuccessful or had only limited success, development has ...
• What is mitigation?
  Mitigation means lessening the negative effects of something, usually something that cannot be entirely prevented. Thus a pollution mitigation plan would be a plan to reduce the effects of pollution.  ...
• Where does the money come from to operate the HCP?
  Each home or commercial building built under the HCP agreement pays a yearly assessment for habitat restoration. In the original plan, the amount of money needed to conserve the habitat was ...
• What is habitat restoration?
  The HCP defines restored habitat a s “areas where both invasive species control and replanting of native species is conducted .” Although it doesn’t define habitat restoration, it defines habitat ...
• Why does SBMW object to HCPs?
  An overwhelming majority of Endangered Species have already lost so much habitat that they are endanger of extinction. Taking more of their habitat further threatens them. Most scientists agree that ...
• What is an EIR?
  Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), if the governing agency determines that a proposed building project may impact the environment, an Environmental Impact Review (EIR) is required. It includes an ...
• When was the original Northeast Ridge EIR approved?
  The original EIR for the Northeast Ridge was approved in 1982. Building did not take place at that time, and an Addendum (addition that involved changes) to the EIR was approved ...
• What is a Environmental Assessment?
  An Environmental Assessment (EA) is a study of the environmental impacts of a project under the Federal Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). An EA is akin to an EIR, only applying ...
• Isn’t coastal scrub advance the biggest threat to the butterfly habitat?
  Loss of habitat is the biggest cause of the butterflies decline, and primary reason they are endangered. Permanent loss of habitat, we argue, is worse than habitat degraded by invasive ...
• How much habitat loss on San Bruno Mountain is due to scrub advancing, and how much is due to building since the HCP went in to effect?
  Since the HCP came into effect 26 years ago, 330 acres of habitat have been permanently destroyed (new houses and roads), and 230 acres temporarily ...
• Can’t the disturbed areas be restored?
  We take issue with the HCP definition of restored habitat since it doesn’t speak to successful restoration, or describe the amount of biodiversity of a restored site compared to the native ...
• If it takes $400,000 a year to restore the habitat on San Bruno Mountain, what other alternative is there to trading habitat for restoration money?
  What we see as preferable is a concerted effort to find other sources of funding and to develop a very active volunteer stewardship organization. Such a plan does not destroy and ...
• The Bay Area needs housing, yet SBMW is blocking housing from being built. Does San Bruno Mountain Watch care more about butterflies than people?
  We care especially for our children and grandchildren that will live with the planet we leave for them. Open space is at a premium in the north peninsula. Even ...
• What is a Negative Declaration?
  A negative declaration, shortened to “Neg Dec” is a statement that says, “based on an initial study, no significant environmental harm will be done by a particular building project.” If ...
• What happens for the Northeast Ridge project now that the Neg Dec was approved?
  San Mateo County approved the negative declaration for the NER. Now the Brisbane City Council, which has already approved the EIR Amendment, will have a meeting to consider whether changes need ...
• Will SBMW is challenge the Neg Dec in court?
  SBMW has filed a suit objecting to the passage of the negative declaration.
• What does SBMW hope to gain by going to court?
  Parties to a lawsuit are required to consider a settlement agreement – some sort of compromise both parties can live with. If no settlement is forthcoming, the suit goes to ...