San Diego

I've spent the last few days researching San Diego on the recommendations of the Open Space Review Committee.

Essentially San Diego's OS Policy centers around a conservation ethics, since there are more endangered and environmentally sensitive species in San Diego county than in any other county in California. What follows is the report I sent to Mark with an expanded commentary at the end.

The city of San Diego implemented an open space element into their General Plan in 1979.[1] In 2003, San Diego had a population of approximately 1,266,753 people dispersed over 324 square miles.[2] When looking at Figure 1, it is apparent that the total developed urban area of the city has grown 39%, from 79,067 to 110,044. Grassland, shrubland, and tree cover have decreased from a collective 127,647 acres to 96,368 acres. The current urban forest system has a total stormwater retention capacity of 82 million cubic feet. Without trees, the city would have to build $164 million in infrastructure to accommodate the runoff.[3] The forest system also removes 4.3 million pounds of pollutants from the air at a value of $10.8 million annually.[4] The trees also sequester (absorb) 9,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually and store 1.2 million tons collectively as biomass. [5] As the urban area of the city has grown, the “green” area of the city has decreased diminishing the ability of flora to reduce runoff and counter pollution. Continuing this trend could seriously damage the city’s ability to counter the effects of sprawl and the imprint of urbanization.
Figure 1—City of San Diego Landcover Change Trends (1985-2002)[*]

1985 acres 2002 acres 2002 Percent Percent change
Urban
79,067 110,044 51% 39%
Grassland
71,988 48,674 22% -32%
Shrubland
35,565 32,956 15% -7%
Tree Cover
20,094 14,738 7% -27%
Other
10,827 11,151 5% 0%
Total
217,542 217,564 100% 0%
[My apologies for the lack of formatting on the above table. I cut and pasted a Word document that didn't translate, and I don't have the time to make it pretty.]
The city’s Open Space Division within the Department of Parks and Recreation has been responsible for managing the open spaces within the city (including the Park Rangers in OS parks) and implementing the Multiple Species Conservation Program (MSCP). In 1996, the MSCP was established to further aid in the protection of native endangered plant and animal species. San Diego county has the most endangered species in California,[6] but funding from sources such as the Environmental Growth Fund aren’t sufficient to cover the complete costs of management;[7] According to Paul Kilburg with the Open Space Division of the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department, these funds aren’t nearly enough to acquire all of the land that the city has been tasked with acquiring;[8] therefore, most of their funding comes from the city’s general fund. In the past, as some lands have become conservation districts because of endangered species, property owners have surrendered their land to the city or minimally developed it (25%).[9] This has provided the city with some land to preserve as open space, but it is not a guaranteed method of acquiring land.
Luckily, San Diego at large has a friendly nature toward the natural environment. Community volunteers actively help in revitalizing and maintaining parks, even if it is just to help build a ranger kiosk. There is not an overt hostility to parks in general. Also, the Sierra Club has gotten involved in creating “Friends of-” groups to help inform and mobilize the public to participate in the park process.[10]
Currently, the department is working on a Trails Master Plan, since it has been deficient in that area in the past. There are three-hundred plus miles of trails in the city that have not been properly mapped out or planned for.[11] Besides increasing funding, developing a plan for trails is the most important task for the open space division right now.
To address the 12 April 2007 comment (Karen) on the Open Space Blog regarding parks being unsafe, perhaps as the open space system becomes more advanced, Little Rock could implement a ranger system similar to the one in place in San Diego. Rangers make people feel safe by providing an on-site city authority figure. They do not have arrest powers, but they can issue tickets for misdemeanor offenses. Rangers can also provide tours or programming as the citizenry deems necessary.[12] Being on-site and mobile also allows the rangers to inform the central parks office of any issues that may arise regarding maintenance in the park.
[*] Urban Ecosystem Analysis, San Diego, California; American Forests; July 2003. p. 3

[1] The City of San Diego Progress Guide and General Plan (1979) (accessed February 8, 2008) http://www.sandiego.gov/planning/genplan/pdf/generalplan/gpfullversion.pdf. The open space element has since been combined with the conservation element in the current plan.
[2] Census.gov
[3] Urban Ecosystem Analysis, San Diego, California; American Forests; July 2003. p. 3 (accessed 7 February 2008) http://americanforests.org/downloads/rea/AF_SanDiego.pdf
[4] Ibid. p.3&19 American Forests uses UFORE Model for Air Pollution, developed for the USDA Forest Service to calculate the amount of pollution deposited in tree canopies and sequestered. Dollar values for air pollutants are averaged from State Public Service Commissions in various states. Externality costs include indirect costs to society, such as healthcare from air pollution
[5] Ibid. p.3
[6] Phone conversation with Paul Kilburg February 8, 2008
[7] Paul Kilburg. San Diego City Charter, Article VII, Section 103.1establishes the Environmental Growth Fund which provides funding to pay the principle and interest on bonds that are issued for the acquisition of open space lands.[7]
[8] Paul Kilburg
[9] Paul Kilburg
[10] Paul Kilburg
[11] Paul Kilburg
[12] City of San Diego Park and Recreation Dept., Regional Parks Ranger Program (accessed February 8, 2008) http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/drprangers.shtml
www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/drprangers.shtml

I also developed a list of endangered/environmentally sensitive plants and animals in Pulaski County from the 2007 Annual Report of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, which is a division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage (DAH). Skip to pages 97-98 for Pulaski County listings.