10 ATTACHMENTS - Laserfiche WebLink

Alameda County Altamont Landfill Open Space Fund Tyler Ranch Property Acquisition East Bay Regional Park District PROJECT DESCRIPTION East Bay Regional Park District proposes to acquire the 1,156 -acre Tyler Ranch property (Phase 11), located adjacent to Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, to preserve valuable wildlife habitat and watershed lands in southern Alameda County. Views from the ridgetop at 2,100 feet elevation are spectacular, providing vistas from Mount Diablo in the east to the Farallon Islands to the west. Heavily wooded canyons give the park visitor the feeling of being in a wilderness, even though the highly urbanized Tri- Valley area is actually only a few miles away. The subject property is a prominent feature of the landscape, straddling Sunol Ridge and descending to Sinbad Canyon. It contains rolling grasslands, chaparral covered hills and heavily wooded drainages which provide valuable habitat for Alameda whipsnake, California red legged frog and western pond turtle. Other species supported by the property's habitat include mountain lion, bobcat, deer, golden eagle and other raptors. Acquisition of this acreage will provide an important habitat linkage between publicly -owned parcels and will create a protected wildlife corridor in this highly urbanized region. Located in an unincorporated area of Alameda County, the property's zoning designation would allow one homesite per 100 acres. Before the purchase contract was negotiated the property was being marketed for residential development which would fragment habitat and jeopardize water quality of adjacent creeks and streams. In 2007, the Park District acquired 320 acres (Phase I) of the 1,476 -acre Tyler Ranch and executed an agreement to acquire the remaining 1,156 acres. Protecting this valuable land will preserve habitat, protect a significant portion of the primary watershed of Alameda County, maintain a wildlife corridor, and expand recreational opportunities. Acquisition by the Park District of the Tyler Ranch property will significantly expand Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park and will provide an additional entrance to the park. The property also will supply an ideal location for a staging area to improve public access to the park and for the future extension of Alameda Creek Regional Trail at the eastern end of Niles Canyon. Additionally, acquisition will bring this property into the resource management system of the park district and will forever protect it as natural habitat, wildlife corridor and open space. An award of funds will aid EBRPD in placing this property in public ownership and under the District's stewardship.