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BACKGROUND Since April 2007, staff from the Planning and Community Development and Public Works departments has been participating in meetings with other local government, special district, and environmental permitting agencies to discuss the concept of preparing an East Alameda County Conservation Strategy (EACCS). The concept for the conservation strategy grew out of two needs. One concerns several Tri-Valley conservation programs that are involved in creating conservation easements or purchasing land for habitat conservation, agricultural preservation, or open space purposes, but which are operating without a coordinated approach and without the support of the regulatory agencies. Some of these conservation programs have significant funds to contribute (for example, the Altamont Landfill and Resource Recovery Facility Open Space Advisory Committee) but little direction on how to spend these funds to maximize benefits. At the same time, public agencies (the City of Pleasanton included) and private developers are seeking environmental permits for development and infrastructure projects and have encountered delays and unpredictability in mitigation requirements, leading to extended time-lines and budget challenges for projects. The solution being suggested to address both these concerns is the development of a regional conservation strategy. Most importantly, this strategy would be developed collectively by the cities of Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore, Alameda County (including several conservation agencies related to the County), Zone 7 Water Agency, and Alameda County Congestion Management Authority, as well as the major permitting agencies such as California Department of Fish and Game, Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. As noted in the attached letter from the Department of Fish and Game and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (Attachment 1), the anticipated benefits of this program include: o Streamlining the permitting process by directing individual mitigation actions towards mitigation which regulatory agencies will support; o Streamlining the CEQA and NEPA process by providing a vehicle for comprehensive mitigation for direct and cumulative impacts to biological resources; o Creating constructive and effective partnerships with regulatory agencies, landowners, public entities, and cities; o Providing enhanced opportunities to secure State or federal funds to help implement the conservation strategy and secure more open space and recreation sites in East Alameda County; o Provide local benefit for Tri-Valley residents through preservation of large open space areas and natural communities in East Alameda County. With the participation of the environmental permitting agencies, it is anticipated that that the conservation strategy would serve to coordinate biological preserves appropriate for mitigation of local land use, transportation, and related infrastructure programs and would establish a framework for a permitting process and establish interim and long- term mitigation requirements. Page 2 of 5