Show up on THURSDAY to speak in favor of a more environmentally friendly and inclusive Local Coastal Plan (LCP)
The Sonoma County Local Coastal Plan (LCP) is close to our hearts here at SCCA. It was our founder, Bill Kortum, who made Proposition 20 and the Coastal Act possible through tireless work and advocacy that has protected our treasured coastline from environmental degradation and development over the last 40 years.
Our Local Coastal Plan is now in jeopardy and we need your help to speak up in favor of a more environmentally conscientious, culturally inclusive, and user friendly document.
The newly proposed LCP is inadequate in that it contains:
- No restrictions on the use of toxic synthetic pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and lethal rodenticides
- No prohibition of onshore support for offshore wind projects to support alternative energy while protecting Marine Sanctuaries
- No climate change element
- No social or environmental justice initiatives and inadequate consideration of tribal issues
- No community engagement policy
- No protection for forested areas, especially the redwoods in the floodplain of the Gualala River that are threatened with logging
- No language to ban large-scale wineries and event centers on the coast. There is already more traffic on Highway 1 in the summer than it can handle, and tourists events out at the coast cause more greenhouse gas emissions than similar events near 101
- No mention of the 10 Marine Protected Areas, which appear to be making strides bringing back fish stock
- No ban ocean aquaculture of salmon, which harbors disease and threatens wild salmon
- No mention of areas of future potentially sensitive habitat. Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas are listed in the update, but categorization of ESHAs have been eliminated
Regarding pesticide use, Los Angeles County and more recently, the City of Malibu, have successfully used their LCPs to ban synthetic pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and lethal rodenticides). It would be particularly meaningful to stop the use of lethal rodenticides in Sonoma County coastal areas as they are having large negative impacts on our raptors and other wild carnivores.
Please Come to this meeting and make your voice heard to protect Sonoma County Coastal Areas!
January 30th, 2020 @ 1:15 pm
