Work to begin on long-waited Laguna public trail

Construction is about to begin on 2.4 miles of a long-delayed trail designed to give nature lovers a walk-up glimpse into the Laguna de Santa Rosa.

The work is proceeding as Sonoma County officials seek federal regulatory permits and also to purchase mitigation banks required because the pathway impinges upon wetlands and tiger salamander habitat.

The project that cuts paths into the Laguna will be an important test of the county's ability to create public access to an environmentally sensitive watershed, West County Supervisor Efren Carrillo.

"Balancing the recreation component with the preservation of the natural resource is definitely the goal," Carrillo said. "We want to create a public trail for the opportunity to appreciate a scenic resource, but we have to keep in mind that there must be that balance."

The Laguna, a 14-mile waterway that extends from Cotati to Forestville, is the North Coast's largest freshwater complex of wetlands and wildlife breeding grounds.

The first proposed path runs along the western edge of Santa Rosa's Kelly Farm from Highway 12 to Occidental Road. Before construction, the county's open space district needs permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Regional Water Quality Control Board and California Department of Fish and Game.

The trail plan calls for paths over the Kelly Farm and the Balletto properties, an overlook from Kelly Marsh and two staging areas for groups to gather, one off Highway 12 and the other off Occidental Road.

Construction of more trails into the Laguna is planned, but they depend on available funding, said Sara Press, associate open space planner.

Under plans approved by county supervisors in mid-March, the Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District is negotating with landowners in the Laguna area to buy mitigation rights at a cost of about $240,000. The mitigation bank would compensate for the loss of about 1.5 acres of wetlands and tiger salamander breeding areas where trails are slated to cross the Alpha, Brown, Kelly and Stone farms owned by the City of Santa Rosa.

"We have been working with the regulatory agencies to process the permits that allow us to start construction, which does impact a small amount of wetlands," said Maria Cipriani, the district's assistant's general manager. "It is a known breeding site for the salamander so we have to purchase mitigation elsewhere."

Ever since 2001, when the county gained conservation easements over farms that ring the Laguna, county and open space district officials have struggled to balance preservation of wetland habitat with the public's demand for access into property purchased with the quarter-cent sales tax. In 2006, the district issued a trails plan that called for paved and gravel path access in the Laguna for hikers, cyclists and equestrians.

Initially, open space district officials proposed purchase of onsite mitigation banks, but they were told by federal officials that purchase had to be from an approved mitigation bank. Cipriani said the district is negotiating with the Hazel Mitigation Preserve, a limited liability corporation whose principal is developer Harvey Rich.

Once trail construction begins this summer, the trail will be deeded over to the county regional parks department, said parks deputy director Jim McCray. He said the department will be responsible for maintaining the trails, much like it maintains the nearby Joe Rodota and West County trails.

The Laguna trails plan has been approved for a $500,000 grant from the state Coastal Conservancy, but officials said they've been told the money won't be available until state revenues improve.