To: Board of Supervisors
From: Diane Burgis, District III Supervisor
Report Title: Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area Management Plan
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
AUTHORIZE the Chair, Board of Supervisors, to sign letter of commitment to the Delta Protection Commission for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area Management Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.
BACKGROUND:
The Delta Reform Act of 2009 called on the Delta Protection Commission (DPC) to pursue federal designation of the Delta as a National Heritage Area. National Heritage Areas are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, historic, and recreation resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape. They are a grassroot, community-driven approach to heritage conservation and economic development. Designated local coordinating entities collaborate with local partners to determine how to make heritage relevant to local interests and needs.
After years of tireless efforts by Congressman John Garamendi and Senator Dianne Feinstein, legislation establishing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area (NHA) and designating the Commission as the local coordinating entity was signed into law on March 12, 2019. The Commission’s first primary task is to prepare and receive approval from the Secretary of Interior for a management plan. The Congressional deadline for submitting the management plan is March 12, 2024, five years after designation. The management plan will outline the significance and purpose of the NHA, as well as the activities that the Commission and a regional network of partners will undertake through the 15-year authorization period ending in 2034.
DPC staff released the public review draft management plan for public review on February 5, 2024. Regional and nationwide National Park Service staff are conducting a concurrent review of the plan. The management plan includes an introduction and six chapters:
§ Introduction - Background on the NHA and its legislative foundation, the planning process, key partners, and foundational elements such as mission, vision, goals, significance, and themes.
§ Chapter 1, Understanding and Appreciating California’s Delta (Interpretation) - The interpretive thematic framework, the context for interpretation and education, existing interpretation in the NHA, target audiences, and objectives and strategies for interpretation.
§ Chapter 2, Stewarding the Delta’s Resources - Significant resources in the Delta, and challenges, opportunities, and strategies for resource stewardship.
§ Chapter 3: Supporting Tourism and Economic Development - Current trends in sustainable tourism, tourism in the NHA, and challenges, opportunities, objectives, and strategies for heritage development and tourism
§ Chapter 4: Connecting and Supporting the Partnership Network - Objectives and strategies for building and maintaining the network, enhancing partners' capacity, and funding projects.
§ Chapter 5: Establishing Sustainable Governance -The Commission as local coordinating entity, potential opportunities for governance in the future, the mission and vision, recommendations for management and governance structure, and a 5-year financial projection.
§ Chapter 6: Implementation, Evaluation, and Conclusion - An overview of the implementation plan through the 15-year authorization period (2034), the roles of the NHA in executing strategies, and evaluative measures for documenting success.
The deadline for submitting comments on the management plan is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. There were two in-person meetings on Wednesday, February 21 in Walnut Grove and Thursday, February 22 in Antioch, a meeting specifically for tribal representatives to be held on Monday, February 26, and a virtual public meeting on Wednesday, February 28. Commission staff are continuing to conduct outreach to tribes as part of our tribal consultation process. If the DPC approves the management plan at their March 7 meeting, DPC staff will prepare a final draft for submission to National Park Service for Secretary of the Interior review by March 12, 2024.
National Park Service has emphasized the need for letters of commitment showing that local partners will assist the DPC in implementing the management plan. The proposed letter identifies how the County can assist the DPC with carrying out specific management plan strategies.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area Management Plan is submitted without sufficient letters of support in the judgment of the National Park Service, it could jeopardize the Federal government’s approval of the Management Plan, delaying progress and funding.