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During the past 40 years, the Santa Rosa Plain has been transformed from an area which was a rural residential, agricultural area with large expanses of open space to a more urbanized and intensely agricultural area with less open space. This change in land use has resulted in a substantial loss of seasonal wetland habitat, especially vernal pools. This loss of seasonal wetlands has become so severe that several plant species which are adapted to live in vernal pools in the Santa Rosa Plain have been listed as federally protected endangered species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. These endangered plant species are: Sonoma sunshine (Blennosperma bakeri), Burke's goldfields (Lasthenia burkei), Sebastopol meadowfoam (Limnanthes vinculans), and Many-flowered navarretia (Navarretia leucociphala spp. plieantha). Also, the Sonoma County population segment of the California Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense) is listed as federally endangered.
In 1991, it was recognized a plan was needed to balance land use changes in the Plain, and protect and restore natural habitat values for future generations. A congressionally appointed Vernal Pool Task Force was formed to bring together federal, state and local agencies, as well as landowners and local interest groups. A goal of the Task Force was to develop a Plan containing policies and guidance for future land use and vernal pool ecosystem protection in the Santa Rosa Plain. The Plan was completed on June 30, 1995, and is called: Phase 1 Final Report, Santa Rosa Plain Vernal Pool Ecosystem Preservation Plan.
The historic loss of seasonal wetlands on the Santa Rosa Plain, prompted the Corps of Engineers to limit the use of nationwide permits on the Santa Rosa Plain to increase the protection of these valuable natural resources. We have created several links to the documents explaining these limitations to help the public understand them. If you have questions regarding Corps of Engineers' policy on the Santa Rosa Plain, please contact a staff person in the North Section of the Regulatory Branch.
Links to Santa Rosa Plain Policy Documents:
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Pre-construction notification (PCN) to the Corps is required for the following nationwide permits (NWPs) in the Santa Rosa Plain, Sonoma County: NWPs 12, 14, 39, 40, 41, 42 and 43. PCNs are required even for proposed losses of 1/10 acre or less. For details (including information about other regional conditions added to the NWPs, see the San Francisco District Regional Conditions to the Nationwide Permits, which were issued on March 16, 2012.
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Phase 1 Final Report, Santa Rosa Plain Vernal Pool Ecosystem Preservation Plan (June 30, 1995). (47 MB file)
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Mitigation Bank Policy that reserves a portion of the bank credits for projects with creation mitigation requirements of 3 acres or less of wetlands. PN 02-03 (Final) dated March 5, 2003.
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Training Manual to Evaluate Habitat Quality of the Vernal Pool (December, 1998) (3.3 MB file)
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USFWS Final Rule Listing the Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment of the California Tiger Salamander as an Endangered Species (March 19, 2003). For more details, see the Federal Register dated March 19, 2003.
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USFWS Programmatic Formal Consultation for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 404 Permitted Projects that May Affect California Tiger Salamander and Three Endangered Plant Species on the Santa Rosa Plain, California , dated November 9, 2007, as amended April 13, 2009.
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Information and Questions & Answers about Programmatic Consultation for Endangered Plants on the Santa Rosa Plain.
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