Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wildlife Habitat topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents, conservationists urge Lincoln to protect Western spadefoot habitat as Village 5 and 7 projects advance
Summary
Speakers at the City of Lincoln meeting pressed council and staff to require habitat surveys and mitigation — including underpasses or elevated roadways — to protect the Western spadefoot amid planned Village 5A and Village 7 development and Moore Road widening.
Speakers at a City of Lincoln council meeting on the evening of the regular session urged city officials and developers to protect the Western spadefoot, a locally rare amphibian, as the Village 5A and Village 7 development projects and Moore Road widening proceed.
The request matters because Western spadefoots rely on vernal pool and upland habitat in the Auburn Ravine watershed; speakers said Lincoln’s population may be one of the last stable groups in Placer County. Catherine Bruce Slater, former attorney for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and a Sierra Club Placer Group volunteer, told the council federal and state authorities are already flagging the species. “The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has designated Western spadefoots as a priority 1 species of special concern,” Slater said, and she noted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the species under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Public commenters described habitat fragmentation and road mortality on Moore Road as the primary threats. Marcia Schnapp, a member of the Friends of the Lincoln Crossing Nature Preserve, said Village 5A includes a stated conservation set‑aside and asked the council to press developers to include spadefoot habitat in those preserved areas and to consider infrastructure changes so the amphibians can cross Moore Road safely. “Part of that might be elevating Moore Road in certain spots to allow for them to get underneath the road,” Schnapp said. River Steen, a resident who described field observations, recommended known mitigation measures such as amphibian underpasses, elevated roadways and drainage designs that maintain vernal‑pool hydrology. Doug Taylor, a resident who identified himself as having studied reptiles and amphibians for many years, told the council the local population is likely “the last remaining population in our county.”
City staff and councilors responded that some mitigation is already required under existing project approvals. Staff noted the Village 7 mitigation plans include habitat preservation measures and that Village 5 is subject to the Placer County Conservation Program (PCCP) rules; those measures typically focus on preserving or acquiring habitat. Council members and staff said they would follow up with developers and review whether additional measures, such as targeted surveys, roadway undercrossings or other site‑specific mitigation, can be added or encouraged. “Working with the developer may be the most effective path,” a staff member said during council discussion.
The council did not take a legislative action during the meeting on the spadefoot issue; the record shows public comment and staff acknowledgment that mitigation requirements exist but that additional developer coordination may be needed. Speakers asked the city to require targeted surveys for the species, to include underpasses or similar crossing solutions where feasible, and to seek developer commitments where Village project approvals allow or where the city’s capital improvements program could add protective crossings.
City staff and council members also discussed the technical and regulatory context for mitigation. One staffer noted some mitigation measures in previously approved environmental impact reports are already “baked in,” while others suggested inviting Placer County’s conservation program or project developers back to the city for a workshop to explain mitigation options and how they are applied.
The public’s requests included the following specific proposals: require spadefoot surveys for Village 5A and Village 7; evaluate and, where feasible, require amphibian underpasses or elevated roadway sections on Moore Road; incorporate preserved habitat into set‑asides so housing backs up to conserved acreage rather than replacing it entirely; and coordinate with local landholders such as Lincoln High School to preserve contiguous habitat where possible.
The council directed staff to continue conversations with the developers and to check mitigation requirements; no ordinance, resolution or contract change was adopted during the meeting. Staff indicated they will follow up with project teams and that additional discussion, potentially including a workshop on county mitigation practices, could be scheduled.
