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JPA hears update on trail and vegetation maintenance; crews remove invasives while grant and coordination continue
Summary
Staff reported initial maintenance work at Laguna Grande Park (invasive removal, debris pickup near Holiday Inn/Embassy Suites), permits in place, and that the $1.6 million recreational trails grant covers trail improvements; staff said poison‑oak/blackberry areas likely require specialist contracts and that surveys include protections for listed species.
At the March 9 meeting the Laguna Grande Joint Powers Agency received a staff update on the trail and vegetation maintenance strategy. Dan M. said permits are in place — including a streambed alteration agreement — and that limited maintenance work began in January 2026, with a measurable push March 2–5 near the Holiday Inn and Embassy Suites where crews cleared brush and removed debris.
Staff emphasized constraints: crews cannot cut tules in the water and must follow biological survey windows. Work to date used hand removal for invasive plants (no herbicide), with crews pulling roots where possible. Dan M. said the surveys used to authorize maintenance focus on invasive plants and on listed species such as the California red‑legged frog and western pond turtle; he stated nesting birds are also a consideration during the seasonal survey windows.
Several board members and public commenters pressed staff for a longer‑term maintenance plan and closer coordination with Monterey so work by separate crews produces sustained improvements rather than short‑term gains. Staff acknowledged that initial work prioritized areas that city crews could access quickly and that intensive areas — notably a section thick with poison oak and two types of blackberry — have not historically been maintained and will likely require specialized contractors or a targeted interagency plan before heavy work begins.
Dan M. confirmed that the recreational trails grant the agency received covers trail and pathway improvements (staff mentioned a grant amount of about $1.6 million for that program) and that the maintenance work shown at the meeting was funded from city general funds. Staff said the grant agreement and designer contract are in the signature and drafting phases; staff expects to return with more detailed cost estimates for phase‑one implementation at the April meeting.
Public commenters from conservation groups urged that biological monitoring and nesting‑bird surveys continue during maintenance to protect vulnerable species; Amanda Priest of the Monterey Audubon Society asked specifically that nesting‑bird surveys be part of the 14‑day windows described in the work plan. Staff replied that the consultants’ survey scope includes endangered amphibians and turtles and that surveys will account for nesting birds as required.
The board directed staff to continue interagency coordination, to inventory the poison‑oak/blackberry area and return with options (including whether a specialist contractor is needed), and to report estimated phase‑one costs at the next meeting. No formal funding decisions were made at the March 9 meeting.
