CC SR 20170307 01 - Conqueror Trail Improvements at Forrestal ReserveRANCHO PALOS VERDES CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 03/07/2017
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Regular Business
AGENDA DESCRIPTION:
Consideration and possible action to continue improvements to the Conqueror Trail at
the Forrestal Reserve in the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Direct Staff to complete improvements to the Conqueror Trail.
FISCAL IMPACT: None
Amount Budgeted: N/A
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): N/A
ORIGINATED BY: Katie Lozano, Administrative Analyst, Open Space Manager k
REVIEWED BY: Cory Linder, Director of Recreation and Parks � L_
APPROVED BY: Doug Willmore, City Managerli
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. Maps of Conqueror Project Area (A-1)
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION:
Conqueror Trail Proiect
Early December, Recreation and Parks Staff began a project to widen a 240 -foot -long
stretch of the Conqueror Trail by 2-3 feet in order to allow small vehicle access
(Polaris/Gator) between the Portuguese Bend and Forrestal Reserves for public safety,
enforcement, and maintenance purposes. Maps of the project area are attached
(Attachment A). The project has stopped and is currently half completed because of
concerns raised by some members of the public. Prior to commencing work, pursuant
to the Nature Preserve Management Agreement, Recreation and Parks Staff submitted
a project form to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (PVPLC) and
conducted a walk-through with PVPLC staff and local trail expert, Kurt Loheit. As the
Preserve's habitat manager, PVPLC staff concluded that the project would not involve
habitat take (removal) and therefore had no objections to this project. During this
process, Mr. Loheit gave recommendations on trail building and maintenance best
management practices.
The project area consists of an improved multi -use trail that has been historically used
for vehicular access. Around 2008, a section of the Conqueror trail was severely
1
damaged by water runoff/erosion and repaired to accommodate access for connectivity
purposes. The purpose of this project is to restore small vehicle access to this section
to reestablish the valuable access corridor between the Portuguese Bend and Forrestal
Reserves, which will allow better responsiveness by public safety, maintenance, and
enforcement personnel. It will also restore the only vehicle corridor through the
Forrestal Reserve, one of the City's most popular reserve areas.
One of the authorized purposes of vehicular access trails/roads in the Preserve is public
safety and enforcement. The Sheriff's Department has used vehicular access
trails/roads for enforcement and public safety in the Preserve on an as -needed basis.
In 2009, the City chose to have dedicated enforcement in the Preserve, and contracted
with the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) to patrol the
Preserve by truck and by foot approximately 40 hours each week. In July 2016, the City
ended its contract with MRCA, and began contracting with the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department for dedicated Preserve enforcement. Two Preserve deputies
currently patrol the Preserve by Polaris vehicle and by foot approximately 80 hours each
week. Deputies patrol by a combination of driving and hiking. Preserve use has
increased, and patrolling this way enables deputies to provide effective coverage to
more popular areas such as Burma Road Trail, as well as lesser used trails on the
outskirts of the Preserve. It also enables deputies to make contacts and a strong
presence in the Preserve to address, deter, and respond to bad behavior.
After City Staff had completed half of the work on Conqueror Trail, PVPLC volunteers
and some members of the public began to express concerns to City Staff about the
widening of the trail and excessive vehicle use in the Preserve and its potential impacts
to the habitat. At this point, the PVPLC Staff also submitted comments on the project
and vehicle access in the Preserve.
The concerns expressed and the misinformation that circulated around the community
alerted Recreation Staff that there needs to be better education of the public on
Preserve project information. Since then, Recreation and PVPLC staff have created a
more transparent process for more significant Preserve projects. The process now
includes agendizing projects, prior to their start, at quarterly Preserve Public Forum
Meetings, and if a project's timeline falls in between the quarterly timeline, sending a
listsery message to Preserve listsery subscribers. Furthermore, Recreation Staff will
issue a listsery message prior to commencing any more significant project in the
Preserve, not only to increase awareness of possible trail use impacts or closure, but to
give the public an opportunity to learn more about a project before commencing work.
As a result of this new process, a thorough presentation on roads/vehicular access trails
throughout the Preserve and the Conqueror Trail project was given at the January 18th
quarterly Preserve Public Forum, and comments were received from three attendees.
Staff also provided information to the public in attendance at the Preserve Public Forum
meeting on the improved transparent method of communication on future Preserve
projects.
2
Draft Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP)
Later this year, Staff will bring forward the draft NCCP for City Council consideration
and approval. The NCCP is the primary governing document for the Palos Verdes
Nature Preserve, and it will require the City, in cooperation with the PVPLC, to create
two documents that address vehicle access and trail widening. These documents are
the Preserve Access Protocol and the Trail Inspection and Maintenance Program.
Preserve Access Protocol
Vehicle access predates the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve. A handful of trails
throughout the Preserve have been historically used by vehicles and as a result were
incorporated into the Preserve Trails Plan as multi -use trails due to their width. Vehicle
access has occurred in the Preserve for a variety of purposes, including public utility
maintenance, storm drain maintenance, landslide monitoring and abatement,
enforcement, emergency response, habitat restoration, nursery school access, and
Preserve maintenance. These trails continue to be used for these purposes.
A requirement of the draft NCCP is for the City to develop a Preserve Access Protocol.
This protocol will formalize a process for authorized agencies/entities to access the
Preserve by vehicle in a controlled manner that minimizes impacts to biological
resources, including habitat. Since 2006, the City and PVPLC have been meeting with
utility companies to review their access needs and protocols, and have compiled a draft
list of roads/vehicular access trails that can be used by these authorized entities; this list
includes Conqueror Trail. The current list is a working draft of the City's best
understanding of trails required for vehicle use. It is considered a working draft,
because prior to the completion and implementation of the Preserve Access Protocol,
the City will reach out to approximately 15 entities (i.e., Southern California Edison,
CalWater Company, LA County Fire, etc.) that use the Preserve trails for vehicular
access to confirm their access needs and rights, and develop a plan that will minimize
and control the areas they can access by vehicles (some areas may be limited to foot
access only depending on location). Because the list is based on the City's
understanding of vehicle use over a 20 -year period of time, the City does not anticipate
many changes.
The specific 240 -foot -long project area on Conqueror Trail is a critical corridor for public
safety, enforcement, and maintenance, because once it is completed, it will restore the
only vehicle access corridor in the Forrestal Nature Reserve, as well the corridor
between two of the City's most popular and visited Reserve areas: Portuguese Bend
and Forrestal. The highest percentage of public use complaints, habitat damage, and
emergency rescues (in recent months) come from these two Reserves, and also in
adjacent Abalone Cove Reserve. It should be noted that vehicle access on dirt surface
trails in Forrestal will traverse only approximately 1/3 the length of the Reserve, then will
continue on paved City Streets (Main Sail and Forrestal Drives) to allow access to the
remaining 2/3rds of Forrestal Reserve. This corridor will result in improved
3
comprehensive safety and enforcement coverage in the Nature Preserve, and
significantly reduced response time. Currently, to respond to enforcement and public
safety issues from one Reserve to the other, personnel must leave the Reserves and
take surface streets, including busy Palos Verdes Drive South to travel to adjacent
Reserves in off-road vehicles not designed for use on public streets. This corridor is an
essential management tool that will allow public safety and enforcement personnel to
address Preserve misuse, habitat damage, and most importantly, public safety more
efficiently.
Trail Inspection and Maintenance Program
A common concern expressed in the past, and during the work on Conqueror Trail, is
the perception that trails are being widened in the Preserve to accommodate users and
by trail users leaving the trail bed. While a formal study has not been conducted to
determine the degree of trail widening occurring in the Preserve, Recreation and Parks
Staff is aware it is taking place, at least, in particular areas. Trail widening is a concern,
because it can negatively impact biological resources, detracts from the narrow trail
experience some users prefer, and may be a sign that the level of use is exceeding the
intended capacity of a trail/natural area. There are several factors contributing to trail
widening including poor/lack of trail design and maintenance, drought, and lack of public
education. Trail widening, and the overarching issue of overuse of open space/natural
areas, is a top -trending concern land managers are currently addressing. Effective
mitigation measures include designing sustainable trails to meet anticipated use,
effective trail maintenance, active management (including enforcement) of natural
areas, and public education and awareness. The City does not believe in widening
trails to accommodate particular user groups, nor does the City believe that all the
Preserve trails should be widened to accommodate vehicles.
The draft NCCP that the City Council will consider later this year will require that the
City work with the PVPLC to create an essential tool to address and prevent the
proliferation of trail widening: the Trail Inspection and Maintenance Program. This
program will monitor trail conditions, detect habitat degradation and may define a
strategy to engineer more sustainable trails. Additionally, the NCCP will contain a
method for measuring and determining if a trail has significantly widened. This tool for
measuring widening and habitat degradation is important to the City, because the City
will be penalized for habitat take when a trail has widened.
CONCLUSION:
It is recommended that City Council direct City Staff to continue work on the 240 -foot -
long section of Conqueror Trail to accommodate small vehicle use that will provide a
valuable tool to improve public safety, enforcement, and maintenance response in two
of the City's most popular Reserves: Portuguese Bend and Forrestal. Moreover, this
project does not involve removal of habitat and was implemented using best
management practices. Rather than removing this valuable management tool, which
will help Staff and enforcement personnel combat negative impacts to biological
El
resources and better manage the Preserve,
contributors to trail widening and vehicle mis
mandated Preserve Access Protocol and the
Program.
ALTERNATIVES:
Staff will address the underlying
use Preserve -wide through the draft NCCP
Trails Inspection and Maintenance
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available
for the City Council's consideration:
1. Discontinue work on Conqueror Trail.
2. Provide Staff with further direction on the trail improvements to the
Conqueror Trail.
5
Hl-
� r
�
P
..
cTv
�
N
S
m in
O
V a
❑ �-I
O
y
LU"
C�7
> U a O ,B
a¢❑❑❑❑ O
w
�-
�'
O
w
y. *ice i9s -
t O__a
Ln
m
V
C
e
+ g
_
41
i
]�
F
ryyy u
O
.19•. 1(1111
�iy'!i. ^ ;
� f
� y!1
as
0
o
+ �J
sw
4
A-1
v
04
o
10
� � o
z
JJ
O
e�
,
w r
� r
N
� 3��a\� 1 �i,�no ♦, �� aye
G° 40"
rya •fir"', Fo�teS� f E3
a s�
IL
�O O
E
LL
d`a
❑ aa U
Ly i
V Z = C (0
?�--� w C N O Y C
N 'OC N J J
moa @ m a o ZM a m
n o c
m (r `m
SAO- y /iP���,• pigadp` h Cr [Y d In J
�oy�
1
m m a Aw CL :3 O
y _ m m �, w
.45
m c
w J
In O
z m mss acu m m Q) o/
WA
� N
"' O a d N
>
O� a
a:
A-2