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18713 | 6-B COLOEN and 100 Exhibit 3 ears To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Alameda Recreation and Park Commission RE: Recreation and Parks Commission Meeting, December 12, 2019, Item 6B Date: December 10, 2019 Ladies and Gentlemen: We are writing to request that the Commission assign the highest priority to the planning and development of the proposed Shoreline Ecological Park on the west side of Seaplane Lagoon at Alameda Point, commonly known as De-Pave Park. We believe that it's time, in fact past time, to move forward on De-Pave Park. The park concept was included in the 2014 Alameda Point Town and Waterfront Precise Plan and is highlighted as "A Case Study in Adaptive Land Use and Shoreline Management" in Alameda's 2019 Climate Action Plan (pages 124 and 125). But De-Pave Park can't give us any of its critical projected benefits while it is still only on paper. Seaplane Lagoon and its surrounding area around provides rare and precious habitat for wildlife, including a nesting pair of Ospreys, as well as nesting herons and other resident and migrating shore and water birds. As the city increases the commercial and transportation uses at Alameda Point, it is critical to consider the needs of the wildlife that are being compromised by that development. The additional wildlife area planned in De-Pave Park will be particularly valuable because it will enhance and support the Veteran's Administration's adjacent wildlife area. Many birds such as the Great Blue Herons, Least Terns, Caspian Terns and more that nest on the VA properties rely on the protected waters of the Seaplane Lagoon to forage. It is especially important during storms creating high winds and rough waters on the open SF Bay. In addition, tidal marsh reduces a major cause of climate change, carbon dioxide, and mitigates the effects of sea level rise by buffering waves and absorbing storm surges. Marshes operate as "carbon sinks" because of the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed through photosynthesis by the prolific wetland vegetation. These sinks are especially important in highly urbanized areas, like the San Francisco Bay Area. De-Pave Park ranks high on the suggested prioritization factors: While the project is not yet funded, there are excellent opportunities for funding habitat restoration projects, most significantly Measure AA. (East Bay Regional Parks has previously been awarded Measure AA funds for restoration of and access to Encinal Dunes.) The Bayshore access, wildlife habitat and climate change benefits from De-Pave Park would benefit the entire community of Alameda. GOLDEN GATE AUDUBON SOCIETY 2530 San Pablo Avenue, Suite G, Berkeley, CA 94702 phone 510.843.2222 web www.goldengateaudubon.org email ggas@goldengateaudubon.org |