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CITY REPRESENTATIVE ON THE BCCP COORDINATING PLAN COMMITTEE.
UM, I'VE BEEN WAITING A VERY LONG TIME TO BE HERE.
I WAS ENVIOUS THAT LESLIE POOLE GOT TO BE IN THIS SEAT FOR SO MANY YEARS, BUT SHE DID A FANTASTIC JOB.
SO, UH, WE CERTAINLY MISS HER PRESENCE IN CITY HALL AND I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE JOINING YOU TODAY.
I AM THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL MEMBER FOR DISTRICT EIGHT.
I AM JOINED BY OUR TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER REPRESENTATIVE FOR PRECINCT TWO, BRIDGET SHEA, UM, AND CHRISTINA WILLIAMS FROM US FISH AND WILDLIFE, AND OUR BCCP OFFICER KIMBERLY HARVEY TODAY.
WE ARE IN AUSTIN CITY HALL AND IT IS 1:09 PM FOR THE RECORD.
DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS SIGNED UP TODAY? NO, NOBODY SIGNED UP.
[1. Approve Record of Decisions for November 1, 2024 Regular Meeting]
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION.NUMBER ONE IS APPROVAL OF THE RECORD OF DECISIONS FOR NOVEMBER 1ST, 2024, REGULAR MEETING.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE DECISIONS? MOVED BY COMMISSIONER SHEA, SECONDED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.
[2. FY2024 BCCP Annual Report Submitted to USFWS and Posted Online – BCCP Officer]
ITEM NUMBER TWO IS FISCAL YEAR 2024 BCCP ANNUAL REPORT SUBMITTED TO US FISH AND WILDLIFE AND POSTED ONLINE, AND WE'LL HAVE THAT PRESENTATION FROM OUR BCCP OFFICER.I'D LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE SUCCESSFULLY SUBMITTED OUR FY 24 BCCP ANNUAL REPORT TO THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE.
IT'S ALSO BEEN POSTED TO TRAVIS COUNTY'S BCCP WEBSITE.
THE BEST WAY TO FIND THAT IS DO BCCP REPORTS AND IT WILL POP UP A LINK.
THERE ARE SEVERAL OF THE PAST YEAR'S ANNUAL REPORTS THERE AND A LOT OF INTERESTING STUFF, ESPECIALLY ALL OF, UH, THE RESEARCH THAT'S BEEN DONE OVER THE YEAR.
SO I ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK IT OUT.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM EITHER OF US? I DO NOT.
APPEARS THAT'S QUITE STRAIGHTFORWARD.
[3. BCCP 29th Anniversary and Looking Ahead to Permit Renewal– BCCP Officer]
ITEM NUMBER THREE IS BCCP 29TH ANNIVERSARY AND LOOKING AHEAD TO PERMIT RENEWAL.WELL, I HAVE A PRESENTATION FOR YOU TODAY.
UH, TODAY MARKS THE 29TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ISSUANCE OF THE BALCONES CANYONLANDS CONSERVATION PLAN PERMIT BY THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN OUR REGION'S LEGACY OF CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP.
THIS PERMIT ISSUED ON MAY 2ND, 1996, REPRESENTED ONE OF THE NATION'S EARLIEST AND MOST AMBITIOUS REGIONAL HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT.
FOR NEARLY THREE DECADES, THE BCCP HAS SUCCESSFULLY BALANCED THE NEEDS OF URBAN GROWTH AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT WITH THE PROTECTION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES AND THEIR HABITATS.
THE ESTABLISHMENT AND STEWARDSHIP OF THE BALCONES CANYONLANDS PRESERVE HAS NOT ONLY PROTECTED RARE AND ENDEMIC SPECIES, BUT ALSO SUPPORTED REGIONAL BIODIVERSITY, WATER QUALITY, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, AND PUBLIC APPRECIATION OF CENTRAL TEXAS'S NATURAL HERITAGE.
THIS IS A PHOTO FROM THE SIGNING OF THE PERMIT, UH, BACK IN 1996.
YOU MAY RECOGNIZE SOME FAMILIAR FOLKS THERE.
I THINK THAT'S GERALD NEXT TO HIM, BUT I'M NOT POSITIVE.
BILL SHAR AND I THINK MARK ROSE.
WAS HE ON THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT THEN? NOT SURE ANYBODY KNOW.
I WAS AROUND THEN, BUT I DON'T REMEMBER IF HE WAS IN THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
SO, AS WE COMMEMORATE THIS ANNIVERSARY, WE ARE ALSO MARKING A NEW CHAPTER OF LEADERSHIP AND COLLABORATION.
WE'D LIKE TO WELCOME OUR NEW COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER PAIGE ALTER, RECENTLY APPOINTED PAIGE, PAIGE ELLIS, I'M SO SORRY,
IN ADDITION, BOTH THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY HAVE BROUGHT ON NEW STAFF TO LEAD THEIR RESPECTIVE BCP PROGRAMS. I'M HAPPY TO INTRODUCE JEREMY HALL AS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF TRAVIS COUNTY NATURAL RESOURCES.
JEREMY, WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND UP? JEREMY BRINGS OVER 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN FIELD BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT, ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSERVATION AND STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION TO THIS ROLE.
OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS WITH TRAVIS COUNTY, HE HAS SERVED AS VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR, COMMUNITY LIAISON, BCP, VISITOR CENTER MANAGER AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT MANAGER, FOCUSING ON CONSERVATION EDUCATION OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING FOR THE BCP.
BEFORE JOINING THE COUNTY, JEREMY WORKED IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING, IS AN APPLIED RESEARCHER SPECIALIZING IN ENDANGERED SPECIES CONTRIBUTING TO CONSERVATION EFFORTS FOR DOZENS OF ENDANGERED SPECIES ACROSS SEVEN STATES.
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US FROM THE EDWARDS AQUIFER AUTHORITY WHERE SHE SERVED AS THE HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN COORDINATOR.OLIVIA, WILL YOU PLEASE STAND UP? OH, IN THAT ROLE, SHE WORKED CLOSELY WITH PERMITEES AND STAKEHOLDERS TO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT KEY CONSERVATION INITIATIVES UNDER THE EDWARDS AQUIFER HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN.
HER PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND ALSO INCLUDES POSITIONS WITH THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER AUTHORITY.
BEYOND HER AGENCY ROLES, OLIVIA ALSO SERVES AS VICE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN COALITION.
THESE TRANSITIONS REFLECT THE ENDURING INTERGENERATIONAL NATURE OF THIS WORK AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINING AND EVOLVING IT TO MEET EMERGING CHALLENGES.
THE BCCP REMAINS A MODEL FOR COLLABORATIVE CONSERVATION BUILT ON PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN GOVERNMENT, LANDOWNERS, SCIENTISTS, AND THE BROADER COMMUNITY.
AS WE CELEBRATE 29 YEARS OF PROGRESS, WE ALSO REAFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF CONSERVATION IN CENTRAL TEXAS WITH THE PERMIT RENEWAL PROCESS UNDERWAY.
THIS IS OUR MOMENT TO SHAPE A FUTURE WHERE CONSERVATION CONTINUES TO COEXIST WITH A THRIVING RESILIENT REGION.
THIS 29 YEAR MARK IS NOT ONLY A TIME TO REFLECT, BUT ALSO A CRITICAL MOMENT TO LOOK AHEAD.
THE ORIGINAL BCCP PERMIT WAS ISSUED FOR 30 YEARS, WHICH MEANS WE ARE NOW IN THE FINAL YEAR OF THE CURRENT PERMITS TERM.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY AS JOINT PERMIT HOLDERS ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE BCCP PERMIT, RENEWAL AND UPDATE PROCESS WITH THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE.
THIS IS A PIVOTAL OPPORTUNITY TO MODERNIZE THE PLAN, INCORPORATE THE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE, ADDRESS EMERGING CONSERVATION AND CLIMATE CHALLENGES, AND ENSURE THE CONTINUED VIABILITY OF THE PLAN INTO THE FUTURE.
OUR UPCOMING DISCUSSION WILL FOCUS ON KEY ELEMENTS OF THE RENEWAL PROCESS INCLUDED, INCLUDING UPDATED GUIDANCE FROM THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, THE STEPS WE'RE TAKING TO MOVE FORWARD TO ENSURE THAT IT IS ROBUST, LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE AND ECOLOGICALLY SOUND.
I'LL EXPLAIN WHY THE BALCONES CANYONLANDS CONSERVATION PLAN REQUIRES AN AMENDMENT TO RENEW ITS FEDERAL PERMIT AND WHY THIS IS NOT ONLY NECESSARY BUT BENEFICIAL FOR OUR COMMUNITY, OUR ENVIRONMENT, AND THE FUTURE GROWTH OF TRAVIS COUNTY IN 2019.
THE BCCP COORDINATING COMMITTEE CHARTERED A CLEAR TWO PHASED PATH.
THE 2019 IN PERMIT OPTIONS REPORT ENDORSED A STRATEGY COMBINING OPTION TWO TO EXTEND THE PERMIT DURATION AND OPTION THREE TO MAKE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES.
THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES OPTION INCLUDED TWO PHASES.
PHASE ONE WAS THE MAKEOVER PROCESS THAT INCLUDES SEPARATING THE EIS FROM THE HCP TO CREATE A STANDALONE HCP AND IMPROVING FORMATTING MAPPING AND ONLINE ACCESSIBILITY.
IT WOULD ALSO INCLUDE FIXING ERRORS IN CORRECTING INCONSISTENCIES.
A SECOND PHASE OF WORK BEGINS AFTER THE MAKEOVER TO EVALUATE THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES OR A PERMANENT AMENDMENT.
IT WAS ENVISIONED AT THAT TIME THAT A PERMANENT EXTENSION COULD BE ACCOMPLISHED AS PART OF A PERMANENT AMENDMENT THAT COULD ADDRESS LARGER NEEDS OF THE BCCP THAT MAY EMERGE BY THE END OF THE FIRST 30 YEAR TERM, AND THAT IS THE SITUATION WE FIND OURSELVES IN TODAY.
WE HAVE UPDATED AND RESTATED THE B-C-C-P-I-L-A AND SHARED VISION, WHICH WAS THE DOCUMENT THAT DESCRIBED HOW THE CITY AND COUNTY WHICH SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF ADMINISTERING THE PERMIT.
WE ARE CLOSE TO EXECUTING A COST SHARING ILA THAT APPROVES, UH, A CONSULTANT TO SUPPORT US THROUGH THE PERMIT RENEWAL PROCESS.
WE DID SUBMIT A PERMIT EXTENSION WITH NO CHANGES APPLICATION TO THE SERVICE.
HOWEVER, WE NEED TO REVISE AND RESUBMIT THAT, AND I'LL EXPLAIN THAT IN A MOMENT.
THE COUNTY HAS ENGAGED A CONSULTANT TO EVALUATE ADDITIONAL SPECIES OPTIONS.
THAT DRAFT REPORT CAME OUT LAST MONTH, AND IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING IT WILL BE PRESENTED TO COMMISSIONER'S COURT EARLY NEXT MONTH.
AND THE CITY HAS ALSO LAUNCHED A CROSS DEPARTMENTAL ENDANGERED SPECIES WORKING GROUP TO LOOK AT CITY OPERATIONS IN TERMS OF THESE NEW SPECIES AS WELL.
RECENT GUIDANCE FROM THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE MAKE IT CLEAR THE PREVIOUSLY USED PATH FOR PERMIT EXTENSION WITHOUT CHANGES IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE DUE TO UPDATED FEDERAL REGULATIONS.
PER CURRENT REGULATIONS, ANY AMENDMENT OR RENEWAL OF AN EXISTING PERMIT IS A NEW SERVICE DECISION AND IS SUBJECT TO ALL CURRENT RELEVANT LAWS AND REGULATIONS.
FURTHERMORE, THE SERVICE WILL EVALUATE THE APPLICATION FOR RENEWAL BASED ON CURRENT POLICIES AND GUIDANCE,
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AND WE MUST MEET ISSUANCE CRITERIA BASED ON THE CURRENT BEST AVAILABLE SCIENTIFIC DATA.BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN REGULATORY AND POLICY CHANGES SINCE THE BCPS APPROVAL IN 1996, THE BCCP CANNOT OBTAIN AN AMENDMENT TO ONLY EXTEND THE DURATION OF THE INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT.
THE UPDATE TO SECTION 10 REGULATIONS CODIFIED RECENT POLICY CHANGES MADE BY THE SERVICE EXPANDING THE LIST OF REQUIREMENTS THAT A CONSERVATION PLAN MUST HAVE FOR AN INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT APPLICATION.
THE BCCP WILL REQUIRE A COMPLETE EVALUATION TO DETERMINE ALL THE WAYS IT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED TO CONFORM TO CURRENT SERVICE POLICY, AND TO INCORPORATE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENTIFIC DATA.
AS A RESULT, THE BCCP MUST NOW RESUBMIT THE PERMIT RENEWAL APPLICATION AS A PERMIT RENEWAL WITH CHANGES ON THE APPLICATION OPTION.
THESE ARE THE KEY DIRECTIVES FROM THE SERVICE EXPLAINING WHAT TASKS NEED TO BE PERFORMED AND EVALUATED IN ORDER TO COME UP TO THOSE CURRENT REGULATIONS.
SO THIS MEANS THAT EVEN PREVIOUSLY APPROVED HCPS SEEKING RENEWAL MUST BE UPDATED TO REFLECT CONTEMPORARY BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE PERMIT CONDITIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE BCCP.
THAT MEANS INCLUDING UPDATED BIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS FOR BCCP COVERED SPECIES AND SPECIES LISTED OR IN CONSIDERATION OF, OF BEING LISTED SINCE THE ISSUANCE OF THE PERMIT, UPDATED PUBLIC REVIEW REQUIREMENTS AND NEPA COMPLIANCE.
AS A RESULT, A SIMPLE TIME EXTENSION OF THE BCCP PERMIT WITHOUT UPDATES IS NO LONGER AN OPTION, AND WE MUST NOW MOVE DIRECTLY INTO A MORE COMPREHENSIVE RENEWAL APPLICATION PROCESS WITH FULL NEPA ANALYSIS AND PUBLIC REVIEW.
REVISING AND RESUBMITTING THE B-C-C-C-P PERMIT APPLICATION USING THE RENEWAL WITH CHANGES OPTION DOES NOT APPROVE ANY SPECIFIC CHANGES TO THE BCCP PERMIT OR HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN.
ANY RECOMMENDATIONS RESULTING FROM THIS WORK AND RENEWAL NEGOTIATION PROCESS WITH THE SERVICE WILL BE BROUGHT BACK TO THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE, CITY COUNCIL AND TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT FOR APPROVAL BEFORE THE SERVICE ISSUES AN UPDATED AND RENEWED BCCP PERMIT ADDITIONAL SPECIES EVALUATION.
SO EVALUATION DOESN'T EQUAL AUTOMATIC INCLUSION IN THE BCCP TO BE COVERED FOR TAKE.
WE WILL BE THOROUGH AND TRANSPARENT IN LOOKING AT ALL OUR OPTIONS, WHICH BASICALLY INCLUDE ADDING THE SPECIES TO THE BCCP PURSUING A SEPARATE INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT AND HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN FOR TAKE COVERAGE OF THOSE SPECIES OR A COMBINATION OF THOSE TWO OPTIONS OR WHETHER NO ACTION WOULD BE NEEDED AT ALL.
SO THOSE WILL THE ARE THE THINGS WE'LL BE EVALUATING AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
AND YOU'LL SEE ON THE SLIDE THE LIST OF THE MANY SPECIES WE'RE, UH, HAVING TO CONSIDER THE BCCP PERMIT RENEWAL PROCESS WILL HAVE ROBUST PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT.
THERE WILL BE BOTH FORMAL NEPA PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND OUR OWN LOCAL FORUMS AS THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND APPROVALS MOVE THROUGH THE BCCP COORDINATING COMMITTEE, CITY COUNCIL AND COMMISSIONER'S COURT.
AND THAT WILL ENSURE THE PUBLIC IS PART OF THIS PROCESS AT EVERY KEY POINT.
COMPLETING THE INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT RENEWAL PROCESS REQUIRES COMPLETION OF A DRAFT AMENDED BCCP, WHICH WILL REQUIRE A PLANNING PROCESS BEYOND ONE YEAR.
SO THE RENEWAL SUBMITTALS WILL NOT BE COMPLETE BY MAY, 2026.
THE SERVICE IS FAMILIAR WITH THIS SITUATION ARISING IN THE CONTEXT OF INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT RENEWALS, WHICH OFTEN REQUIRE EXTENDED PLANNING PROCESSES.
AS A RESULT, THEIR POLICY IN PRACTICE IS TO REQUEST NOTIFICATION OF THE INTENT TO RETO RENEW AT LEAST 30 DAYS PRIOR TO THE END OF THE PERMIT TERM AND TAKE COVERAGE REMAINS IN PLACE, PROVIDED THAT THE PERMITEE CONTINUES TO WORK IN GOOD FAITH ON THE HCP RENEWAL.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS ONCE WE REVISE AND RESUBMIT THE PERMIT RENEWAL APPLICATION USING THE CHECKBOX FOR PERMIT RENEWAL WITH CHANGES AND UPLOAD THAT INTO THE SERVICES E PERMIT SYSTEM, WE WILL HAVE CONTINUED BCCP PERMIT AUTHORITY BEYOND MAY 2ND, 2026.
AND I JUST WANT TO, UH, LOOK TO CHRISTINA JUST TO VERIFY THAT I SAID THAT CORRECTLY.
AMENDING THE BCCP PERMIT DURING A TIME OF FEDERAL STAFFING SHORTAGES, REGULATORY INSTABILITY, AND WEAKENING ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS CARRIES REAL RISKS, INCLUDING LONGER REVIEW TIMES, SHIFTING AGENCY EXPECTATIONS AND POTENTIAL
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LEGAL VULNERABILITY.HOWEVER, BY APPROACHING THIS PROCESS PROACTIVELY AND STRATEGICALLY, WE HAVE A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY TO MODERNIZE THE BCCP IN A WAY THAT STRENGTHENS ITS CONSERVATION MISSION, ENSURING REGULATORY DURABILITY, AND SECURES LONG-TERM COMMUNITY BENEFITS.
THE BCCP PERMIT AMENDMENT IS NOT JUST A REGULATORY REQUIREMENT, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO ENSURE THAT THE PERMIT REMAINS EFFECTIVE AND ADAPTABLE OVER TIME.
IT HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED NATIONALLY AS A MODEL FOR BALANCING CONSERVATION WITH RESPONSIBLE GROWTH.
THE PERMIT AMENDMENT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD ON THAT SUCCESS BY ENSURING THE BCCP REMAINS A CUTTING EDGE EXAMPLE OF COLLABORATIVE SCIENCE-BASED CONSERVATION.
IN AN ERA OF RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, ADVANCES IN ECOLOGICAL SCIENCE, HABITAT MODELING AND SPECIES MONITORING NOW ALLOW US TO BETTER IDENTIFY AND MANAGE KEY HABITAT AREAS.
UPDATING THE PERMIT ENABLES THE BCCP TO INTEGRATE THE LATEST RESEARCH ON SPECIES NEEDS, HABITAT CONNECTIVITY AND ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT, STRENGTHENING PROTECTIONS FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES WHILE MAINTAINING REGULATORY EFFICIENCY FOR DEVELOPMENT.
CENTRAL TEXAS FACES INCREASING PRESSURES FROM CLIMATE CHANGE, INCLUDING HIGHER TEMPERATURES, LONGER DROUGHTS, AND MORE INTENSE WILDFIRE RISKS.
THROUGH THIS RENEWAL PROCESS, THE BCCP CAN PROACTIVELY INCORPORATE CLIMATE RESILIENCE STRATEGIES SUCH AS PROTECTING CLIMATE UGIA, SUPPORTING LANDSCAPE SCALE HABITAT CORRIDORS, AND UPDATING FIRE MANAGEMENT PROTOCOLS.
ENSURING THE PRESERVE MEANS A VIABLE SPECIES FOR PEOPLE ALIKE AND DECADES TO COME.
A RENEWED AND MODIFIED BCCP PERMIT PROVIDES REGULATORY CERTAINTY FOR LANDOWNERS, DEVELOPERS, AND PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.
BY ALIGNING WITH TODAY'S LEGAL AND SCIENTIFIC STANDARDS, WE CAN MINIMIZE FUTURE LITIGATION RISKS, REDUCE PROJECT DELAYS, AND CONTINUE OFFERING A CLEAR, PREDICTABLE PATH FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT.
BY STRENGTHENING THE BCCP, AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY REAFFIRMED THEIR SHARED COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, SUSTAINABILITY, AND SMART GROWTH.
THIS PROCESS SIGNALS TO THE PUBLIC, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AND STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES THAT OUR REGION PLANS FOR THE LONG TERM EMBRACING SCIENCE AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT TO SUPPORT BOTH ECOLOGICAL HEALTH AND ECONOMIC VITALITY.
IN CLOSING, WE'RE ON A FAMILIAR PATH JUST WITH AN UPDATED PROCESS.
THE WORK AHEAD IS SUBSTANTIAL BUT GROUNDED IN A STRONG FOUNDATION OF REGIONAL COORDINATION AND COMMUNITY BENEFIT.
I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THE THOUGHTFULNESS GUIDING OUR WORK.
THE PERMIT RENEWAL RESUBMITTAL IS A NECESSARY ADJUSTMENT BASED ON UPDATED FEDERAL GUIDANCE.
EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO REMAINS GROUNDED IN THAT TWO PHASE STRATEGY, MODERNIZE THE BCCP AND LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR LONG-TERM PERMIT RENEWAL.
THE BCCP PERMIT RENEWAL IS A COMPLEX BUT TIMELY OPPORTUNITY TO REAFFIRM OUR COMMUNITY'S LEADERSHIP AND BALANCING GROWTH AND CONSERVATION.
WITH YOUR SUPPORT, WE CAN NAVIGATE THESE CHALLENGES AHEAD, STRENGTHEN OUR COMMITMENT TO SCIENCE-BASED STEWARDSHIP, AND ENSURE THE PRESERVE CONTINUES TO PROTECT WHAT MAKES CENTRAL CZE UNIQUE FOR PEOPLE, FOR WILDLIFE AND FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
AND WE'RE EXCITED TO CONTINUE ON THIS WORK AND BRING THIS UPDATE TO YOU TODAY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT PRESENTATION.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I HAVE MAYBE ONE OR TWO, BUT WANTED TO MAKE SURE COMMISSIONER SHA HAS ANY YEAH, I HAVE A QUESTION.
DO WE HAVE, UM, A SORT OF A GENERAL TIMEFRAME FOR HOW LONG THIS, UM, REVISED PROCESS WILL TAKE? I MEAN, IT COULD BE A WAG.
I'M JUST WONDERING IF WE HAVE ANY SENSE OF HOW LONG IT MIGHT TAKE OR WHAT WE'RE PLANNING ON.
UM, FROM, FROM MY EXPERIENCE WITH OTHER HCPS GOING THROUGH THIS, IT'S A SEVERAL YEAR PROCESS.
UM, HOWEVER WE HAVE SOME NEW CHALLENGES, UM, TO FACE WITH REDUCTION IN STAFFING.
UM, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW THAT WILL AFFECT THE TIMEFRAMES OF REVIEW AT THE SERVICE.
UM, BUT WE'RE DEDICATED TO HANG IN THERE
WELL, AND IT'S DEFINITELY TIME FOR US TO BE REALLY CELEBRATING.
I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE OLDEST, MAYBE NOT THE OLDEST, BUT ONE OF THE OLDEST HABITAT CONSERVATION PLANS, UH, IN THE COUNTRY.
AND, UM, I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT, UM, THERE'S GREAT BEAUTY AND UM, UH, MUCH APPRECIATION FOR THE LAND THAT WE'VE PRESERVED FOR THE SPECIES.
AND I WANNA DOVETAIL ON THAT QUESTION.
UM, WHERE SHOULD PEOPLE LOOK FOR INPUT OPPORTUNITIES? I KNOW THIS CAN BE A LENGTHY PROCESS.
UH, WOULD THOSE BE ON THE BCCP COORDINATING COMMITTEE WEBPAGE OR WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE SHOULD SIGN UP FOR
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US FISH AND WILDLIFE UPDATES TO FLAG? YOU KNOW, WHEN THIS ONE IN PARTICULAR IS COMING FOR ANY SORTS OF PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, WELL, WE STILL HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT WITH OUR OUTREACH GROUP, BUT THE COUNTY'S BCCP WEBSITE IS VERY ROBUST AND THAT'S USUALLY WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THE INFORMATION IS.THAT'S WHERE ANNUAL REPORTS ARE POSTED.
AND SO WE WILL DEFINITELY MAKE SURE TO HAVE A KIND OF FAQ FOR THE PUBLIC FOR OPPORTUNITIES, UM, ONCE WE REALLY NAIL DOWN WHAT THAT PROCESS IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
SO WHEN WE HAVE AN IDEA OF WHEN THOSE OPPORTUNITIES MIGHT COME UP, WE'LL MAKE SURE TO GET THOSE OUT AHEAD OF TIME.
AND I ASSUME THIS WOULD BE THE CASE, BUT IF YOU CAN LET MYSELF AND THE COMMISSIONER KNOW, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR FOLKS KNOW OF THESE UPCOMING E OPPORTUNITY EVENTS.
UM, I KNOW THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE DIFFERENT WAYS OF REACHING OUT TO THEIR CONSTITUENTS, BUT JUST TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THAT TIMELINE WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING US GET THE WORD OUT.
IF THERE'S NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, UH, WE WILL MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER
[4. Responding to Recent Weather Events and Changing Climate – BCP Staff]
FOUR, RESPONDING TO RECENT WEATHER EVENTS AND CHANGING CLIMATE.I'M THE DIVISION MANAGER FOR THE WILDLAND CONSERVATION DIVISION WITH AUSTIN WATER.
WE MANAGE THE CITY'S PORTION OF THE BCP AND AS WE GO INTO WHAT HOPEFULLY IS NOT TOO DRY AND HOT OF THE SUMMER, BUT AS WE GO INTO THE SUMMER, UH, WE WANTED TO TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF OUR RECENT WEATHER EVENTS AND WINTER STORMS AND DROUGHTS, UH, AND SOME OF THE IMPACTS WE'RE SEEING AND HOW WE'RE BOTH THINKING ABOUT THAT IN TERMS OF OUR MANAGEMENT AND TALKING ABOUT THAT WITH MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
'CAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE'S BEEN LOTS OF ATTENTION, UM, TO, TO SOME OF THESE ISSUES.
SO OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS, WE'VE PUT TOGETHER THIS INCREDIBLE NETWORK OF OPEN SPACE THAT YOU SEE ON THE MAP HERE.
I MEAN, IT'S A, IT'S REALLY A, AN INCREDIBLE GIFT TO OUR RESIDENTS AND CITIZENS HERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I WANNA TOUCH FIRST ON JUST THAT BROADER VISION BACK FROM THE 1990S OF, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE HABITAT REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIFIC SPECIES, BUT IN MEETING THOSE HABITAT NEEDS, WE'RE ALSO REALLY PROVIDING AN UMBRELLA OF PROTECTION FOR ALL OF THE UNIQUE ORGANISMS AND ECOSYSTEMS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS AREA.
AND, AND REALLY BY PUTTING TOGETHER THESE LARGE CONTIGUOUS BLOCKS, WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER A LANDSCAPE THAT IS MORE RESILIENT TO THE SHOCKS AND TO THE INDIVIDUAL EVENTS THAT ARE OCCURRING.
UM, YOU KNOW, NATURE IS USED TO DISTURBANCE AND, UH, KNOWS HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVING SUCH A LARGE CONTIGUOUS NETWORK ALLOWS, UM, YOU KNOW, NATURE TO DO WHAT IT DOES BEST.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE, UH, CHALLENGES THOUGH IS AS, AS WE'VE PUT TOGETHER THIS AMAZING RESILIENT, NATURAL, UM, PRESERVE, WE ARE ALSO, YOU KNOW, THE BARGAIN IS THAT WE'RE ALSO FACILITATING DEVELOPMENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, THAT DEVELOPMENT AS AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY HAVE GROWN, THEY, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR PRESERVE LAND AND THAT DEVELOPMENT HAS STARTED TO COME TOGETHER, UM, AND PLACES VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY.
AND SO AS WE GROW, UM, THE EXPANSION OF THAT WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACE CONTINUES AND WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE DEVELOPMENT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THESE NATURAL AREAS.
AND SO FOLKS, MORE FOLKS ARE LOOKING OUT THEIR WINDOW AND SEEING WINTER STORM DAMAGE.
THEY'RE SEEING, UH, TREES THAT HAVE SUCCUMBEDED TO DROUGHT CONDITIONS AND THEY'RE SEEING ON THE NEWS THINGS LIKE THE LA FIRES OR THE CRAB APPLE FIRE THAT JUST HAPPENED OUTSIDE OF FREDERICKSBURG.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S CERTAINLY CONCERN THAT THOSE CONDITIONS ARE EXIST ON THE LANDSCAPE HERE AND PREVENT PRO, UH, PROVIDE RISK.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THIS IS NOT NEWS TO TO MANY OF YOU, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE'RE NOT CALIFORNIA.
IT MIGHT NOT LOOK THAT WAY AS YOU WALK DOWN SOUTH CONGRESS SOMETIMES, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE'RE NOT CALIFORNIA.
AND THE BCP STAFF BACK IN THE MID TWO THOUSANDS WORKED WITH, UH, DR. WHITE FROM BAYLOR UNIVERSITY TO REALLY QUANTIFY THOSE DIFFERENCES.
WE BROUGHT DR. WHITE OUT AND HE LOOKED AT A NUMBER OF SITES ACROSS THE BCP AND REALLY QUANTIFIED WHAT THE, THE FUEL LANDSCAPE LOOKED LIKE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT HE FOUND WAS THAT AS A WHOLE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A VERY, YOU KNOW, MUCH DIFFERENT CLIMATE THAN YOU SEE IN SAY, YOU KNOW, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
LA WITH THAT, UH, CHAPARRAL, UH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GENERALLY WETTER.
WE GENERALLY HAVE LESS WIND, AND OUR VEGETATION IS DIFFERENT IN WAYS
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THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR REDUCING OUR FIRE RISK MOST OF THE TIME.UH, AND SO THAT, THAT STUDY, UM, BACK IN THE, AGAIN, MID TWO THOUSANDS REALLY HELPED US TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE DO HAVE WILDFIRE RISK, UH, BUT IT IS NOT AS SIGNIFICANT AS IT IS IN OTHER PARTS OF, OF THE WEST.
WE'VE, YOU KNOW, ALSO LOOKED AT WHERE WILDFIRES HAVE HAPPENED ON THE BCP AND, YOU KNOW, LOOKING OVER THE LAST, UH, YOU KNOW, 60 YEARS AND REALLY SEEING THAT NA NATURAL IGNITIONS, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE LIGHTNING STRIKES ARE REALLY RARE ON THE BCP.
MOST OF THE TIME IT'S US PEOPLE THAT ARE CAUSING WILDFIRES TO START.
UH, A LOT OF THE TIMES WHEN THOSE WILDFIRES START, THEY'RE STARTING ON THE MEDIAN OF THE HIGHWAY, UM, ADJACENT TO DEVELOPED AREAS.
SO GRASS IS ONE OF THOSE PRIMARY VECTORS FOR THOSE HISTORIC FIRES, UH, THAT WE LOOKED AT.
AND THAT WHERE WE HAD WOODLAND, UM, IGNITIONS AND, AND FIRE, OFTENTIMES THOSE WERE VERY SMALL BECAUSE AGAIN, THE RESILIENCE OF THOSE MOIST, UH, YOU KNOW, RESILIENT JUNIPER, OAK WOODLANDS JUST DON'T, MOST OF THE TIME DON'T ALLOW FIRE TO SPREAD AS READILY.
BUT THAT SAID, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THOSE FOLKS ARE, ARE LOOKING OUT THEIR WINDOW AND SEEING STORM DAMAGE FROM THOSE PAST WINTER STORMS SEEING, UM, YOU KNOW, MORTALITY FROM DROUGHTS.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE LIVING IN A WORLD WHERE CONDITIONS ARE CHANGING IN WAYS THAT WE'RE STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THESE, THESE ARE SOME IMAGES AND MAPS FROM TRAVIS COUNTY WHERE THEY WERE ABLE TO LOOK BACK AT THE 2011 TO 2012 DROUGHT EVENT AND, AND FIND, YOU KNOW, ABOUT 800 ACRES THAT WERE IMPACTED BY THOSE DROUGHTS.
AND SO AS WE POTENTIALLY ARE LOOKING AT ANOTHER DROUGHT OF RECORD, UH, WE WILL SEE IMPACTS ACROSS THE BCP AND TRYING TO AGAIN, HELP UNDERSTAND WHERE THOSE ARE HAPPENING AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW WE CAN HELP CREATE MORE HEALTHY AND RESILIENT SYSTEMS IS A KEY PART OF OUR WORK MOVING FORWARD.
YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE WINTER STORMS, THINGS LIKE DROUGHT, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE ALL A PART OF OUR ENVIRONMENT HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
UM, THESE ARE NATURAL DISTURBANCE EVENTS THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, CREATE OPPORTUNITIES.
YOU KNOW, WHEN THE, WHEN YOU GET WINTER STORM DAMAGE LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, IT LOOKS BAD FROM A WILDFIRE RISK PERSPECTIVE, BUT THAT'S ALSO A PLACE WHERE, UM, MAYBE YOU'VE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG TREES TO COME UP AND TO GET SOME MORE DIVERSITY IN THE AGE COMPOSITION OF THIS STAND, OR YOU'RE ABLE TO GET ADDITIONAL OAK RECRUITMENT WHERE, YOU KNOW, JUNIPERS HAD BEEN SHADING THAT OUT.
SO, SO THERE, THIS IS A NATURAL PART OF THE SYSTEM, BUT IT'S VERY MUCH, UM, YOU KNOW, IMPACTING AND CONTRIBUTING TO, AS WE, PARTICULARLY AS WE THINK ABOUT WILDFIRE CHANGES TO THAT FUEL LOADING AND THE ARRANGEMENT, UH, THAT WE'RE TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND.
AND SO AS WE GET, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE ENGAGING WITH OUR NEIGHBORS AND HEARING, GETTING LOTS OF CALLS ABOUT WILDFIRE RISK, ABOUT DROUGHT, ABOUT ALL OF THESE SORTS OF THINGS.
AND I THINK THE FIRST THING THAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO DO IS REALLY UNDERSTAND AND QUANTIFY HOW RISK HAS, IS CHANGING.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE WORKING WITH THE US FOREST SERVICE TO ACTUALLY UPDATE THAT BAYLOR STUDY AND WE'RE, UH, WE ARE HAVE A TEAM FROM THE FOREST SERVICE THAT'S GONNA GO OUT AND REMEASURE THE SAME PLACES WITH THE SAME METHODS THAT THE BAYLOR UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS USED SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY QUANTIFY HOW HAVE THE AMOUNT AND TYPE AND CONFIGURATION OF WILDFIRE FUELS CHANGED GIVEN THESE DROUGHT EVENTS AND WINTER STORM EVENTS.
UH, WE CONTINUE, WE HAVE A 28 YEAR PROJECTS, UH, MONITORING LIVE FUEL MOISTURE, SO THE MOISTURE CONTENT OF OUR JUNIPER VEGETATION, WHICH HAS BEEN KEY IN UNDERSTANDING WILDFIRE RISK.
UH, WE HAVE A PROJECT RIGHT NOW WITH UT AUSTIN TO ACTUALLY INSTALL CONTINUOUS FUEL MOISTURE MONITORS.
UH, SO BASICALLY THEY WIRE UP, UH, AND JUNIPER TO UNDERSTAND IN REAL TIME WHAT THAT MOISTURE CONTENT IS.
UH, AND THEN AGAIN, AS YOU LOOK AT IT IN THE LANDSCAPE AND SEE BROKEN TREETOPS AND THAT SORT OF THING, WE'RE TRYING TO WORK TO MAP AND QUANTIFY AND REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE, UH, WE HAVE THAT DAMAGE THAT COULD POSE RISKS TO OUR PROPERTIES.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE WERE JUST OUT AT BRIGHTLEAF PRESERVE THIS MORNING, UH, WITH, WITH, UH, SOME FOLKS AND WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU SEE THERE IS
[00:30:01]
THERE ARE PLACES WHERE THERE'S DAMAGE, BUT THEN THERE'S LOTS OF AREAS THAT, THAT ARE STILL REALLY HEALTHY.JUNIPER, OAK WOODLANDS WITH CLOSED CANOPY.
SO TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE KIND OF, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE THOSE AREAS OF DAMAGE AND CONCERN ARE ON THE LANDSCAPE HELPS US IN TURN TO TAKE, UM, YOU KNOW, SMART APPROACHES TO FUEL MITIGATION AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
AND THEN OF COURSE, REALLY WORKING CLOSELY WITH UTILITIES, EMERGENCY PROVIDERS AND OTHERS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING ON THE BCP SIDE BETWEEN U US AT THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, UH, IS, IS WORKING IN CONCERT WITH ALL OF THE OTHER FOLKS THAT, THAT ARE INTERESTED IN THESE ISSUES.
I LIKE TO SHOW THIS, UH, BECAUSE OFTENTIMES WHEN, WHEN WE ARE TALKING PARTICULARLY WITH MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ABOUT WILDFIRE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UH, CONCERNS AND RISKS TO THEIR HOMES THAT ARE RIGHT THERE ADJACENT TO OUR BOUNDARY.
UH, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A, A IMAGE OF THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, HOME IGNITION ZONE.
AND SO THE, YOU KNOW, ZERO TO FIVE FOOT THAT'S MOST CRITICAL, THAT'S RIGHT ON, UH, RESIDENTS OWN PROPERTY WHERE THEY CAN TAKE ACTIONS TO HARDEN AND PREVENT, UH, YOU KNOW, FLAMES AND EMBERS FROM MAKING CONTACT WITH A STRUCTURE THAT ZONE TWO REALLY IS FOCUSED ON, UH, YOU KNOW, GIVING AND APPROACHING FIRE LESS FUEL.
AND THEN WE, UH, AT THE BCP AND, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR LAND MANAGEMENT GOALS ARE TYPICALLY WORKING IN THAT ZONE THREE AREA.
AND SO WE'RE, OUR GOALS WHEN IT COMES TO FUEL MITIGATION IN PARTICULAR ARE TO KEEP OR MOVE FIRE TO THE GROUND, UH, KEEP IT OUT OF THE CANOPY OR MOVE IT FROM THE CANOPY ONTO THE GROUND, AND THEN ARE AGAIN, IMPROVE THAT RESILIENCE AND HEALTH OF THOSE WOODLAND SYSTEMS SO THAT THEY ARE MORE RESISTANT AND RESILIENT TO FIRE.
SO OUR PRIMARY STRATEGY HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN CREATING SHADED FUEL BREAKS.
UH, TO DATE WE'VE DONE, UM, ABOUT 30 MILES BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE COUNTY OF SHADED FUEL BRAKE CONSTRUCTION.
AND THE GOAL HERE, AS YOU SEE IN THIS IMAGE IS TO REALLY REDUCE ALL OF THOSE LADDER FUELS SO THAT UNDERSTORY, UM, LAYER OF FUEL THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, KEEPS FIRE FROM MOVING FROM THE GROUND INTO THE CANOPY OR VICE VERSA.
UM, THE CHALLENGE THOUGH IS THAT, UH, YOU, THIS WORK IS DONE ON A LINEAR FOOT BASIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY WITH WINTER STORM DAMAGE, YOU'RE KIND OF, UH, OUR CONTRACTORS AND CREWS THAT WE DO THIS, THAT DO THIS WORK ARE, YOU KNOW, WORKING FOOT BY FOOT TO REMOVE ALL OF THAT UNDERSTORY, UM, YOU KNOW, FUEL THE LADDER FUEL AND PLANTS LIKE TO GROW, UH, WHICH IS NOT USUALLY A CHALLENGE.
BUT HERE, YOU KNOW, THESE REQUIRE ONGOING MAINTENANCE.
WE TYPICALLY PUT THESE WHERE WE HAVE CLOSE PROXIMITY.
AGAIN, GOING BACK TO, YOU KNOW, THIS IMAGE, WE'RE TRYING TO WORK IN CONCERT WITH THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING ON THE PRIVATE SIDE OF THE FENCE TO CREATE A COHESIVE STRATEGY AND A RESILIENT LANDSCAPE.
BUT THEN LOOKING FORWARD, WE REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE, AS I SAID, WE'RE TRYING TO CONTINUE TO UNDERSTAND AND QUANTIFY, YOU KNOW, THESE CHANGING RISKS.
WE'RE TRYING TO PRIORITIZE THOSE SHADED FUEL BREAKS, PARTICULARLY IN AREAS WHERE THEY'RE GONNA MAKE THE BIGGEST IMPACT, WHERE WE HAVE HOMES SAY 30 FEET FROM OUR BOUNDARY, UM, VERSUS 200 FEET FROM OUR BOUNDARY WHERE IT'S NOT REALLY GONNA MAKE THAT BIG OF A DIFFERENCE.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING, THIS MAP HERE IS ALL THOSE FUZZY, YOU KNOW, PURPLE TO YELLOW DOTS ARE WILDFIRE CALLS FROM A FD DATA, UH, AND TRAVIS COUNTY, UH, EMERGENCY SERVICE DATA.
AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WHERE WE HAVE IGNITION CORRIDORS, BASICALLY.
WHERE DO FIRES TYPICALLY START? JUST SO I'M CLEAR ON THE MAP, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE RED DOTS ALONG THE, THE RED DOTS? YES.
SO THAT'S JUST THE HEAT MAP OF WHERE WE HAVE IGNITION STARTS, WHERE YOU SEE THE YELLOW COLORS, THERE'S A, A, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MORE POINTS THAN ONE WHERE IT'S JUST KIND OF A FUZZY BLUE THAT MIGHT BE ONE POINT OR TWO POINTS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY.
AND THESE ARE ESSENTIALLY RESIDENTIAL AREAS, BACK TO YOUR POINT THAT MOST FIRES ARE HUMAN CAUSED.
THERE'S ONE RED DOT, IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE, THE BLUE AND PURPLE.
I MEAN THE YELLOW AND PURPLE BCP LANDS.
AND IF, IF YOU REALLY KIND OF SQUINT HERE, YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN'T MAKE OUT THE ROADS THAT WELL.
BUT MOST OF THESE ARE ROADWAY CORRIDORS WHERE WE'RE SEEING, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE THROWS OUT A CIGARETTE, SOMEONE DRAGS A CHAIN ON A TRAILER, UM, YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT THERE, UH, ALONG THOSE ROADWAY CORRIDORS.
SO WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT, IN ADDITION TO FOCUSING ON
[00:35:01]
FUEL MITIGATION ADJACENT TO RESIDENTIAL BOUNDARIES, ALSO LOOKING AT THESE AREAS ALONG THOSE ROADWAYS ALONG POWER LINE CORRIDORS SO THAT WE CAN GIVE OUR EMERGENCY SERVICE PROVIDERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET AROUND A FIRE WHEN ONE STARTS.YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'RE VERY LUCKY IN THAT WE WORK VERY CLOSELY, CLOSELY WITH THE FIRST RESPONDERS AND THE REAL GOOD AT PUTTING OUT FIRES.
UM, AND SO THE MORE WE CAN WORK ON OUR SIDE TO GIVE THEM THE BEST CHANCE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT THAT, THE BETTER.
UH, AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE TRYING TO USE, UH, YOU KNOW, TECHNOLOGY CONTINUES TO IMPROVE, SO USING REMOTE SENSING PRODUCTS, UH, THINGS LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE LIDAR OVER FLIGHTS THAT WE DO TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE'VE ACTUALLY LOST CANOPY, WHERE WE HAVE CONGLOMERATIONS OF THAT DEN DOWN MATERIAL SO WE CAN PRIORITIZE THE, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, A HUGE AREA, UH, YOU KNOW, 30 PLUS THOUSAND ACRES AND MILES AND MILES AND MILES OF BOUNDARIES.
SO REALLY TRYING TO BE AS STRATEGIC AS WE CAN BE AND EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WITH THE PUBLIC RESOURCES THAT WE'RE SPENDING TO, UM, WORK HAND IN HAND WITH OUR, OUR NEIGHBORS AND OUR MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO CREATE, UH, YOU KNOW, RESILIENT PRESERVES, RESILIENT NEIGHBORHOODS AND RESILIENT LANDSCAPES OVERALL.
AND AGAIN, I'LL JUST END BY SAYING THAT PARTNERSHIPS ARE JUST ESSENTIAL HERE.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER, CITY, COUNTY, AND OTHER BCP PARTNERS.
WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH OTHER LAND MANAGEMENT ORGANIZATIONS HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS.
WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH ALL OF OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
WE'VE GOT RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO BRING ONLINE HERE.
AND AGAIN, WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH, WITH YOUR CONSTITUENTS, UM, WITH OUR NEIGHBORS TO TRY AND WORK, UM, YOU KNOW, ON ALL SIDES OF ALL FENCES TO MAKE RESILIENT LANDSCAPES.
COMMISSIONER SHADA, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? UM, I DO.
WHAT'S THE TIMEFRAME FOR UPDATING THE, UM, ANALYSIS THAT WAS DONE PREVIOUSLY? 'CAUSE I THINK EVERYBODY'S AWARE OR SHOULD BE AWARE OUR REGION IS GETTING HOTTER AND DRIER, AND SO THE CONDITIONS THAT, UM, DISTINGUISHED US FROM CALIFORNIA ARE CHANGING.
SO WE, UM, WE ARE WORKING TO GET THAT AGREEMENT SIGNED RIGHT NOW.
WE HOPE TO HAVE THEM OUT, UM, AS EARLY AS JUNE, AS LATE AS PROBABLY SEPTEMBER.
AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH FEDERAL ENTITIES RIGHT NOW, TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN GET OUT HERE.
WE'LL HAVE DATA COLLECTION THROUGH, KIND OF THROUGH THE FALL, THEN THEY'LL GO BACK AND DO THAT ANALYSIS.
SO BY THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, WE HOPE TO HAVE SOME PRELIMINARY, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME RESULTS OF THAT.
UH, AND THEN IT'S, WE HAVE A, IT'S A MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP, SO WE'VE GOT SOME OPPORTUNITIES TO DO SOME FOLLOW ON WORK FROM THAT, DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY FIND IN THAT ASSESSMENT.
AND THE CONTINUOUS FUEL MOISTURE MONITORS ARE BEING INSTALLED NOW.
THAT'S, THAT'S PROJECT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW.
I HAVE A COUPLE FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS.
UM, AS FAR AS FUEL MITIGATION, I KNOW THAT WE'VE, UH, TALKED A LOT AT THE CITY, AND I'M SURE THE COUNTY IS GOING THROUGH THIS CONVERSATION TOO.
UM, WE KNOW THAT OUR GENERAL, GENERAL FUNDS ARE TRYING TO BE ABLE TO DO MORE WITH FUEL MITIGATION AND SHADED FUEL BREAKS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
UM, WHAT IS THE HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN'S ROLE IN THIS? IS IT, IS IT PART OF THE MITIGATION BANKING THAT PEOPLE CAN PAY INTO? OR DOES IT HAVE TO COME OUT OF PROPERTY TAX DOLLARS? WHAT ARE THE FUNDING SOURCE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE HERE? SO I'LL SAY JUST IN TERMS OF FUNDING FOR FUEL MITIGATION, WE HAVE BEEN COVERING THAT WITH, ON THE CITY SIDE, WE'VE BEEN COVERING THAT WITH JUST OUR OPERATING EXPENSES.
SO WE MAKE, UM, ON AVERAGE ABOUT A 350,000 TO $400,000 INVESTMENT EACH YEAR JUST IN FUEL MITIGATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND MOST MUCH OF THAT ON THE BCP.
SO THAT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING THING.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR OTHER OPPORTUNITIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME DISCUSSION OF POTENTIAL FEMA HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT FUNDING.
UM, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES TOO IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE CAN PUT A LOT OF MONEY TOWARDS THIS WORK, SO MAKING SURE THAT IT'S EFFECTIVE AND MAKING SURE WE ALSO HAVE THE, THE NECESSARY STAFF RESOURCES TO MANAGE THAT BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT, ESPECIALLY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS, IS THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE WHEN WE DO THOSE FUEL MITIGATION, UH, PROJECTS THAT WE'RE GETTING AN END RESULT THAT MEETS THE GOALS OF THE BCCP SO THAT WE'RE NOT OPENING UP CANOPY, UM, ACTUALLY POTENTIALLY MAKING CONDITIONS WORSE ON THE GROUND, GETTING GRASS TO GROW UP OR, OR UNDERSTORY VEGETATION.
[00:40:01]
SURE THAT WE'RE DOING THOSE PROJECTS WELL AND HAVE THE STAFF TO OVERSEE THEM, UH, IS A KEY CONSIDERATION.I'M, I'M GREAT TO HEAR IT PHRASED THAT WAY BECAUSE I, THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS KIND OF SAYING TRIM IT ALL.
THERE'S OTHER FOLKS SAYING DON'T TRIM ANYTHING.
AND SO I APPRECIATE WE'VE GOT STAFF HERE SAYING, HEY, THERE'S, THERE'S A BIT OF BOTH, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO KEEP THE HIGHER GOALS IN MIND OF, OF ACTUALLY HELPING OUR ENDANGERED SPECIES TO THRIVE IN THESE ENVIRONMENTS.
WHEN YOU MENTIONED FEMA GRANTS, DOES THAT MEAN THE CITY OR THE COUNTY WOULD HAVE TO OUT OF POCKET THOSE DOLLARS AND THEN QUALIFY FOR REIMBURSEMENTS? YEAH, I, YOU KNOW, HAD A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT GRANT FUNDING.
THINK YEAH, THE, THAT'S TYPICALLY HOW THOSE ARE SET UP.
AND THEN YOU HAD MENTIONED CELL TOWERS, AND I'M CURIOUS IF THERE'S BEEN ANY DISCUSSION, I KNOW WE'VE HAD SOME FOLKS FROM DISTRICT 10 COMING AND TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE FIRE RISKS THAT THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT IN THAT AREA.
HAVE YOU CONNECTED WITH THEM OR IS THERE ANY WAY THAT WE COULD PUT IT ON YOUR RADAR TO TRY TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION AND LET US KNOW AS COUNCIL MEMBERS WHAT YOUR ADVICE IS IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST, AS WE LOOK AT THE LANDSCAPE AROUND OUR BOUNDARIES THERE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, MOST WILDFIRES ARE STARTED BY PEOPLE AND BY HUMAN INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND SO WHETHER IT IS A CELL TOWER INSTALLATION, A POWER LINE CORRIDOR, OR JUST A HOUSE FIRE, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE GOT AN ELECTRIC CAR AND A POWER WALL IN THEIR HOUSE THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, I RECENTLY HEARD A FD FOLKS SAYING, YOU KNOW, YOUR HOUSES ARE FUEL TOO
UH, AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S JUST A TON OF POTENTIAL IGNITION IGNITION SOURCES AROUND OUR BOUNDARIES AND, AND WE ARE REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, READY AND WILLING TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE MEETING THE BEST INTERESTS OF, OF THE PROPERTIES THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MANAGE FOR.
AND, UM, OUR, UM, NEW HEAD OF, OF OUR, UH, BCP OR BE COUNTY'S PRESERVE, UH, JEREMY HALL.
JEREMY HALL, NATURAL RESOURCE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF NATURAL RESOURCES.
I JUST WANTED TO ADD ON THE, UH, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT FUNDING FOR FUEL MITIGATION, THE PREVIOUS QUESTION, THE COUNTY HAS USED SEVERAL GRANTS AS WELL AS WE HAVE AN ONGOING YEARLY BUDGET FOR DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH FUEL MITIGATION PROJECTS ON TRAVIS COUNTY SIDE.
UM, AND THEN AS FAR AS THE LARGER GRANTS, THE FEMA GRANTS THAT YOU SPOKE ABOUT, WE HAD MEETINGS JUST THIS LAST WEEK WITH TITO AND OTHERS EXPLORING THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL.
SO IT'S VERY MUCH ON OUR MIND.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING TOWARDS.
I KNOW I'VE TALKED MORE ABOUT EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT FEMA REIMBURSEMENTS, AND SO I KNOW HOW DETAILED THE, THE PAPERWORK HAS TO BE TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN YOU HAVE A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LOOKING THROUGH THESE AND APPROVING THEM, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF STAFF POWER GOING INTO THEM YEAH.
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ACTUALLY QUALIFY FOR ALL OF THE GRANTS THAT, THAT WE THINK WE ARE OWED THROUGH, THROUGH THESE MITIGATION EFFORTS.
THE, THE FUEL MITIGATION WORK, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I, I THINK WE COULD SPEND ALL THE MONEY THAT WE COULD GET FOR IT.
WE ARE LIMITED BY THE STAFFING RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE TO DO IT.
AND AGAIN, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHEN WE MAKE THOSE INVESTMENTS, THEY'RE GOING TO THE RIGHT PLACES AND THE RIGHT TYPES OF PROJECTS SO THAT, UM, YOU WE'RE TRULY MOVING THE NEEDLE ON THE RISK TO THE PRESERVE AND THE RISK TO OUR NEIGHBORS.
ARE THERE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS ITEM? UM, NOT SO MUCH A QUESTION, BUT, UM, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY'S HOSTING A, A TOWN HALL ON WILDFIRE, UH, PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATION NEXT WEEK, UM, MAY 8TH AT ST.
UM, AND WE'D CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE, UH, ANYONE WHO WANTS TO JOIN US TO DO THAT.
THE DOORS OPEN AT SIX 30 AND THE TOWN HALL BEGINS AT SEVEN.
AND WE JUST HAD A COMMUNITY FAIR, UH, WHAT DAY IS IT? TODAY'S FRIDAY? UH, WEDNESDAY NIGHT WE HAD A COMMUNITY FAIR, AND SO WE HAD OUR WILDFIRE FOLKS OUT THERE TOO, AND AUSTIN WATER TRYING TO HELP SHARE INFORMATION WITH CONSTITUENTS, BUT GREAT TO HAVE THAT ON OUR RADAR AS WELL.
WE'LL, WE'LL SHARE THAT INFORMATION OUT.
I BELIEVE THAT MOVES US ONTO OUR NEXT ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS THE
[5. BCP Partner Report Highlights – BCP Staff]
BCP PARTNER REPORTS HIGHLIGHT.I'D LIKE TO JUST DIRECT YOU TO YOUR PACKET.
WE'VE GOT THE PARTNER REPORTS IN THERE, AND, UM, YOU REVIEW THEM AND HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, JUST LET ME KNOW.
ANY QUESTIONS AT THIS POINT? UH, JUST TO COMMENT THAT OUR, THE, THE OUTREACH AND THE EDUCATION EFFORTS AROUND THE BCP ARE REALLY REMARKABLE AND I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE PEOPLE, UM, IF THEY WANNA FIND OUT HOW THEY CAN GET OUT ON THE PRESERVES, UM, WHAT OPPORTUNITIES EXIST FOR THEM, IS THERE A WEBSITE OR A PLACE WE CAN DIRECT THEM TO, TO JUST GET THAT INFORMATION? BOTH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY BCP WEBSITES? SO BOTH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY BCP WEBSITES OFFER, UH, LINKS TO SIGN UP TO THOSE ACTIVITIES.
AND THERE'S ALSO A SHARED PARTNER CALENDAR THAT'S AVAILABLE THERE AS WELL, SO THEY CAN SEE ACTIVITIES HAPPENING, UH, ALL OVER THE B CCP.
SO IF SOMEONE JUST GOOGLES BCP UH, ACTIVITIES, IT'LL PROBABLY COME UP, IT'LL POP UP
[00:45:01]
FOR THE CITY OR THE COUNTY.WELL, I'M GONNA OPEN THAT WEBSITE BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED A DISTRICT EIGHT FIELD TRIP TO UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THE BCP
I THINK THAT IS THE END OF OUR ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION FOR THIS TIME AROUND THE NEXT BCCP COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEETING IS NOVEMBER 14TH, 2025 FROM 1:00 PM TO 3:00 PM AND THAT WILL BE AT 700 LAVACCA STREET IN THE COUNTY BUILDING.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO GETTING TO JOIN COMMISSIONER SHEA OVER IN HER TERRITORY THESE DAYS.
ON THAT NOTE, IT IS 1:54 PM AND I WILL ADJOURN THIS MEETING.