San Diego Coastkeeper

Law & Policy Clinic Campaigns

North County

San Diego Coastkeeper is coordinating over a dozen North County environmental organizations (known as the North County Open Space Coalition) to ensure that effective regional habitat plans are adopted and implemented in coastal North County. This campaign achieved its first major success in August of 2003, when the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved Carlsbad's plans to develop the region's first environmentally-friendly for municipal golf course, which was also contingent on the City's adoption of a Habitat Management Plan (HMP) that will help prevent pollution that degrades our waterways and beaches at its source.

Habitat conservation planning is the primary planning tool for protecting biodiversity in San Diego County. However, regional habitat planning can be more or less effective depending upon the political influences exerted on the process. In San Diego, environmental activists have had approximately 10 years to gain experience with this type of planning, identify the strengths and weaknesses, and focus on the most effective means for influencing the outcome. Many environmental groups and individual activists engage in the habitat planning process, but without an organized coalition effort and clearly established goals, they can easily become frustrated and ineffective. Empowering activists to use the lessons learned over the last ten years to implement a pro-active campaign to work the political angle is the goal of this coalition.

Over the next three years, the coalition will broaden its alliance (beyond the approximately 12 participating organizations). Together the groups will work with staff and decision-makers to move the adoption of the MHCP Sub-area Plans forward, to craft strong implementation policy and ordinances, and to secure funding for implementation and targeted open space acquisition.