About the San Mateo County Resource Conservation District

What we do   |   Current projects    |  Frequently asked questions 

What we do

Located in the midst of a burgeoning population of nearly 8 million people in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, the SMC RCD serves the coastal portion of the county- over 157,000 acres of mostly rural, agricultural, and open space lands including all watersheds in the county that drain into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.  Established in 1939, it is one of the oldest environmental organizations in the county and was the first such district in California.

RCDs were established by the state of California to be locally governed special districts that act as focal points for local conservation efforts, using very diverse means to conserve natural resources on public and private lands.  The work of the SMC RCD is accomplished through strong voluntary partnerships with land owners and managers, technical advisors, area jurisdictions, government agencies, advocates, and others.   Landowners also receive technical assistance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), with which the SMC RCD shares a longstanding partnership.

Since the time that the SMC RCD was formed, resource needs and issues have evolved alongside a changing community.  Today, traditional irrigated agriculture and cattle ranching take place next to residential subdivisions, and recreation and tourism are increasing uses of the area as public lands begin to dot the landscape.  The San Mateo County coast is the one of the last remaining accessible, rural coastlines next to a major metropolitan area in the nation and scientists have designated the area a biodiversity "hotspot," a place rich in biodiversity and threatened by urban development.

With recreation, tourism, development, and agriculture playing key roles in a region of such incredible  ecological value, there is a wide variety of stakeholders with interest in the management of its resources. The SMC RCD functions as a bridge between these disparate groups and provides services in four main program areas:

1) Conservation and Watershed Planning

The SMC RCD plays a key role in conservation planning in the region, including the development of integrated watershed management plans and strategies to reduce water pollution in creeks and in Pillar Point Harbor.

2) Conservation Projects

The SMC RCD works in voluntary partnership with public and private landowners to implement conservation and restoration projects that primarily address wildlife habitat improvement, enhanced ecosystem function, water conservation, water quality, and soil erosion control. 

Current projects: The SMC RCD is partnering with the NRCS, the San Mateo County Farm Bureau, and agricultural producers on more than thirty projects to improve water quality and conservation on irrigated lands.  

Recently completed projects: In 2007, the SMC RCD completed restoration of fish passage for threatened steelhead trout on two creeks and improved several miles of private rural roads to reduce sedimentation into adjacent coho salmon spawning habitat.  

3) Education

The SMC RCD coordinates or collaborates to provide various adult and youth educational opportunities for the goal of natural resources management and stewardship.  

4) Permitting

San Mateo County has given authority to the SMC RCD to approve grading permit exemptions to landowners for projects that meet SMC RCD conservation standards.

Additionally, regulations intended to protect natural resources often have the unintended consequence of providing disincentives for landowners to undertake conservation projects because the permit process is cumbersome, confusing, and costly with uncertain outcomes.  The SMC RCD has completed an assessment of this issue and developed a strategy for permit coordination.  Pending funding, the SMC RCD and the NRCS will work with regulatory agencies and other stakeholders to streamline the permit process. 

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Current projects

Conservation Planning

Pilarcitos Creek Integrated Watershed Management Plan  Develop integrated watershed management plan addressing all uses of and impairments to Pilarcitos Creek watershed. (Click on the link above to visit the web page for this project.)

Critical Coastal Areas Program Develop plan and implement projects to reduce non-point source pollution to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. (Click on the link above to visit the web page for this project.)

San Gregorio Integrated Watershed Management Plan Serve on Technical Advisory Committee to assist in development of watershed management plan addressing all uses of and impairments to San Gregorio Creek watershed.

Conservation Projects

Improved Water Quality in Coastal San Mateo County Watersheds Work with agricultural producers to reduce water consumption and nonpoint source pollution.

Education

Envirothon Develop in young people an understanding of the principles and practices of natural resource management and ecology.

Permitting

Grading Permit Exemptions Provide technical assistance for landowners undertaking  conservation projects, exemption from County Grading  Permit requirements, and reduced permit fees.

Frequently asked questions

 What is the area included in the SMC RCD?

• over 157,000 acres in the western, coastal half of the county
•  all watersheds in the county that drain into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

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