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3400 Wildlife Preservation - Approval of Purchase of Native Plants & Dri Pack Watering DevicesTO: FROM: SUBJECT: e oPePf'„y Jd,'PP, INCORPORATED JANUARY 24, 1957 NO. 2 PORTUGUESE BEND ROAD ROLLING HILLS, CALIF. 90274 (310) 377-1521 FAX: (310) 377.7288 E-mail: cityolrh@aol.com Agenda Item No: 3-D Mtg. Date: 11/10/03 HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL CRAIG R. NEALIS, CITY MANAGER APPROVAL OF PURCHASE OF NATIVE PLANTS AND DRI PACK WATERING DEVICES FOR A WILDLIFE PRESERVATION COMMITTEE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. DATE: NOVEMBER 10, 2003 BACKGROUND At the October 20, 2003 meeting of the Wildlife Preservation Committee, Wildlife Preservation Committee Members made a recommendation that the City Council approve funding for a Dri Pack Watering Demonstration Project at the Native Plant Garden. Dri Pack watering provides a water source to plants in areas where irrigation systems are not present. Dri Pack watering is designed to sustain the plants without formal irrigation until such plants can thrive on their own. The Wildlife Preservation Committee is proposing to purchase 8 one -gallon native plants for this project. Wildlife Preservation Committee Member Don Gales will donate an additional 4 plants. It is estimated that up to 36 Dri Pack watering cartons will be required. Costs for this project are outlined below. 8 native plants ($6.50 each plus tax) $56.29 Dri Pack Storage Watering Systems (40 cartons, sold 20 per case, plus tax) $98.72 Total $155.01 A total of $1,000 is included in the FY 2003-04 City Budget for Wildlife Preservation Committee Projects. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that members of the City Council approve this staff report as presented and direct staff and the Wildlife Preservation to proceed. CRN:mlk 11/10/03dripnck.sta ®Pri,It d Un Fi. cyr,IP i i'•Ia�?� 'Y Areas needing guidance and further research Water and energy conservation Water conservation should be a high priority due to the current and predicted shortages. Are residents fully informed of simple ways to conserve the city water that they use in their homes and yards? What are their options- and the impacts of implementation? Are there programs (State or local) available to assist residents? Many sprinkler systems are in disrepair or n'ot set up con-ectly thereby wasting water without serving the purpose to which they were intended. Every year millions of gallons of water run off our roofs and down our driveways only to wash debris into the stone water system and then out to sea. In newer commercial buildings they are actually capturing all the rainwater runoff (rainwater harvesting), running it into huge clarifiers and then allowing it to slowly percolate back into the ground to support the county wells or redistributing it to areas where there is an immediate need (gardens, fruit trees etc. In addition, many of the locations are storing the water for irrigation; they also place a gas powered fire pump on the system that can be used to augment the fire systems. What requirements/guidelines are available for installation of such systems and how will we implement them into our city if shown to be valuable? Energy Conservation has become increasingly important due to the global climate change and cost of oil and now ranks as a key problem of the future. How does our city compare with others relative to the amount of power used? Can that be determined from Edison? What programs are available to educate residents? What can be done to reduce use? What programs are available for rebates, old appliance disposal, or replacing lights? How will we implement Solar and Wind Turbines into our ordinances as more and more residents wish to install these systems? Recycling Do residents fully understand the recycling program and do they use it? How do we compare with other cities as far as per capita amounts recycled? Are there better methods to use to educate the residents or better methods of collection? New construction and renovations We should implement some sort of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification into our building codes that provide incentives for residents to reduce their carbon footprint. As time goes on, residents will want to explore Solar and Wind Energy as alternative power for their homes. It's important we have some guidelines as to what will be permitted and what is practical to implement within the city. Fire Prevention and preparedness This should be the first effort made by this new committee. There are many measures that can be taken to prevent loss of property from fire as well as prepare for a fire. Do those residents that have a swimming pool have a method of using the water to wet down their property thereby preserving the pressure in the water lines for actual fire fighting? Do residents understand the role of landscaping in wildfire prevention and retardation? What is the community plan in case of fire? Has it been kept up to date? Is it well understood by the community? Landscaping for Conservation and Fire Prevention What types of planting, pruning, removal is optimum to preserve the environment while protecting property? Community Awareness and Education The key to any successful program is the education of the community. We have many pamphlets and include information in our monthly newsletter. Is it enough? Is it the correct information? Is it getting the results we want? I feel we have not done enough along this line due to lack of materials, manpower and other resources. It would be very valuable to quietly tackle a communication program with baseline data and post communication/education data and test how effective current outreach efforts are.