Mohawk Valley Wildfire Resilience Project - SNC 1319

Summary

SCH Number
2021070336
Public Agency
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Document Title
Mohawk Valley Wildfire Resilience Project - SNC 1319
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
7/16/2021
Document Description
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) would provide funding to the Feather River Resource Conservation District for fuel reduction and thinning treatments on lands within Plumas National Forest and on lands owned by Plumas Eureka Community Services District. This project aims to reduce hazardous fuels in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and restore at least 762 acres of mixed conifer forest along the Middle Fork Feather River to an improved state of ecosystem health through manual and mechanical thinning and prescribed fire, including pile burning.

Contact Information

Name
Shannon Ciotti
Agency Name
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Responsible Agency

Location

Cities
Blairsden
Counties
Plumas
Regions
Northern California
Other Location Info
Plumas National Forest and Plumas-Eureka Community Services District lands along the Middle Fork Feather River near the communities of Blairsden, Graeagle, Johnsville, and Plumas Pines (T22N, R12E S 4,8,9; T22N, R11E S 4,5,9,8,7,12,18,19; T22N, R12E S 2,3,11,12)

Notice of Exemption

Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
CEQA Guidelines Section 15304
Reasons for Exemption
A portion of the Mohawk Valley Wildfire Resilience Project is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15304, Class 4, which consists of minor public or private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of mature, scenic trees except for forestry and agricultural purposes. The minor land alterations proposed by the project consist of forestry treatments and pile burning to reduce hazardous fuels in the WUI and improve ecosystem health. The project activities have been analyzed and would not result in significant adverse impacts or any exceptions to the exemption. Additionally, CEQA does not apply to prescribed fire, thinning, or fuel reduction projects undertaken on federal lands to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire that have been reviewed under NEPA if the primary role of a state or local agency is providing funding or staffing for those projects. SNC would provide funding for fuels reduction treatments on federal lands within the Plumas National Forest that comprise the rest of the project area. The proposed activities on federal land were reviewed in their entirety under NEPA in the Mohawk Vista Forest Health Project Decision Memo, signed in 2017 by the U.S. Forest Service, and the Plumas-Eureka Forest Health Project Decision Memo, signed in 2018 by the U.S. Forest Service.

Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
State code number: Public Resources Code Section 4799.05(d)(1)
Reasons for Exemption
A portion of the Mohawk Valley Wildfire Resilience Project is categorically exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15304, Class 4, which consists of minor public or private alterations in the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation which do not involve removal of mature, scenic trees except for forestry and agricultural purposes. The minor land alterations proposed by the project consist of forestry treatments and pile burning to reduce hazardous fuels in the WUI and improve ecosystem health. The project activities have been analyzed and would not result in significant adverse impacts or any exceptions to the exemption. Additionally, CEQA does not apply to prescribed fire, thinning, or fuel reduction projects undertaken on federal lands to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire that have been reviewed under NEPA if the primary role of a state or local agency is providing funding or staffing for those projects. SNC would provide funding for fuels reduction treatments on federal lands within the Plumas National Forest that comprise the rest of the project area. The proposed activities on federal land were reviewed in their entirety under NEPA in the Mohawk Vista Forest Health Project Decision Memo, signed in 2017 by the U.S. Forest Service, and the Plumas-Eureka Forest Health Project Decision Memo, signed in 2018 by the U.S. Forest Service.
County Clerk
Plumas

Attachments

Notice of Exemption

Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. You may also contact the OPR via email at state.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov or via phone at (916) 445-0613. For more information, please visit OPR’s Accessibility Site.

Download CSV New Search Print