Long Canyon Watershed Protection Project (SNC 1672)
Summary
SCH Number
2024030326
Public Agency
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Document Title
Long Canyon Watershed Protection Project (SNC 1672)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
3/11/2024
Document Description
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) is funding the #1672 Long Canyon Watershed Protection Project, which is a landscape-level, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) environmental planning program led by Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) in the headwaters of the Middle Fork American River watershed. The project will conduct environmental compliance analyses for potential future projects to improve forest health and resilience, and reduce the threat of high-severity forest fires. The project is located on the Georgetown District of the Eldorado National Forest, southeast of French Meadows Reservoir, and east of Foresthill and Auburn. This project would complete NEPA/CEQA for potential future forest-restoration work to improve ecological resilience and protect water resources, nearby communities, and infrastructure in the Long Canyon Creek watershed. The project has four focal areas: 1) Long Canyon Creek Project; 2) Star Fire restoration; 3) Mosquito Fire restoration; and 4) Mosquito Fire recovery. The completed NEPA/CEQA would provide environmental compliance for potential future forest health and fuels-reduction treatments on approximately 6,200 acres within a 16,519-acre planning area. Funding from the SNC would provide project management and coordination/facilitation of the project leadership team; NEPA Proposed Action and scoping package; conduct archaeological field surveys and reports, organize references and prepare evaluations and reports (aquatic, wildlife, and botanical evaluations), management indicator species report, migratory bird report, water and soils report); prepare United States Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Assessment and Consultation; prepare the Administrative Draft environmental assessment, and prepare draft CEQA environmental documentation. There will be no ground or resource disturbance as part of this project.
Contact Information
Name
Mary Akens
Agency Name
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Job Title
Legal Counsel
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
near Foresthill and Zuver
Counties
Placer
Regions
Northern California
Other Location Info
Planning area western boundary approximately 10 miles east of Foresthill and southwestern boundary approximately 1.5 miles north of Zuver.
Other Information
This project is an approximately 16,500-acre, landscape-level planning project located in the Georgetown Ranger District of Eldorado National Forest in Placer County within the Long Canyon Creek watershed, headwaters of the American River watershed. Planning area is just southeast of French Meadows Reservoir, project center approximately at -120.352 and 39.014 degrees.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Pub. Resources Code, Section 21150; CEQA Guidelines, Section 15262, Feasibility and Planning Studies
Reasons for Exemption
The planning activities under this project are resource surveys, data analysis, and outreach and coordination meetings towards the development of a Draft NEPA Environmental Assessment and draft CEQA documents considering potential future forest health and resilience projects, which have not yet been approved, adopted, or funded. The planning and due diligence activities to be carried out as part of the project involve no ground or resource disturbance. The project is Statutorily Exempt under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15262 Feasibility and Planning Studies as the project only involves planning studies for possible future actions, which the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Governing Board has not approved, adopted, or funded; there is no legally binding effect on later activities. The project is also Categorically Exempt under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15306 Information Collection because it consists of basic data collection and resource evaluation activities, which do not result in a disturbance to environmental resources. The proposed activities are for information gathering purposes and are part of a study leading to an action, which a public agency has not yet approved, adopted, or funded.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
CEQA Guidelines, Section 15306, Information Collection
Reasons for Exemption
The planning activities under this project are resource surveys, data analysis, and outreach and coordination meetings towards the development of a Draft NEPA Environmental Assessment and draft CEQA documents considering potential future forest health and resilience projects, which have not yet been approved, adopted, or funded. The planning and due diligence activities to be carried out as part of the project involve no ground or resource disturbance. The project is Statutorily Exempt under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15262 Feasibility and Planning Studies as the project only involves planning studies for possible future actions, which the Sierra Nevada Conservancy Governing Board has not approved, adopted, or funded; there is no legally binding effect on later activities. The project is also Categorically Exempt under CEQA Guidelines, Section 15306 Information Collection because it consists of basic data collection and resource evaluation activities, which do not result in a disturbance to environmental resources. The proposed activities are for information gathering purposes and are part of a study leading to an action, which a public agency has not yet approved, adopted, or funded.
County Clerk
Placer
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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