Big Chico Creek Forest Resilience Project Amendment (SNC1341.2)
Summary
SCH Number
2024090025
Public Agency
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Document Title
Big Chico Creek Forest Resilience Project Amendment (SNC1341.2)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
9/3/2024
Document Description
The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) would amend grant agreement #1341 with the Butte County Fire Safe Council (BCFSC) to allow the grant funds to be used for the treatment of hazard trees caused by the Park Fire. In July 2024 the Park Fire burned through the project area. The BCFSC and partners determined that an immediate postfire need was to remove hazard trees and implement erosion control features to protect salmon habitat from excessive post-fire runoff and sedimentation. SNC grant funds would be used for treatment of the hazard trees including treatments originally contained within the project scope, which may include hand thinning, directional felling, bucking, piling, pile burning, mastication, chipping, and grazing to reduce future fire intensity and prevent significant erosion impacts in the Big Chico Creek Watershed. SNC funds will not be used for any instream work.
Contact Information
Name
Mary Akens
Agency Name
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Job Title
General Counsel
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Cities
unincorporated lands north of Chico
Counties
Butte
Regions
Northern California
Other Location Info
Butte County, west of Forest Ranch, east of Cohasset, and north of Chico. Within and adjacent to the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Pub. Resources, Code, section 21080, subd. (b)(3) ; CEQA Guidelines, section 15269, subd. (a)
Reasons for Exemption
In July 2024 the Park Fire burned through areas of Butte, Tehama, Shasta, and Plumas counties. On July 26, 2024, Governor Newsom declared a State of Emergency in the Park Fire area, pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 8550) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code. CEQA exempts projects to repair, restore, demolish, or replace property or facilities damaged or destroyed as a result of a disaster in a disaster-stricken area in which a state of emergency has been proclaimed by the Governor pursuant to the California Emergency Services Act, commencing with Section 8550 of the Government Code. (CEQA Guidelines, section 15269, subd. (a); See also Pub. Resources Code, section 21080, subd. (b)(3).). The emergency exemption may be utilized if the Governor has also proclaimed a state of emergency pursuant to the California Emergency Services Act. An immediate post-fire need identified in the project area was to remove hazard trees and implement erosion control features to protect salmon habitat from excessive post-fire runoff and sedimentation. The purpose of the Big Chico Creek Project Amendment is to use the remaining funds within their grant agreement with SNC for treatment of the hazard trees caused by the Park Fire including hand thinning, directional felling, bucking, piling, pile burning, mastication, chipping, and grazing to reduce future fire intensity and prevent significant erosion impacts in the Big Chico Creek Watershed. The Big Chico Creek Forest Resilience Project Amendment is for the purpose of mitigating fire and/or catastrophic risk mitigation (Public Resources Code section 21080, subd. (b)(3) and codified as a statutory exemption under CEQA Guidelines, section 15269, subd. (a)).
County Clerk
Butte
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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