Santa Monica Coastal Habitat Restoration Program - Coastal Dunes Project
2 Documents in Project
Summary
SCH Number
2024090503
Public Agency
California State Coastal Conservancy
(SCC)
Document Title
Santa Monica Coastal Habitat Restoration Program - Coastal Dunes Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
11/26/2024
Document Description
Notice of exemption for Coastal Conservancy approval of grant funding. To increase resilience and preserve access to Santa Monica State Beach, the Santa Monica Coastal Habitat Restoration Program includes the Coastal Dunes Project, which will restore and monitor 46 acres of vegetated coastal dunes on Santa Monica State Beach. This effort builds from a nine-year pilot project and a recently completed dune restoration on Santa Monica State Beach. The project includes delineating plots by installing a post-and-rope boundary where beach grooming is no longer allowed, strategically placing pathways for pedestrians, adding sand fencing to start the natural process of capturing wind-borne sediment, collecting and planting seeds and cuttings from other locally restored sand dunes, and removing non-native plants as the vegetation community grows on the dunes. Additional notice of exemption filed for overall Santa Monica Coastal Habitat Restoration Program under SCH # 2024110929.
Contact Information
Name
Bryce Keyes
Agency Name
State Coastal Conservancy
Job Title
Project Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Santa Monica
Counties
Los Angeles
Regions
Southern California
Other Location Info
Project is located within plots on Santa Monica Beach, with approximate northern coordinates of 34.026667, -118.5175 to approximate southern coordinates of 33.99611, -118.481944 in the City of Santa Monica
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Public Resources Code Section 21080.56
Reasons for Exemption
This project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21080.56(a)(1). This section exempts projects that conserve, restore, protect, or enhance, and assist in the recovery of California native fish and wildlife, and the habitat upon which they depend.
Specifically, the Conservancy concurs with the Lead Agency, the City of Santa Monica, that the Project meets all the following conditions:
(1) the proposed project activity is exclusively to conserve, restore, protect, or enhance, and assist in the recovery of California native fish and wildlife, and the habitat upon which they depend; or is exclusively to restore or provide habitat for California native fish and wildlife; (2) the project activity may have public benefits incidental to the project’s fundamental purpose; (3) the project activity will result in long-term net benefits to climate resiliency, biodiversity, and sensitive species recovery; and includes procedures and ongoing management for the protection of the environment; and (4) project construction activities are solely related to habitat restoration.
A) The project activity is designed to restore coastal dune habitat and will benefit various native wildlife, including listed species.
B) The project activity will have incidental public benefits, including continued access to the coast through delineating trails between sand dunes, beautifying the coast with native vegetation and wildlife, engaging the public with interpretive signage, and creating a natural buffer zone between habitat and coastal infrastructure.
C) The project activity will result in long term net benefits to climate resiliency by restoring the currently flat, groomed beach to native sand dune habitats that act as an erosion buffer to sea level rise and storm surges. Biodiversity will be enhanced by creating a habitat type that is expected support a wide array of native wildlife and sensitive species. In addition, appropriate siting of public access with habitat fencing and monitoring of bird nesting habitat will assist in the recovery of two shorebird species listed under the Endangered Species Act (California least tern and western snowy plover).
D) The project activity does not include construction activities that require heavy vehicles and utilizes biodegradable materials.
Pursuant to section 21080.56(f), the project activity will not weaken or violate any applicable environmental or public health standards.
Additional notice of exemption filed for overall Santa Monica Coastal Habitat Restoration Program under SCH # 2024110929.