Santa Monica Coastal Habitat Restoration Program
Summary
SCH Number
2024110929
Public Agency
California State Coastal Conservancy
(SCC)
Document Title
Santa Monica Coastal Habitat Restoration Program
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
11/26/2024
Document Description
Coastal Conservancy approval of grant funding. The project will restore coastal habitats and species in Santa Monica Bay through 6 project activities. The project will restore habitats as a nature-based solution to climate change, including buffering sea level rise, wave action, and flooding. Project benefits include improved resiliency to climate change impacts, improved habitat for biodiverse ecosystems, critical habitat for listed species, and aesthetic features for the public.
Specifically, the grantee will 1) restore 2 acres of offshore eelgrass habitat by transplanting eelgrass from healthy beds in Catalina to an offshore site in Malibu; 2) restore 5 acres of kelp habitat by reducing urchin densities at the Palos Verdes Peninsula; 3) restore white and red abalone populations by purchasing red abalone stock from an abalone farm, growing them in a lab at Southern California Marine Institute, and transplanting them in the restored kelp forest at the Palos Verdes Peninsula 4) restore 46 acres of native sand dunes utilizing natural processes to capture wind-blown sand in the City of Santa Monica; 5) restore Kuruvungna Village Springs by removing a parking lot and surrounding non-native vegetation and planting native vegetation in the City of Los Angeles; and 6) restore water quality by promoting the prevention of sewage spills by implementing the Clean Boating Initiative and promoting compostable toilets in the City of Marina Del Ray.
Contact Information
Name
Bryce Keyes
Agency Name
State Coastal Conservancy
Job Title
Project Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Los Angeles, Malibu, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica
Counties
Los Angeles
Regions
Southern California
Other Location Info
Coordinates provided are of the location of the Kuruvungna Village Springs Project.
Other Information
Sites are located around Santa Monica Bay, including Santa Monica, Malibu, Palos Verdes, and Marina del Rey
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations section 15333
Reasons for Exemption
These projects are each categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) review under CEQA Guidelines Section 15333 as a small habitat restoration project of less than 5 acres that assures the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of habitat for fish, plants, or wildlife. The Eelgrass Project is approximately 2 acres, and will sustainably harvest eelgrass shoots from donor beds, consistent with regulations. The Kuruvungna Village Springs Project will restore 2 acres of freshwater wetlands habitat and a very small portion of the project will use some heavy equipment, but only to break apart and remove the concrete surface of a parking lot to enable restoration. The project activities do not involve moving any sediment to or from outside of the project site and will only involve hand labor without the use of mechanical tools. There are no rare or endangered species located at the project sites; accordingly, consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15333(a), there would be no significant adverse impact on endangered, rare or threatened species or their habitat pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15065. The project sites do not contain any hazardous materials, and the project only involves moving sand and sediment and planting eelgrass or other native vegetation. Consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15333(b), there are no hazardous materials at or around the project sites that would be disturbed or moved. Finally, these projects are consistent with CEQA Guidelines Section 15333(c) because they will not result in impacts that are significant when viewed in connection with the effects of past projects, the effects of other current projects, and the effects of probable future projects. The projects will have a beneficial impact on wildlife.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations section 15304(d)
Reasons for Exemption
Pursuant to 14 Cal. Code of Regulations Section 15304(d), projects involving minor alterations in land, water, and vegetation on existing officially designated wildlife management areas or fish production facilities which result in improvement of habitat for fish and wildlife resources or greater fish production are categorically exempt. The Abalone Project involves the re-introduction and restoration of a small red abalone community in Palos Verdes Peninsula in order to improve fish and wildlife resources.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations section 15301
Reasons for Exemption
Pursuant to 14 Cal. Code of Regulations Section 15301, which exempts operation, repair, maintenance, permitting, leasing, licensing, or minor alteration of existing public or private structures, facilities, mechanical equipment, or topographical features, and includes as examples, 15301(h), maintenance of existing native growth, and 15301(i), maintenance of wildlife habitat areas. The Kelp Forest Project involves the selective culling of sea urchins that are limiting the establishment of historically-present kelp onto bottom substrate areas. The culling of sea urchins is a minor alteration of topographical features to enable native growth and to maintain a wildlife habitat area. No alteration of the nearshore benthic marine environment is involved in the project and no pesticides will be used. The Clean Boater Initiative Project is also exempt under Section 15301, in that the project will encourage boat owners to make minor alterations in their boats by swapping out their toilets for marine composting toilets and to operate their boats with more environmentally friendly practices.
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations section 15308
Reasons for Exemption
The Clean Boater Initiative Project is categorically exempt from environmental review under CEQA pursuant to 14 California Code of Regulations, section 15306, which exempts projects that consist of basic data collection and resource evaluation activities which do not result in a serious or major disturbance to an environmental resource. This project activity involves investigating barriers that boaters perceive to owning or installing a marine composting toilet on their and using this information to engage boaters to encourage them to use more environmentally friendly compostable toilets that reduce the risk of accidental sewage spills that result in poor water quality.
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Public Resources Code Section 21080.56
Reasons for Exemption
The Coastal Dunes 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.
On August 2, 2024, the Director of California Department of Fish and Wildlife concurred with the Lead Agency (City of Santa Monica) that the project activity is exempt from further CEQA compliance (SCH#2024090503).