Aptos Creek Streamwood Enhancement
Summary
SCH Number
2025010046
Public Agency
Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District
Document Title
Aptos Creek Streamwood Enhancement
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
1/3/2025
Document Description
The project will improve instream habitat by installing large wood features at 10 sites across Aptos Creek through unanchored, direct felling methods (accelerated recruitment). This will enhance approximately 1.5 miles of habitat for steelhead by creating high- and low-flow refugia, slowing flows, sorting and storing sediment, providing cover in pools, and creating new pools. The wood features will be constructed using approximately 41 on-site trees that have been selected for direct felling based on field surveys. These large wood features will create high velocity refugia, provide cover in pools, create new pools, and increase overall habitat complexity while also reducing incision and sediment deposition by slowing flows. This project will have a net positive impact and will continue efforts to implement wood loading projects in streams identified as wood deficient and support the recovery of threatened CCC steelhead.
Contact Information
Name
Sara Sternberg
Agency Name
Santa Cruz County Resource Conservation District
Job Title
Program Specialist
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Address
Phone
Location
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
15333 Class 33
Reasons for Exemption
This project is principally being carried out to restore natural ecological processes in Aptos Creek via increased loading of large woody debris into a system that currently contains very little large woody debris due to historic land-use and stream management practices. None of the project activities will have a significant effect on sensitive species, resources and/or areas. None of the project activities will have a negative effect on protected species habitat and, in fact, the project activities are intended to improve instream habitat conditions for steelhead, coho salmon, and foothill yellow-legged frog. As such, the project has been determined not to have a significant effect on the environment and therefore is categorically exempt from the provisions of CEQA as per Class 33
County Clerk
Santa Cruz
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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