State of California - The Resources Aqency ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER. Governor DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME huo:/ /www.dfg.ca.gov
POST OFFICE BOX 47 YOUNTVillE, CALIFORNIA 94599 (707) 944-5500
October 5,2007
Notice Of Preparation Environmental Impact Report Sears Point Wetlands and Watershed Restoration Project
To Interested Parties:
As lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Department ofFish and Game (Department) will prepare an environmental impact report (EIR) regarding the Sears Point Wetlands and Watershed Restoration Project. :rhe U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the lead agency for this project under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A). A combined environmental document will be prepared to comply with the requirements of both NEP A and CEQA. This Notice of Preparation (NOP) is being circulated in compliance with CEQA. A separate Notice ofIntent (NO I) will be filed in the Federal Register in compliance with NEP A.
The proposed project is based on the Sonoma Land Trust's preferred Non-Tidal Alternative, which is presented in the Sears Point Wetlands and Watershed Restoration Project Final Preliminary Plan (February 2007). The project proposes to restore 970 acres of tidal marsh; improve tidal exchange in Tolay Creek along the eastern edge of the project boundary; preserve and enhance 106 acres of non-tidal seasonal wetland while maintaining existing agricultural practices between the SMART line and State Route (SR) 37; improve public recreational access south of SR 37; enhance 40 acres of non-tidal seasonal wetland north of SR 37; and create 15.5 acres of additional breeding habitat, including 0.5-acre of excavation in the floodplain, for the California red-legged frog near the northern project boundary.
The primary project purpose for the Sears Point project is to restore natural estuarine ecosystems on diked baylands; to enhance and manage existing watershed resources for ecological benefits; and to retain viable agricultural uses and seasonal wetlands to the maximum extent practical while providing public access and recreational and educational opportunities compatible with ecological and cultural resources protection.
Alternatives to the proposed project will be evaluated in the document, with corresponding analysis provided for each identified alternative. Additional information on the proposed project is available at www.sonomalandtrust.org.
Conserving Ca[ifomiaJs Wi[tf[ife Si~e 1870 ~ The Department has taken steps to identify and evaluate any potential negative environmental effects associated with the proposed project. However, in order to assist the Department in identifying the range of potential actions, alternatives, mitigation measures and significant effects to be analyzed in depth in the EIR, the Department is requesting your views as to the scope and content of the environmental information, which you feel, is germane to the subject project.
Your response relative to the scope of the EIR must be sent at the earliest possible date, but not later than 30 days after receipt of this notice in order for your comments to be considered.
The Department, in cooperation with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will be holding a scoping meeting on the Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration Project at the Sonoma Community Center, 276 East Napa Street, Sonoma, CA 95476, on October 15, 2007 from 6:00-8:30 PM. The purpose of this meeting will be to solicit input from the public concerning the environmental issues of concern and alternatives that should be discussed in the EIR.
Please send responses to this Notice of Preparation to "Sears Point Restoration CEQA Scoping Comments", Attention: Mr. Liam Davis, Senior Environmental Scientist, at the address provided above. Your comments should include your name, address, and daytime telephone number so a representative of the Department can contact you if clarifications regarding your comments are required. Please include the heading "Sears Point Restoration CEQA Scoping Comments" in your response.
Sincerel'l. ~ ., r.J-t1l"1/ r v\.:;r"I 1.1 Charles Armor Regional Manager Bay Delta Region Notice of Preparation
To: INTERESTED AGENCIES, STAKEHOLDERS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
From: CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME 7329 SILVERADO TRAIL NAPA, CA 94558
Subject: SEARS POINT WETLAND AND WATERSHED RESTORATION PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT (EIR)
I. Introduction
In cooperation with California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Sonoma Land Trust (SLT) is seeking to restore tidal and diked wetlands and upland habitats for a wide range of species, to protect open space, and to develop public access and educational opportunities, including extending the San Francisco Bay Trail.
The California Department of Fish and Game is the lead agency for this project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the lead agency for this project under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). A combined environmental document will be prepared to comply with the requirements of NEPA and CEQA. This Notice of Preparation (NOP) is being circulated for the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in compliance with CEQA. A separate Notice of Intent (NOI) will be filed in the Federal Register in compliance with NEPA. Interested members of the public and stakeholders have the opportunity to provide comment through either noticed scoping period. Comments from both the state and federal noticing processes (NOP and NOI) will become part of the administrative record for the joint CEQA/NEPA environmental document.
II. Location and Setting
The 2,327-acre Sears Point property is located near the intersection of Lakeville Highway- Reclamation Road and State Route 37 (SR 37) in southern Sonoma County. The site is also traversed from east to west by an inactive rail line owned by the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) District.
The project site is comprised of two large properties, the North Point Joint Venture (NPJV) parcel and the Dickson Ranch parcel, which are situated on the edge of San Pablo Bay between the mouth of the Petaluma River and Tolay Creek. The 1,679-acre NPJV parcel extends both north and south of SR 37. It is bounded on the north by the Infineon Raceway property, on the east by Cougar Mountain (north of SR 37) and Paradise Vineyards (south of SR 37), on the south by the SMART rail line, and on the west by Lakeville-Reclamation Road. The 648-acre Dickson Ranch parcel is located entirely south of Highway 37, and is bounded on the north by the
Page 1 SMART rail line, on the west by Tolay Creek, on the south by San Pablo Bay, and on the west by the outboard levee as it veers bayward from the SMART rail line.
Site topography ranges from below mean sea level (msl) in portions of the subsided diked baylands along the southern project boundary to approximately 400 feet above mean sea level (msl) in the rolling uplands north of SR 37. With the exception of a small number of barns, houses, and outbuildings scattered throughout the project site, the area is predominantly undeveloped, comprising a mixture of tidal, seasonal, and riparian wetlands, streams, and upland habitats.
III. Background
The baylands portion of the project site existed historically as tidal marsh until it was diked off from tidal action between the 1890s and the early 1900s. This was principally done to support oat hay production and for dairy pasture land on the NPJV and Dickson Ranch parcels. Over time, the former wetland soils have gradually dried and decomposed, causing the land to subside several feet below sea level. The diking has also prevented seasonal rains from draining naturally into the Bay, which has required the construction and maintenance of the network of drainage ditches and pumping stations to keep fields dry and prevent flooding on SR 37 and the SMART rail line.
Agricultural activities have historically occurred in the reclaimed marsh areas south of SR 37. Presently, SLT maintains an agricultural lease for oat hay farming on 619 acres on the NPJV parcel. This area is located south of Highway 37, primarily south of the SMART rail line. The Dickson Ranch parcel is also used for some oat hay farming and the remainder of the property is maintained as upland game bird habitat. Shooting and hunting activities are permitted on the portion of the property leased by the Black Point Game Bird Club, which occupies the easternmost portion of the Dickson Ranch parcel. Activities associated with the bird club have resulted in localized soil contamination due to the presence of contaminants derived from lead shot and clay targets used for skeet shooting. Common contaminants include lead and various polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Grazing activities have historically occurred in the upland watershed areas both north and south of SR 37. Much of the NPJV site was under grazing management at the time SLT acquired the property in January 2005. According to SLT’s Existing Conditions Report, dated March 2005, livestock grazing of approximately 200 cattle occurred on 1,059 acres of the property at least five years prior to the preparation of the report. Grazing activities have primarily occurred within the area east of Lakeville Highway and on the north side of Highway 37, with some additional grazing on the south side of Highway 37. In general, the lowland grasslands and swales on the NPJV parcel have been degraded by cattle trampling, nutrient loading, and long-term dominance by non-native grasses and broadleaf weeds. Hillslopes and seasonal drainages in the upland watershed have also been degraded by cattle, causing sediment deposition and the eventual aggradation of sediments on local streambeds.
Unsupervised public recreational access is not permitted on the project site. Existing segments of the Bay Trail are, however, located near and adjacent to the project site. The Bay Trail segment
Page 2 on Sonoma Baylands to the west dead-ends at the project boundary. A second segment is located on Tubbs Island across Tolay Creek from the Sears Point site.
IV. Proposed Project
The proposed project is based on SLT’s preferred Non-Tidal Alternative, which is presented in the Sears Point Wetlands and Watershed Restoration Project Final Preliminary Plan (February 2007). The project proposes to: