DRAFT Initial Study Mitigated Negative Declaration Del Norte Coast Redwood State Park Redwood Coast-to-Crest Trail Project December 2016 State of California Department of Parks and Recreation North Coast Redwoods District This page left intentionally blank for duplex printing DRAFT INITIAL STUDY MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION REDWOOD COAST-TO-CREST TRAIL PROJECT December 1, 2016 State of California California State Parks This page left intentionally blank for duplex printing MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION PROJECT: Redwood Coast-to-Crest Trail Project LEAD AGENCY: California State Parks AVAILABILITY OF DOCUMENTS: This Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration is available for review at: California Department of Parks and Recreation Northern Service Center One Capitol Mall – Suite 410 Sacramento, CA 95814 California Department of Parks and Recreation North Coast Redwoods District 3431 Fort Avenue Eureka, CA 95503 Redwood National and State Parks Headquarters Visitor Center 1111 Second St Crescent City, CA 95531 Del Norte County Library 190 Prince Mall Crescent City, CA 95531 California Department of Parks and Recreation Internet Website. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=980 PROJECT DESCRIPTION: California State Parks (CSP) proposes to construct a multi-use trail that will provide a linkage needed to connect the California Coastal Trail with the Pacific Crest Trail to become part of the “Redwood Coast-to-Crest Trail”. The trail will traverse the Mill Creek Addition of Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. This property contains an extensive network of roads because it was managed for commercial timber production by prior ownership. The proposed trail route will make use of existing roads where feasible by: 1) retaining and improving road segments required for park management, 2) reducing impacts from surplus roads by narrowing to a trail footprint, and 3) completely removing and rehabilitating connected spur roads that are not essential to the trail route. The trail route will be constructed in five separate phases and will involve four construction methods including: 7.7 miles of reengineering and vegetation management to existing roads, 1.2 miles of converting existing road to trail, 0.3 miles of road removal (recontouring existing road to natural conditions), and 2.2 miles of new trail construction. Redwood Coast-to-Crest Trail Project IS/MND California State Parks i TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ iii Chapter 1 – Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction and Regulatory Guidance ............................................................... 1 1.2 Lead Agency ...................................................................................................... 1 1.3 Purpose and Document Organization ................................................................ 2 1.4 Summary of Findings ......................................................................................... 3 Chapter 2 – Project Description ...................................................................................... 5 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 5 2.2 Project Location ................................................................................................. 5 2.3 Background and Need for the Project ................................................................ 5 2.4 Project Objectives .............................................................................................. 7 2.5 Project Description ............................................................................................. 8 2.6 Project Requirements ....................................................................................... 13 2.7 Project Implementation .................................................................................... 22 2.8 Visitation .......................................................................................................... 25 2.9 Consistency with Local Plans and Policies ...................................................... 26 2.10 Discretionary Approvals ................................................................................ 26 2.11 Related Projects............................................................................................ 26 Chapter 3 – Environmental Checklist ............................................................................ 29 I. AESTHETICS ...................................................................................................... 32 II. AGRICULTURAL and FOREST RESOURCES ............................................... 35 III. AIR QUALITY ................................................................................................... 37 IV. BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES ............................................................................ 42 V. CULTURAL RESOURCES .............................................................................. 54 VI. GEOLOGY AND SOILS ................................................................................... 71 VII. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS .................................................................. 78 VIII. HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ............................................... 81 IX. HYDROLOGY AND WATER QUALITY ........................................................... 86 X. LAND USE AND PLANNING ........................................................................... 95 XI. MINERAL RESOURCES.................................................................................. 98 XII. NOISE .............................................................................................................. 99 XIII. POPULATION AND HOUSING .................................................................. 102 Redwood Coast-to-Crest Trail Project IS/MND California State Parks iii XIV. PUBLIC SERVICES .................................................................................... 104 XV. RECREATION ................................................................................................ 106 XVI. TRANSPORTATION/TRAFFIC ................................................................... 108 XVII. UTILITIES AND SERVICE SYSTEMS ........................................................ 111 Chapter 4 – Mandatory Findings of Significance ......................................................... 113 Chapter 5 – Summary of Mitigation Measures ............................................................ 115 Chapter 6 – References .............................................................................................. 119 Chapter 7 – Report Preparation .................................................................................. 129 Chapter 8 – Glossary .................................................................................................. 131 Appendix A – Maps ...................................................................................................... A 1 Appendix B – Construction Methods ............................................................................ B 1 Appendix C – Vegetation Management Guidelines ......................................................C 1 Appendix D – Trail Logs ...............................................................................................D 1 Appendix E – MCW Publicly Accessible Roads and Trails Map ................................... E 1 Appendix F – Special Status Plant Survey ................................................................... F 1 Appendix G – Special Status Wildlife .......................................................................... G 1 Appendix H – Water Drafting Specifications .................................................................H 1 Redwood Coast-to-Crest Trail Project IS/MND California State Parks iv CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION AND REGULATORY GUIDANCE The Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) has been prepared by the California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of the proposed Redwood Coast-to-Crest Trail Project at the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park (DNCRSP), Humboldt County, California. This document has been prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), Public Resources Code §21000 et seq., and the State CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations (CCR) §15000 et seq. An Initial Study is conducted by a lead agency to determine if a project may have a significant effect on the environment [CEQA Guidelines §15063(a)]. If there is substantial evidence that a project may have a significant effect on the environment, an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) must be prepared, in accordance with CEQA Guidelines §15064(a). However, if the lead agency determines that revisions in the project plans or proposals made by or agreed to by the applicant mitigate the potentially significant effects to a less-than-significant level, a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) may be prepared instead of an EIR [CEQA Guidelines §15070(b)]. The lead agency prepares a written statement describing the reasons a proposed project would not have a significant effect on the environment and, therefore, why an EIR need not be prepared. This IS/MND conforms to the content requirements under CEQA Guidelines §15071.