DRAFT Upper Lake – Nice Area Plan County of Lake - California DRAFT Acknowledgements Lake County Board of Supervisors R. W. Bill Merriman Chairman, District V Ed Robey Vice-Chairman, District I Karan Mackey District IV Gary Lewis District III Jeff Smith District II Planning Commission Gil Schoux Chairman, District V Peggy McCloud District IV Oliver Wright District III Gary Briggs District II Frieda Camotta District I Lake County Community Development Department Daniel Obermeyer Community Development Director Richard Coel Associate Planner, Project Coordinator Lon Sharp GIS Specialist With the assistance of the Upper Lake - Nice Area Planning Advisory Committee: Louise Talley, Chair John Hancock Marvin Butler, Vice Chairman Eric Hicks Tom Carlton Margie Levandowski Donald Clay Merl Miller Judy Cox May Noble Morrell Fitch Tony Oliveira Byron Green Robert Quitiquit Deborah Hablitzel John Ryan Graphic Credits: All graphics and Maps produced by Lon Sharp. Cover photo obtained from the Lake County Museum. All other photos by Richard Coel ULNAP/Executive Summary/Draft i DRAFT Table of Contents 1.0 Executive Summary.................................................................................................................. 1-1 2.0 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................... 1-1 2.1 The Planning Process ........................................................................................................................2-1 The Function of an Area Plan ...................................................................................................................................2-1 Purpose .................................................................................................................................................................2-1 Focus.....................................................................................................................................................................2-1 Organization.........................................................................................................................................................2-1 Methodology .............................................................................................................................................................2-4 Plan Preparation ...................................................................................................................................................2-4 Citizen Participation.............................................................................................................................................2-4 Process..................................................................................................................................................................2-4 Relationship to Other Plans.......................................................................................................................................2-4 2.2 Orientation to the Planning Area.....................................................................................................2-6 Climate and Geology.................................................................................................................................................2-6 Climate .................................................................................................................................................................2-6 Regional Geology.................................................................................................................................................2-7 Planning Area Geology ........................................................................................................................................2-7 2.3 History and Development .................................................................................................................2-7 Prehistoric..................................................................................................................................................................2-7 Historic ......................................................................................................................................................................2-8 History of Planning Area......................................................................................................................................2-8 Present .....................................................................................................................................................................2-10 Future.......................................................................................................................................................................2-11 Population Characteristics..................................................................................................................................2-11 Population Projections........................................................................................................................................2-11 3.0 NATURAL RESOURCES.......................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1 Land ......................................................................................................................................................3-1 Planning Area Geology .............................................................................................................................................3-1 Soils ...........................................................................................................................................................................3-1 3.2 Water ..................................................................................................................................................3-4 Surface Water............................................................................................................................................................3-4 Ground Water............................................................................................................................................................3-4 3.3 Life.......................................................................................................................................................3-5 Vegetation .................................................................................................................................................................3-5 Wildlife......................................................................................................................................................................3-6 Rare, threatened and Endangered Plants and Animals ........................................................................................3-6 3.4 Resources............................................................................................................................................3-9 Development .............................................................................................................................................................3-9 Agriculture............................................................................................................................................................3-9 Mineral ...............................................................................................................................................................3-13 Conservation............................................................................................................................................................3-14 Cultural...............................................................................................................................................................3-14 Scenic Corridors.................................................................................................................................................3-16 Critical Resources...............................................................................................................................................3-20 4.0 PUBLIC SAFETY ...................................................................................................................... 4-1 ULNAP/Executive Summary/Draft ii DRAFT 4.1 Land ....................................................................................................................................................4-1 4.2 Water ..................................................................................................................................................4-3 4.3 Life.......................................................................................................................................................4-9 Wildfire......................................................................................................................................................................4-9 4.4 Human ..............................................................................................................................................4-13 Air Quality...............................................................................................................................................................4-13 Noise........................................................................................................................................................................4-17