State of California – The Resources Agency

DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY AND INTENT TO ADOPT

AN INITIAL STUDY/NEGATIVE DECLARATION FOR THE PROPOSED

REDWOOD COAST-TO-CREST TRAIL PROJECT

Date: December 8, 2016

The California Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has directed the preparation of and intends to adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the proposed project, in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and State CEQA Guidelines. DPR is the lead agency for the proposed project under CEQA.

PROJECT LOCATION: The project is located approximately 5 miles southeast of Crescent City in the Mill Creek Addition (MCA) of Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park in Del Norte County. Presently, the MCA encompasses about 25,000 acres of parkland. Township 15N, Range 1W, Section 2; Township 16N, Range 1W, Sections 35 and 36; and Township 16N, Range 1E, Sections 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, and 32, Humboldt Base Meridian, USGS 7.5’ Sister Rocks, Child’s Hill, and Hiouchi, CA quadrangles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT: 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 Watershed 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.

PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD: The Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration is being circulated for public review and comment for a period of 45 days, beginning December 9, 2016. Questions regarding the project should be directed to Shannon Dempsey at North Coast Redwoods District, PO Box 2006, Eureka, CA 95502-2006 or by email at .

Your views and comments on this project are welcomed. Written comments should be submitted no later than January 23, 2017 to the following address:

Shannon Dempsey

Environmental Coordinator

North Coast Redwoods District

PO Box 2006

Eureka, CA 95502-2006

Copies of the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration may be reviewed at the following locations during normal business hours:

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 Office

3431 Fort Avenue

Eureka, CA 95503

Redwood National and State Parks Headquarters

Visitor Center

1111 Second St

Crescent City, CA 95531

Del Norte County Public Library

190 Prince Mall

Crescent City, CA 95531

California Department of Parks and Recreation Internet Website.

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=980

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION: This notice was published in the Del Norte Triplicate on December 8, 2016.

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