To: Board of Supervisors of Sonoma County
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office and Permit and Resource Management Department
Staff Name and Phone Number: Ag + Open Space: Kim Batchelder (707)565-7355; CAO: Christina Rivera (707)565-2431; Permit Sonoma: Tennis Wick (707)565-1925
Vote Requirement: 4/5th
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break Project and CALFIRE Grant Approval
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
A) Adopt a Resolution making CEQA findings for the Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break project based upon the CalVTP PEIR and adopting a Statement of Overriding Considerations.
B) Adopt a Resolution as required by CALFIRE authorizing the County Executive Officer, or their designee, to accept and sign a CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention grant agreement in the amount of $1,840,856.36, after approval of County Counsel as to form, for the Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break project.
C) Authorize the County Executive Officer, or their designee, to execute an agreement with Environmental Resource Solutions, Inc. not to exceed $1,682,000 for two years, in a form approved by County Counsel, for technical oversight and implementation of the Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break Project under this CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention grant.
D) Adopt a Resolution authorizing adjustments to County Administrator's adopted FY 2024-2025 budget in the amount of $400,000 to fund the initial implementation of the Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break project.
(4/5th Vote Required)
end
Executive Summary:
The County Administrator’s Office (CAO), the County Vegetation Management Coordinator (Vegetation Management Coordinator), and Permit and Resource Management Department (Permit Sonoma) recommend the adoption of the respective Project Specific Analyses, Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Programs, and Statement of Overriding Considerations for the Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break project.
The Vegetation Management Coordinator, on behalf of the County’s wildfire resilience efforts through the County’s Vegetation Management Program, applied for and was awarded a CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention Grant on behalf of County of Sonoma in the amount of $1,840,856.36 for the implementation of the Rio Nido Shaded Fuel Break, Guernewood Shaded Fuel Break and Mount Jackson Shaded Fuel Break, collectively known as the Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break Project. This series of vegetation treatments will result in 13 miles of shaded fuel breaks across the northern ridgelines above the communities of Guernewood, Guerneville, Rio Nido and Hacienda.
The County would enter into a professional services agreement with Environmental Resources Solution, Inc. (ERS) in the amount of $1,682,000. ERS will manage and oversee the implementation of the Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break on behalf of the project landowners and report to the Vegetation Management Coordinator.
Discussion:
In March 2021, the Board of Supervisors allocated $25 million from the PG&E settlement for county-wide vegetation management, including a grant program for fuel reduction and wildfire resilience. A committee reviewed 89 applications, with 20 projects approved by June 2021, receiving $3.7 million. These projects were eligible for California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) categorical exemptions. Nine projects required further CEQA analysis before they could be approved.
In July 2021, the Board addressed CEQA issues for remaining projects, setting aside $3 million to implement these projects. By April 2022, the nine projects were funded by the Vegetation Management Grant program after clarifying the appropriate CEQA compliance pathway. In December 2023, two of the projects, the Rio Nido Shaded Fuel Break and the Guernewood Shaded Fuel Break Vegetation Treatment Program (VTP) components completed the necessary biological and cultural resource surveys and CEQA analyses for environmental review, and the County secured a CALFIRE grant of $1.84 million to implement these fuel treatments including the Mount Jackson Shaded Fuel Break component. The Mount Jackson Shaded Fuel Break environmental compliance is expected to be completed by spring 2025.
Acceptance of the CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention Grant and adoption of the CEQA findings will allow each of these project components to begin implementation. The project is scheduled to be completed by December 2026. Staff also requests approval of a budget resolution for the County Administrator’s adopted budget for FY 2024-2025 to implement the first year of fuel treatments under the CALFIRE grant funded Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break Project. The Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break project will complement the work of Permit Sonoma’s Hazardous Fuels and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities programs and is consistent with CALFIRE’s establishment of Potential Operational Delinations (PODs) strategy.
Environmental Review
The Board of Forestry and Fire Protection issued the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) in November 2019. The Final PEIR for the CalVTP, issued in November 2019, outlines vegetation treatment activities by CAL FIRE and public agencies for fuel reduction and ecological restoration. It covers methods like prescribed burning, manual treatments, mechanical treatment, and herbicides. The PEIR allows state and local agencies to comply with CEQA, using project-specific analysis (PSA). Standard project requirements (SPRs) ensure environmental protection and compliance during project implementation.
County staff have prepared site specific analysis of the two components of the project, and proposed CEQA findings and an override to allow the following two project components to go forward. The components are the Rio Nido Shaded Fuel Break Vegetation Treatment Program and the Guernewood Shaded Fuel Break Vegetation Treatment Program, discussed below.
Rio Nido Shaded Fuel Break Vegetation Treatment Program
This proposed component is a 159-acre shaded fuel break located along 6.5 cumulative length miles of ridgeline that separates the community of Rio Nido from the surrounding drainages including Fife Creek, Sweetwater Creek, and the unnamed drainage behind the Korbel Winery. The component activities analyzed are mechanical and manual treatments, prescribed fire, prescribed herbivory, and herbicide application. The component will occur in two phases. Phase 1 of treatment being installation of the Shaded Fuel Break being funded by the CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention grant. This Phase 1 area includes approximately 100 feet on each side of a ridgeline (total of 200-foot wide fuel break zone), along an existing ridgeline fire road. Phase 1 treatments will occur in all three management units. Phase 1 mechanical treatment will occur on up to 30 acres of ground with suitable slopes for mechanical equipment operation. Phase 1 manual treatment will occur on up to 159 acres of ground where mechanical equipment cannot safely operate due to slope or follow-up treatment is necessary. Phase 2 treatments are landowner dependent based on available funding and other management priorities. Phase 2 treatments may include additional initial treatments or maintenance treatments on Phase 1 areas. This component will be funded by the CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention grant awarded to County of Sonoma.
Guernewood Shaded Fuel Break Vegetation Treatment Program
This proposed component is a 127- acre shaded fuel break in the hills between Guerneville and Villa Grande, the northern boundary located approximately 1.5 miles west of the town of Guerneville. The component proposes to implement wildland urban interface and shaded fuel break treatments. The proposed activities are mechanical and manual treatments, prescribed fire, prescribed herbivory, and herbicide application. This component will be funded by the CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention grant awarded to County of Sonoma.
CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention Grant and Match
In January, 2024 the County prepared an application for the CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention Grant program. In August, CALFIRE notified the County that the Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break project was approved for full funding. This statewide program awarded the County of Sonoma $1,840,856.36 to implement this project that Ag + Open Space, Permit Sonoma, CALFIRE, Friends of Rio Nido, Guernewood Neighborhood Association, Hacienda Improvement Association, Sonoma and Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (RCD) and Environmental Resource Solutions (ERS) helped to design and engage all local landowners to ensure ample participation for a landscape level fuel treatment to reduce the risk of wildfire in this vulnerable area. This funding will enable treatments to begin in the fall of 2024 and be completed by winter of 2026.
The County's Vegetation Management Grant program supported planning, education, outreach, and technical assistance for local organizations working with landowners on vegetation treatments. The County and its partners provided match to the CALFIRE grant through the Vegetation Management Grant program and the Resilient Forests and Watersheds workshop series to complete the environmental compliance surveys, community workshops, and staff time.
Service Agreement with Environmental Resource Solutions
Initially, Environmental Resource Solutions (ERS) worked with Friends of Rio Nido, Guernewood Neighborhood Association, and Hacienda Improvement Association to design and implement a series of fuel breaks above their communities. Since the proposed work would not qualify as an exempted CEQA project, ERS agreed to complete the necessary resource surveys and prepare the Project Specific Analysis for each project through a Vegetation Management grant agreement (2022). ERS then prepared precise budgets to implement the fuel treatments based on their experience in executing the Southside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break above Odd Fellows Recreation Club, Summer Home Park, and the Canyons to Martinelli Road. For this reason, County staff recommends authorizing the CEO or her designee to execute a sole source contract with Environmental Resource Solutions to implement the Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break. ERS has completed the environmental compliance documentation, worked with each landowner to secure Rights of Entry to complete the surveys and implement the project, and helped host technical workshops with landowners and local partners with CALFIRE, Ag + Open Space, Permit Sonoma and Gold Ridge RCD to engage communities and provide technical assistance through the Resilient Forests and Watersheds workshops (sponsored by PG&E settlement funds and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation). This service agreement would not exceed $1,682,000 and will be completed by December 2026. The Vegetation Management Coordinator and Administrative Aide will oversee the grant management, accounting, project quality control and reporting to CALFIRE. Approximately $158,856.36 of the CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention grant funds will be used to cover these expenses.
Strategic Plan:
The project’s planning and implementation comes directly from the PG&E settlement fund allocated for vegetation management and has been overseen and administered by the County’s Vegetation Management Grant Program, administered by Ag + Open Space. The project will result in the creation of a strategic shaded fuel break that will improve wildfire preparedness of communities in the Russian River area and serve as a model for other communities to replicate.
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Climate Action and Resiliency
Goal: Goal 1: Continue to invest in wildfire preparedness and resiliency strategies
Objective: Objective 3: Leverage grant funding to support sustainable vegetation management program.
Prior Board Actions:
October 6, 2020 - Allocation of $25M from the PG&E settlement for vegetation management.
March 23, 2021 - Approved up to $4M for community grants for vegetation management projects and $660,000 allocated to Ag + Open Space hire Vegetation Management Coordinator.
July 13, 2021 - Approved $300,000 to Permit Sonoma for Extra Help to lead Cal VTP and $3M to support nine vegetation management projects and environmental impact analysis for future projects.
April 19, 2022 - Approved $5.3M for community grants for vegetation management projects including $2M for “conditionally approved” projects in 2021, and $500,000 for direct technical assistance to community organizations and resource managers to make vegetation treatment projects more successful.
June 10, 2023 - Board of Directors of Ag + Open Space approved the General Manager to accept a $353,173.79 grant from National Fish & Wildlife Foundation matched by $353,174.00 of the PG&E settlement funds for capacity building and technical workshops.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY 24-25 Adopted |
FY 25-26 Projected |
FY 26-27 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
|
|
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
$400,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$440,856.36 |
|
Total Expenditures |
$400,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$440,856.36 |
|
Funding Sources |
|
|
|
|
General Fund/WA GF |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal - CALFIRE |
$400,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$440,856.36 |
|
Fees/Others |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Sources |
$400,000 |
$1,000,000 |
$440,856.36 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
The CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention grant will provide $1,840,856.36 to enable the County to implement the Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break project. A professional services agreement with Environmental Resource Solutions, Inc. for $1,682,000 will be used for technical and administrative management of all field level application of this grant. $158,856.36 will be used to cover costs incurred for the management of the grant, quality control, accounting and reporting by the Vegetation Management Coordinator and Administrative Aide.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
Att 1 Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break Project Resolution
Att 2 Exhibit A. Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break VTP Project Specific Analyses
Att 3 Exhibit B. Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break VTP Mitigation and Monitoring Reporting Program
Att 4 Exhibit C. Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break project Findings
Att 5 Draft Professional Services Agreement with Environmental Resource Solutions, Inc.
Att 6 Draft form CALFIRE Wildfire Prevention Grant Agreement
Att 7 CALFIRE Grant Board Resolution
Att 8 Budget Resolution for Northside Russian River Shaded Fuel Break project implementation.
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
N/A