North Fork Mono Tribe’s Cultural Resources Revitalization Project
Summary
SCH Number
2026020260
Public Agency
Mariposa County
Document Title
North Fork Mono Tribe’s Cultural Resources Revitalization Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
2/9/2026
Document Description
The project consists of hosting ongoing cultural burn training events at the Jack Kirk Estate open to State, local, and Federal agency representatives, university partners and tribal communities across California and beyond as an ongoing state-wide effort to support Indigenous beneficial cultural fire practices and provide hands-on training in traditional land management. These activities are intended to continue on the property into the future as part of responsible wildfire mitigation maintenance, cultural land management, agriculture and education, consistent with historical use of the property and existing environmental conditions.
The proposed activities consist of associated hand-tool fuel treatments, including small pile burns, light manual thinning of encroaching conifers and competing vegetation, removal of noxious weeds and periodic low-intensity broadcast burning in open meadow areas. Burning of these piles is only done on permissive burn days as determined by CalFire in cooperation with the Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District. The property owners also apply for and adhere to an air quality burn permit through the Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District. The Project will implement traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) to apply traditional indigenous burning techniques for the revitalization of culturally significant plant species. Cultural burn trainings will be timed to occur in the fall and/or winter, when high-moisture conditions are conducive to low-intensity beneficial fire, and specific weather patterns (including wind speed/direction, temperature, and humidity) will be closely monitored before determining a specific day to conduct burning activities. Mariposa Creek runs through the property; however, no project activities will occur within the FEMA flood plain and creek channel, and no sediment disturbance, mechanical operations, or ground-disturbing activities are proposed within or adjacent to the watercourse or project area. Traditional Indigenous land management practices have been practiced on these lands since time immemorial and recorded by the Kirk family for over 50 years, during which native plant communities and wildlife diversity have been preserved and have thrived.
Contact Information
Name
Ben Goger
Agency Name
Mariposa County
Job Title
Senior Planner
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Unincorporated Area
Counties
Mariposa
Regions
Unincorporated
Cross Streets
Buckeye Rd and Ben Hur Rd
Zip
95338
Total Acres
110
Parcel #
017-030-023-000; 017-030-053-000, and 017-030-052-000
State Highways
Highway 49
Waterways
Mariposa Creek
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4; California Code of Regulations, title 14, section 1504
Reasons for Exemption
The proposed activities do not involve any new structures or new grading activities. No activities are proposed within the Mariposa Creek or FEMA flood plain and creek channel, and no sediment disturbance, mechanical operations, or ground-disturbing activities are proposed within or adjacent to the watercourse or project area. The proposed activities are to maintain the good condition of land, water, and/or vegetation on the site. The proposed activities do not involve the removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees on the site. The proposed activities are allowed by the Agricultural Land Use designation applicable to the site and to maintain the permitted uses on site that are allowed by the applicable Agricultural Exclusive zone. The proposed activities support agricultural and working landscapes and contribute to the rural character of Mariposa which is priority for the County according to the 2006 General Plan. The project's activities are land stewardship practices necessary to manage the property as an agricultural preserve under the LCA agreement which in turn maintains the property in compliance with the LCA Agreement and thereby in compliance with Land Conservation Act of 1965, as implemented through Mariposa County requirements. On LCA contracted properties, the cultivation of food and fiber is a defined type of agricultural production and compatible use according to Mariposa County Resolution 10-150.The proposed low-intensity cultural burning and hand-thinning will result in minor, non-destructive change to the vegetation that will support the properties' agricultural productivity. As such, the project is an ongoing vegetation management activity to maintain the land in a healthy condition for its ongoing use as an agricultural preserve that produces a variety of food and fiber materials as authorized by the applicable land use, zoning and LCA contract.
County Clerk
Mariposa
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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