Eldorado Community Defense Project 2025 (SNC1813)
Summary
SCH Number
2026030297
Public Agency
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Document Title
Eldorado Community Defense Project 2025 (SNC1813)
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
3/6/2026
Document Description
Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) would provide funding to the Eldorado National Forest (ENF) to complete between 350 to 400 acres of vegetation management treatments to reduce hazardous fuels and protect communities and critical infrastructure from wildfire in El Dorado County. Existing conditions consist of high tree density and heavy surface fuel loads, where fire modeling predicts high-intensity, fast-spreading wildfire in the event of an ignition. Planned treatment types for both units include a mix of mastication to reduce brush and small diameter timber, up to 12” DBH and hand-cut and chip to reduce fuel loads and alter fire behavior. This will reduce the risk of high-intensity wildfire and result in the protection of communities, vital ingress/egress routes, and emergency-response assets. Treatments in the Darling Ridge Unit will create a nearly 3.5-mile-long fuel break along a landscape feature that is critical for community protection, wildfire suppression, and evacuation planning. Treatments in the Sly Park Unit will protect communities, an outdoor education center, ENF hotshot base and fire station, and El Dorado Irrigation District water facilities and infrastructure.
Contact Information
Name
Mary Akens
Agency Name
Sierra Nevada Conservancy
Job Title
General Counsel
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Name
Jecobie Waters
Agency Name
United States Forest Service, Eldorado National Forest
Job Title
Forest Fire Management Officer
Contact Types
Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
near Georgetown, Garden Valley and Pollock Pines
Counties
El Dorado
Regions
Northern California
Other Location Info
There are two general treatment locations, both on Eldorado National Forest lands. 1) Georgetown Ranger District, Darling Ridge area, near the communities of Georgetown, Garden Valley, and Volcanoville. Approximately 4.5 miles SE of Georgetown, 5.8 miles NE of Garden Valley. Treatment center at approximately -120.760, 38.874 degrees. 2) Placerville Ranger District by the community of Pollock Pines. Approximately 0.7 miles west of Jenkinson Reservoir and 2.8 miles south of Pollock Pines, along the north side of Sly Park Road. Treatment center at approximately -120.593, 38.717 degrees.
Other Information
1) Near Georgetown, Garden Valley. 2) Near Pollock Pines.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Pub. Resources Code, section 4799.05, subd. (d)(1)
Reasons for Exemption
Public Resources Code, section 4799.05 statutorily exempts from CEQA projects for prescribed fire, reforestation, habitat restoration, thinning, or fuel-reduction projects, or to related activities included in the project description, undertaken, in whole or in part, on federal lands to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire that have been reviewed under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) if the primary role of a state or local agency is providing funding or staffing for those projects. The SNC has authorized/approved the use of the funding for the ENF to conduct fuels-reduction treatments on National Forest lands. The project was reviewed in its entirety under NEPA by the Eldorado National Forest in the Chiquita Prescribed Burn Project Categorical Exclusion Decision Memo signed on September 7, 2018; the Tobacco Gulch Ecological Restoration Project Environmental Assessment and Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact signed on June 5, 2017; and the Environmental Assessment for Marshall Mines Fuels Reduction Project with Finding of No Significant Impact and Decision Notice signed on June 24, 2008 with a Confirmation Of NEPA Adequacy signed on December 19, 2025.
County Clerk
El Dorado
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.