Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) Removal to Restore Sagebrush Ecosystems, Groundwater, and Climate Resilience in the Modoc Region
Summary
SCH Number
2026040001
Public Agency
California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Watershed Restoration Grants
(CDFW, WRGB)
Document Title
Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) Removal to Restore Sagebrush Ecosystems, Groundwater, and Climate Resilience in the Modoc Region
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
4/1/2026
Document Description
On March 30, 2026, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) executed a $320,265 grant with Nature Based Solutions: Wildlife Corridors funding to the Mule Deer Foundation for the Project. The Project is designed to benefit pronghorn migration corridors and greater sage-grouse habitat identified in the Modoc ecoregion of the California State Wildlife Action Plan. The project includes restoring 773 acres of sage-steppe habitat through mechanical removal of western juniper while retaining heritage individuals; increasing forage availability, improved visibility, and enhancing habitat permeability within pronghorn migration corridors and winter range; and improving habitat suitability for greater sage-grouse and other sage-steppe dependent Species of Greatest Conservation Need identified in the California State Wildlife Action Plan.
Contact Information
Name
Elizabeth Buttler
Agency Name
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Job Title
Policy and Outreach Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Modoc National Forest
Counties
Modoc
Regions
Northern California
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4 Categorial Exemption (Minor Alterations to Land), Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14, § 15304 subdivision (d)
Reasons for Exemption
CDFW has determined that the Project meets the qualifying criteria set forth in
Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 14, § 15304 subdivision (d). CDFW’s determination that the Project qualifies as a “minor alteration[s] in land, water, and vegetation on existing officially designated wildlife management areas or fish production facilities which result in improvement of habitat for fish and wildlife resources or greater fish production” is supported by (1) the project is located in the Modoc National Forest, (2) the project will focus on encroaching western juniper trees and those exhibiting old growth or heritage characteristics will not be removed, (3) the removal of encroaching western juniper will improve habitat by restoring sagebrush and perennial grass dominance and reestablish open shrub-grassland structure, (4) this restoration will enhance forage availability, improved visibility, and habitat permeability within pronghorn migration corridors and greater sage-grouse habitat, while reducing fuel continuity and increasing landscape resilience to drought and wildfire.
County Clerk
Modoc
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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