Amador Aspen Restoration Project
Summary
SCH Number
2026060066
Public Agency
Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority
Document Title
Amador Aspen Restoration Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
6/2/2026
Document Description
The Amador Aspen Restoration Project will restore five clusters of aspen stands, totaling 604 acres of aspen, by removing encroaching and overtopping conifers, selectively girdling conifers, installing temporary fencing, and implementing prescribed fire treatments. The project also will erect temporary fencing generally around individual or small groups of aspen suckers within an additional 124 acres of aspen that are heavily browsed, for a total proposed project area of 728 acres. The project was designed by the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority (UMRWA) in cooperation with the Eldorado National Forest, Amador Ranger District (ARD) and the Amador Calaveras Consensus Group (ACCG). The project objectives are to reestablish historic aspen stands and promote regeneration and sustainability of aspen stands that are currently either limited in age classes, suppressed, stunted, or declining in acreage, or a combination of these conditions due to conifer encroachment, overtopping, intense herbivory , and suppression of wildfire.
Contact Information
Name
Karen Quidachay
Agency Name
Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority
Job Title
Program Director
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant / Parties Undertaking Project
Phone
Location
Counties
Alpine, Amador, El Dorado
Regions
Countywide
Cross Streets
Highway 88 and Caples Dam
Total Acres
728
Jobs
3
State Highways
Highway 88
Schools
Pioneer Elementary School
Waterways
Mokelumne River
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4, Section 15304, Minor Alterations to Land
Reasons for Exemption
This project involves minor alterations to the land and is designed to protect and restore forest health and natural resources and nearby communities from high severity wildfire. The Forest Service completed all required NEPA compliance for the proposed activities. A NEPA Categorical Exclusion document was prepared for the project. The NEPA Lead Agency (Forest Service) determined this action is categorically excluded from documentation in an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement in accordance with the requirements of Public Law 91-190 (42 USC 4321 et seq.). The applicable category of actions is identified in agency procedures as Forest and Grassland Management Activities with a Primary Purpose of Meeting Restoration Objectives or Increasing Resilience (36 CFR § 220.6(e)(25)). There are no extraordinary circumstances that warrant further analysis and documentation in an Initial Study or EIR.
County Clerks
Alpine, Amador, El Dorado
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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