2026 Addition to Mooretown Tribal Landscape Cultural Fire Project
Summary
SCH Number
2026090778
Public Agency
Butte County Resource Conservation District
(BCRCD)
Document Title
2026 Addition to Mooretown Tribal Landscape Cultural Fire Project
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
9/17/2026
Document Description
The project area experienced 90-100% mortality during the 2020 North Complex Fire emergency, resulting in a landscape characterized by even-aged resprouting brush. To meet ecological and cultural objectives, the Tribe desires to reburn this landscape in different years in smaller sections, ranging from (approximately) 3 to 106 acres. (The subunits proposed in this 2026 addition range from 11 to 62 acres.) Activities would promote an uneven-aged mosaic of vegetation, benefiting oak woodlands, culturally important shrubs and geophytes, and wildlife habitat. This project would 1) create permanent fire control features between these beneficial fire subunits (where control features don’t already exist) and then 2) apply beneficial fire under prescription to one or more subunits at a time. To create the new fire control features, crews would scrape new lines down to bare mineral soil using either hand tools (3-foot wide handlines) or a mini-excavator or dozer (6-foot-wide machine lines). Only the handlines are considered new disturbance for the purposes of stormwater compliance, since the 6-foot-wode machine lines would re-utilize (but not re-grade) currently vegetated old road prisms. A total of about 1.1 new miles of handline would be cleared; at a 3-foot width, the total disturbance amounts to 0.41 acres. BMPs built into the project minimize water quality impacts. Subunits would be broadcast-burned in fall. Some burning of piles/invasive weeds could take place in spring, after visual bird checks. Work to be done on Federal lands would require separate NEPA clearance. Work to be done on adjacent private non-Tribal lands, if any, would require signed access/work agreements with those landowner(s). Broadcast burning would occur outside of nesting season (i.e. work would be conducted Aug 16-Jan 31) or pre-implementation nesting bird surveys would be done 1-3 days prior.
Contact Information
Name
Wolfy Rougle
Agency Name
Butte County Resource Conservation District
Job Title
Planning and Watershed Program Manager
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Email
Location
Cities
Feather Falls , Oroville
Counties
Butte
Regions
Northern California, Unincorporated
Total Acres
165
Township
20N
Range
06E
Base
MDM
Other Location Info
sections: 16,17, 19
zip codes: 95965, 95966
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 4; California Code of Regulations, title 14, §15304
Reasons for Exemption
Butte County RCD finds the project consists of minor alterations to land. The project involves shallow ground disturbance during fireline establishment; adequate resource protection measures are integrated. Disturbance to riparian and wetland zones would be minimal. Work will occur outside of nesting season (2/1-8/15), or pre-implementation surveys would occur. Fall burning causes a less than significant impact to sensitive native plants in this region. The project, as designed, would have less than significant impact in each resource area, and an exemption pursuant to § 15304 is indicated.
County Clerk
Butte
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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