February 11, 2025
Agenda Item No. 8
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
Sean Levin, Recreation and Senior Services Director - 949-644-3151, [email protected] TITLE:
Proposal to Reduce Flashy Fuels and Restore Habitat in Buck Gully Reserve ABSTRACT:
The recent Los Angeles County wildfires have heightened awareness of fire hazards within Buck Gully. Staff from the Fire, Public Works and Recreation and Senior Services Departments sought a proposal (Attachment A) from Irvine Ranch Conservancy (IRC), the City’s contract land manager for Buck Gully, to increase fire mitigation in the reserve.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Find this project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15304 (Class 4 – Minor Alterations to Land) and 15308 (Class 8 – Actions Taken by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3, because it has no potential to have a significant effect on the environment; b) Approve Budget Amendment No. 25-053 transferring $425,055 from the unappropriated General Fund balance to the General Fund CIP and appropriating it into Account No. 01201928-911047-BGFRR, and c) Authorize the City Manager to execute a contract that is acceptable to the City Attorney with Irvine Ranch Conservancy in the amount of $425,055 to reduce flashy fuels and restore habitat in Buck Gully.
DISCUSSION:
Buck Gully consists of approximately 300 acres of open space and a creek bed within the Orange County Central Coastal Natural Community Conservation Plan (NCCP) areas. Land within the NCCP contains protected species and therefore was set aside in perpetuity as mitigated land in exchange for development elsewhere. NCCP lands must be managed in a specific manner to preserve their natural resources. The City of Newport Beach became the property owner of Buck Gully in 2005, is responsible for its land management, and is a signatory to the NCCP Implementation Agreement. The City has contracted with IRC to manage Buck Gully through restoration, monitoring and education since taking ownership.
Effective landscape restoration and mitigation measures are essential for reducing wildfire risk in the community. By enhancing ecosystem resilience, minimizing fuel loads, and establishing defensible spaces, these efforts protect lives, property and critical infrastructure. Additionally, they promote a sustainable and manageable habitat that supports long-term ecological health and fire-adaptive landscapes. Removing non-native plant materials and replacing them with native vegetation, which grows slowly and retains moisture for longer periods, is a long-term strategy for reducing fire risk. Additionally, the establishment of native plant materials prevents the non-native plant materials from regrowing. Dead, non-native vegetation lengthens the fire season and can endanger nearby communities.
This proposal would remove fuels that are annual, non-native grasses and mustards that grow rapidly in winter, before they deplete soil moisture, set seed, and desiccate by late spring and replace them with native shrubs, bunchgrasses, wildflowers and cacti.
Irvine Ranch Conservancy has a proven track record of successfully completing numerous restoration projects in Buck Gully and throughout Orange County.
The proposed project would span 8 years with the following outcomes:
Reduce long-term maintenance needs in the Hazard Reduction Zone by replacing flammable, non-native, annual vegetation with non-flammable cacti.
Replace flammable, annual vegetation with less flammable coastal sage scrub – grassland vegetation.
Eliminate artichoke thistle (Cynara cardunculus), a highly invasive and unsightly weed, from the 4.8 acres and nearby buffer areas.
Create 4.8 acres of habitat for the California Gnatcatcher.
Create 2.0 acres of habitat for the Coastal Cactus Wren.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Budget Amendment No. 25-053 (Attachment B) transfers $425,055 from General Fund unappropriated fund balance to the General Fund CIP (Fund 012), utilizing a portion of the Fiscal Year 2024-25 General Fund operating surplus, and appropriating it to account 01201928-911047-BGFRR.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15304 (Class 4 – Minor Alterations to Land) and 15308 (Class 8 – Actions Taken by Regulatory Agencies for Protection of the Environment) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Division 6, Chapter 3, because it has no potential to have a significant effect on the environment. The Class 4 Exemption includes fire management activities to reduce the volume of flammable vegetation, provided the activities will not result in the taking of endangered, rare, or threatened plant or animal species or significant erosion and sedimentation of surface waters. The Class 8 Exemption covers actions taken by a regulatory agency to assure the maintenance, restoration, enhancement, or protection of the environment.
The proposed maintenance project will remove annual nonnative fuels proximate to structures that grow rapidly in winter and desiccate by late spring thereby increasing flammability. The project will remove nonnative plantings and restore them with more resilient native plantings that retain moisture for longer periods and reduce fire risk. The project does not include any takings of sensitive biological resources and is intended to minimize structure fires and wildfires that lead to environmental and natural resources impacts, including loss of vegetation and biodiversity.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A – Proposal to Restore Habitat and Reduce Flashy Fuels Attachment B – Budget Amendment No. 25-053
8-3
8-1
Proposal to Reduce Flashy Fuels and Restore Habitat in Buck Gully Reserve February 11, 2025
CITY OF CITY OF
CITY OF
CITY OF
City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT NEWPORT BEACH NEWPORT BEACH City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
City Council Staff Report COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
NEWPORT BEACH
NEWPORT BEACH