Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP - Mill Creek Addition

Preliminary General Plan Amendment and Final EIR
General Plan Amendment

At the October 8, 2010 meeting, Parks and Recreation Commission adopted the General Plan Amendment. A copy of the resolution adopted by the Commission is available at the following link:
Resolution - Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP General Plan Amendment

A Notice of Determination for the final EIR was filed with the State Clearinghouse on October 13, 2010. A copy of the notice is available here:
NOD for Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP - Mill Creek Addition GP Amendment and EIR

Mill Creek Addition Final General Plan Amendment/Environmental Impact Report
Mill Creek Addition Final GPA/EIR 

Mill Creek Addition GPA and Final EIR - Response to Comments
Mill Creek Addition GPA and Final EIR - Response to Comments


 

The General Plan Amendment is a document complementary to the existing Redwood National and State Parks General Management Plan/General Plan and will guide future management and stewardship of the Mill Creek Addition over the next 20 years. The General Plan Amendment identifies a set of planning issues and actions for the long-term management of the Mill Creek Addition. These issues and actions focus on restoring the property to old-growth redwood forest (late seral forest) characteristics, providing recreational opportunities, protecting sensitive resources, improving existing administration and operations, providing opportunities for research and interpretation, and balancing visitor needs with the unique natural character of the Mill Creek Addition. Inside this newsletter you will also find the Vision Statement developed as part of the General Plan Amendment.


Final Planning Newsletter (PDF, 3 MB)

NOA - Notice of Availability (PDF, 23 KB)

Preliminary General Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) (PDF, 6.1 MB)
Preliminary General Plan Amendment and Draft EIR Appendices (PDF, 9.3 MB)

State Parks Watershed Planning Effort

Public Input Helps Guide Restoration and Recreation Use of this Extensive Park Addition

Mill CreekThe Mill Creek Watershed Addition to Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park is located in Del Norte County. The 25,000 acre property is bordered by Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park to the north, Six Rivers National Forest to the east, and private industrial timber lands to the south. It encompasses the Mill Creek and Rock Creek watersheds. These creeks are tributaries of the Smith River, which is a nationally-designated wild and scenic river. The property was purchased in 2002 and subsequently added to Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.

Restoration efforts on the property began in 2002. Between 1954 and 2000, it was intensively managed for commercial timber production. In support of the timber harvest, an extensive network of logging roads and skid trails was constructed. Today, the property is characterized by mostly young forests that were planted after timber harvesting efforts. Restoring these early-succession forests to more mature conditions is one of the main goals for the Mill Creek property. Due to its size and strategic location, the Mill Creek Roadproperty presents an excellent opportunity to develop and test restoration techniques. It also offers many opportunities for recreation and interpretation.

California State Parks is preparing a General Plan Amendment and Programmatic Environmental Impart Report (EIR) for the addition. Public input and feedback is an important part of this process. Once completed, the Mill Creek Watershed Addition General Plan Amendment will be added to the existing General Management Plan/General Plan(GMP/GP) adopted in 2000. 

Mill Creek EntranceThe amendment will define the purpose and vision for the property, and address appropriate land use, circulation, facility development, natural and cultural resource management, and interpretation. The General Plan Amendment and Programmatic EIR is subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Existing Managment Framework

A PDF version of the General Management Plan/General Plan for Redwood National and State Parks is available at the following link:

Redwood State and National Parks General Management Plan/General Plan. 

A hardcopy of the plan for viewing is available at the visitor desk at Redwood National and State Park Headquarters, 1111 Second Street, Crescent City 95531.

A .pdf version of the Interim Management Guidelines developed for the Mill Creek property is available at the following link:

Mill Creek Interim Management Recommendations (PDF, 3.8 MB)

Allowable Uses in State Parks
 
The Mill Creek Addition is a part of Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. Management and use of California State Parks is guided by California Public Resources Code. Sections of the Public Resources Code pertaining to State Parks can be accessed at the following link:
 
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=prc&group=05001-06000&file=5001-5019.5
 
Relevant sections including information pertaining to allowable uses have been summarized in the document posted below:
 
State Parks Permitted Uses (PDF, 12.0 MB)

Public Participation in the Planning Process
Public participation is an important part of the general plan and CEQA review processes. An introductory meeting, two public site visits and the first public workshop have already taken place, and there will be further opportunities for information and comment in the months ahead.

Past Information and Comment Forums

Introductory MeetingMill Creek meeting 6/21/07
An introductory meeting was held on June 21, 2007, at the Crescent Fire Protection District Station. Representatives from California State Parks and the National Park Service provided an overview of the property and the ongoing road removal, fisheries monitoring, and habitat restoration efforts. Representatives from EDAW, the consulting firm retained to assist State Parks in the preparation of the amendment, gave a brief overview of the planning process. Meeting materials may be accessed at the following links:

Program/Meeting Outline (PDF, 17KB)
Powerpoint Presentation (PDF, 12MB)
Comment Form  (PDF, 27KB)

More meeting photos


Site TourMill Creek site tour 06/23/07
A site tour of the Mill Creek Watershed Addition was held on June 23, 2007. The tour provided participants with a first-hand look at some of the ongoing work on the property. Tour stops included fisheries monitoring locations, a road removal site, a forest enhancement site, and instream habitat restoration site, and the Mill Creek nursery. California State Parks personnel were present to answer questions about the property. Tour materials can be accessed at the following link:

Tour Outline and Message Points (PDF, 21KB)

More site tour photos

Watershed Road System TourRoad tour 9-04-07
On September 4th, 2007, California State Parks offered a special guided tour for the public of the road system within the greater Mill Creek area of the park. The tour provided the participants with a better understanding of this complex addition to Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park in preparation for management planning meetings for the area to occur later this fall. For more information, see the flyer and road map, below.

Watershed Road System Tour Flyer (PDF, 48KB)
Existing Roads on the Mill Creek Watershed Addition (PDF, 3.4MB)

More road tour photos

Project Newsletter, September 2007 (PDF, 1 MB)

Public Workshop and Scoping MeetingPublic meeting 10-04-07
The first public meeting and scoping workshop for the General Plan Amendment was held on October 4, 2007 from 6 to 8:30 at the new Elk Valley Rancheria Community Center on Howland Hill Road in Crescent City.  The meeting was attended by over 80 participants representing park users, local citizens, tribal members, focused user groups, elected officials and park personnel. 

The meeting included a PowerPoint presentation on the planning process, followed by brainstorming/input sessions in three facilitated breakout groups. The meeting ended with the three breakout groups providing a summary of their planning input to the larger audience. Attendees were also given the opportunity to provide input in written format by filling out comment forms.

The PowerPoint presentation given at the meeting can be accessed at the following link:
Workshop Presentation (PDF, 1.1 MB)
A summary of input received in the breakout groups can be accessed at the following link:
Public Meeting Notes 10-4 (PDF, 63 KB)

Preliminary Alternatives Public Workshop June 19, 2008

Alternative plan discussion, June 19 public workshopA public workshop to discuss preliminary alternatives for the Mill Creek Addition to Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park was held on June 19, 2008, at the Elk Valley Rancheria Community Center. The workshop was attended by approximately 50 participants.

The workshop began with a PowerPoint presentation that summarized the planning process to date and provided a brief overview of three draft alternatives for site use developed by the planning team. A draft preferred alternative was also presented. Following the presentation, participants were provided with the opportunity to review maps of the draft alternatives and ask questions about the process and the information provided.  Subsequently, three smaller work groups were formed where participants were able to discuss the information provided and provide feedback on the alternatives. The meeting ended with a volunteer from each group providing a summary of their small group discussion to the larger group. Attendees were also given the opportunity to provide written comments by filling out a comment form.

Materials presented at the public workshop can be accessed at the following links:

Workshop Program (PDF, 11 KB)
Workshop Presentation (PDF, 3.1 MB)
Alternative Draft Plans (PDF, 9.9 MB)
Comment Form (PDF, 34 KB)

A summary of the meeting notes and additional photos from the public workshop are provided below:

Public workshop notes (PDF, 72.0 KB)
Additional photos

A summary of written comments received in response to the June 19th alternatives workshop follows: 
Alternatives Public Comment Letters Summary (PDF, 31 KB)

Prior Steps

Notice of Preparation (NOP) Comment Period

The NOP comment period closed on October 17, 2007. The NOP may be downloaded from the link below:

EIR Notice of Preparation filed 9/17/2007 (PDF, 413 KB)

Groups and individuals provided written comments on the topics and issues to be addressed in the General Plan Amendment by sending a letter or by filling out and mailing in the comment sheet:
Comment Form  (PDF, 27KB)

 
Summary of Written Comments Received During NOP Comment Period (PDF, 50 KB)


January 9 – Staff Input WorkshopStaff Input Workshop

On January 9 the GPA planning team hosted a workshop for State Parks and National Park staff to provide input to the GPA planning process based on their experience and familiarity with the Mill Creek site. During the all day workshop held at the Endert’s Beach Environmental Education Center, staff provided input by planning topic, using the outline of the existing General Management Plan/General Plan for guidance.  Information solicited during this workshop was used in the development of the planning base map that would subsequently be used for the development of alternatives for site use. Notes from the workshop are posted below.
Staff Workshop_Notes_01 09 08. (PDF, 48 KB)

January 10 – Mill Creek Advisory Committee Input Workshop

On January 10, during their quarterly meeting, the Mill Creek Advisory Committee (MCAC) provided input into the planning process. After a briefing on the progress of recent GPA efforts, committee members provided input by planning topic, following the outline of the existing General Management Plan/General Plan for guidance. Notes for the workshop are posted below.
Mill Creek Plan Meeting Notes 01 10 08 (PDF, 44 KB)

If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the planning process, please contact Jeff Bomke, California State Parks Redwood Coast Sector Acting Superintendent. Contact information is given above.

Additional Opportunities to Visit the Mill Creek Watershed Addition

The Mill Creek Watershed Addition continues to be open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays for hiking, biking, horseback riding and nature exploration.



Mill Creek Watershed Plan

The Mill Creek Watershed Plan was developed concurrently with the General Plan Amendment and has been posted here for download by reviewers.  Please make sure to download both the Watershed Plan and the accompanying Appendix A. Both are available here:
Mill Creek Watershed Plan
Appendix A - Road Inventory and Assessment Report

To send comments about the Mill Creek Watershed Plan or Appendix A, please open the Read Me file, below.
Mill Creek - Read Me