ECORP was retained by McCaffrey Homes to support biological and cultural resources studies and to prepare environmental permit applications for the proposed development of the 1,555-acre Tesoro Viejo Master Planned Community in southeastern Madera County. The Project consists of a mix of residential, commercial retail, office, highway commercial, visitor commercial, light industrial, business park, recreational, school, open space, and other institutional and public uses.
CEQA and NEPA Documentation and Techincal Studies
ECORP conducted peer-review of biological and cultural resources technical studies prepared for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Environmental Assessment (EA) and prepared the following regulatory permit materials:
- United States Army Corps of Enginners (USACE) Section 404 Clean Water Act, Individual Permit application
- Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification application
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Fish and Game Code Section 1602 Master Streambed Alteration Agreement
Tasks Completed in Support of the Section 404 Permit
In support of the USACE 404 Clean Water Act, Indiciaul Permit, ECORP completed a variety of environmental documentation services including:
- Preparation of a 404(b)(1) alternatives analysis
- Preparation of mitigation checklists
- A technical review of the operation and management plan for the onsite open space preserve
- Assissting the federal lead agency in writing the NEPA decision document for the EA with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
Other Cultural and Biological Resources Management Services Provided for the Tesoro Viejo Master Planned Community
ECORP was also retained to coordinate and submit to the USACE all of the existing cultural resources documentation prepared for the project by other consultants in order to assist consultation between the USACE and Native American Tribal Representatives as required by Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).
The biological resources management staff at ECORP are also serving as a technical advisor for the Ecological Society of America (ESA) Section 7 consultation for California tiger salamander and vernal pool fairy shrimp and for critical habitats for a number of federally listed species. As part of the services provided, ECORP excavated 2,772 small mammal burrows and successfully relocated several wildlife species, including western spadefoots.
Environmental Consulting Services Provided:
- CEQA and NEPA Documentation and Processing Services
- Third-Party Review of Applicant-Prepared Documents
- Land Use Planning Services
- Habitat Restoration, Conservation, and Land Management Services
- Cultural Resources Management Services
- Native American Consultation Support Services
- Biological Resources Management Services
- Wetlands and Waters Assessment and Delineation Study
- Threatened, Endangered, and Special-Status Species Surveys
- Threatened and Endangered Species Permitting
