title
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE - Agricultural Commissioner Thomas A. Moss
end
Requested Action(s)
recommendation
a) PRESENTATION - Review facts presented in the attached Environmental Checklist for California Counties Wildlife Damage Management Programs for Tehama County and the 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS report
b) PUBLIC HEARING - Conduct a public hearing to determine whether further CEQA review is necessary
c) Request the Board take the following actions
1. Adopt the following findings:
a. The 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS was prepared for this project pursuant to the provisions of CEQA
b. When reviewing the 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS, the State adopted a statement of overriding considerations;
c. The Tehama County Wildlife Damage Management Program (hereinafter referred to as the project or program) is within the scope of the 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS
d. The 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS describes the project for the purposes of CEQA
e. The project will not have any new or more severe impacts on the environment beyond what was already identified in the 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS
f. Mitigation measures found in the 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS are a condition of the approval of this project
2. Adopt mitigation report or monitoring plans for the project as described in the 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS
3. Authorize the Agricultural Commissioner to execute the Notice of Determination that the activity is covered under the 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR/EIS and take all steps necessary to meet the County’s CEQA requirements to proceed with the program
d) AGREEMENT - Request approval and authorization for the Chairman to sign Cooperative Service Agreement (CSA) No. 26-7306-7593-RA with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Wildlife Services (WS) to establish and maintain a USDA-APHIS-WS Integrated Wildlife Damage Management (IWDM) program in Tehama County, effective 1/1/2026 through 6/30/2030 and the attached Work and Financial Plan with USDA-APHIS-WS with a maximum compensation in an amount not to exceed $24,599.84 to provide wildlife management services for the period of 1/1/2026 through 6/30/2026
body
Financial Impact:
The cost for this program will be offset by reimbursements to the County from unclaimed gas tax revenues received from the California Department of Food and Agriculture each year. There is no impact on the General Fund.
Background Information:
The USDA Wildlife Services program is designed to protect agriculture, property, human health and safety, wildlife and other natural resources, from damage caused by predators and/or other nuisance wildlife by developing effective methods and strategies using technology that is biologically, environmentally, and socially sound.
Wildlife services specialists possess the skills, experience, and resources necessary to conduct a biologically sound Integrated Wildlife Damage Management (IWDM) program which includes securing depredation permits for protected species as required by state and/or federal law. The IWDM program was recently approved by the State of California and USDA through a joint certified EIR/EIS and assures counties and their residences that specialists follow all federal, state and local laws while using a systematic approach to wildlife damage management activities through the implementation of safe, selective, and environmentally sound practices. The program must be implemented in California in accordance with the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program approved through the EIR.
To provide these services, a multi-year Cooperative Service Agreement (CSA) with USDA-APHIS-WS is required to establish and maintain the long-term agreement and the mutual responsibilities for an IWDM-WS program within Tehama County. In addition to the multi-year CSA, a Work and Financial Plan is required each year between the County and USDA-APHIS-WS. The Work and Financial Plan’s (WFP’s) objective is to continue providing professional wildlife damage management assistance to reduce or manage damage to and protect property and human health and safety caused by predatory animals and other nuisance wildlife.
In 2024, the State of California and USDA jointly certified the 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR and EIS (SCH No. 2020099012) to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) in support of their jointly administered California wildlife damage management program.
The proposed project is a contract with USDA to provide cost-share wildlife damage management services in accordance with the program described in the 2024 California Wildlife Damage Management EIR and EIS, which analyzed USDA’s program in the State of California. The State’s and Federal Government’s combined programmatic EIR/EIS was designed to allow local jurisdictions to rely on it to the extent they are implementing the program locally, and a compliance checklist was developed to help counties determine the extent to which the implementation of the State’s program at the county level will require further CEQA analysis. Tehama County is not located in a region where additional CEQA analysis is required for certain species that may be affected by the program; no deviations from the State-approved wildlife management program are proposed; nor is the County proposing to supplement the USDA-IWDM-WS program with an additional local program. As such, the approval of this CSA and Work and Financial Plan is fully within the scope of the EIR within the meaning of CEQA Guideline 15168, and no further CEQA analysis is required to implement the program in Tehama County. The evidence supporting this determination is contained in the attached USDA/CDFA provided “Environmental Checklist for California Counties Wildlife Damage Management Programs”.