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Take Action to help preserve the historical resources of Rattlesnake Island
No action is needed at this time. We will update this page if public
action is needed.
This is the second time the "owner of record" has applied for a
grading permit to put two homes on the island as well as two septic systems,
underground irrigation system, underground utilities, and a stand-alone
bathroom. In 2005, he was told that an EIR would be required so he dropped
the project. Between 2005 and 2008, one of the septic systems, the
underground irrigation system, and a solar electrical system was magically
completed without any permits.
When asked by the Board of Supervisors in 2005 to stop work on the septic
system, the applicant said "no", prompting legal action by the BOS to
halt excavation at the site.
This time, the new director and staff of the Community Development
Department (CDD) decided that any impacts to the archaeological resources could be mitigated to a level of "no significant impact".
Unfortunately, this determination was made without any information on the
nature or integrity of the archaeological site as it exists within the project
area. In addition, no mitigation plan was developed that met the
requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Yet
they asked the Planning Commission to approve a Mitigated Negative
Declaration for the project.
At a May 13th 2010 public hearing, the Lake County Planning Commission
listened to 21 members of the public present their views on the project and
proposed Neg. Dec. Eighteen of those speaking were against the Neg. Dec.
(including 11 members of the Native American community, 2 professional
archaeologists, one anthropologist, and the County Heritage Commission), three
spoke in favor of the Neg. Dec. (the owner, his wife, and attorney). After
4 1/2 hours of testimony, the Planning Commission decided not to approve the
Neg. Dec. and instructed the CDD to prepare a focused EIR on the
project.
In 2005, the State Office of Historic Preservation wrote a letter to the Lake
County planning staff saying,
”We believe that the preparation of an EIR for
this project that could have a significant impact on the environment is
considered necessary; it is also the professional judgment of the OHP staff ...
that almost any project development on the island has the potential to be a
significant adverse impact that could not be well mitigated.” Click
here to see that letter
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