Draft Environmental Impact Report - California Off Highway Vehicle ...

3.4 Visual Resources
Visual Sensitivity
Viewer sensitivity or concern is based on the visibility of resources in the landscape, proximity of
the viewers to the visual resource, elevation of the viewers relative to the visual resource,
frequency and duration of views, numbers of viewers, and types and expectations of individuals
and viewer groups.
Viewing groups with high sensitivity to visual change are generally those who experience a view
for a long period of time, such as residents or recreationists engaged in nature appreciation,
hiking, or camping, and who have a high degree of concern regarding the visual resource. Viewers
engaged in passing along the roadway or who are engaged in motorized sports generally have a
lower level of sensitivity to visual changes because their focus is on the roadway, terrain, and
other vehicles as they maneuver and avoid obstacles. Primary viewing groups of the Clay Pit SVRA
site would be travelers passing by the site on Larkin Road and visitors to the site taking part in
activities related to OHVs. Those passing by on Larkin Road include visitors entering or leaving the
airport, visitors to the DFG shooting range located on the south side of the SVRA, and people
traveling to other destinations on Larkin Road. Because the focus of travelers on Larkin Road
would be primarily on driving and the roadway, they would not be considered sensitive viewers.
Site visitors engaged in OHV use would not be considered a sensitive viewing group, since the
focus of their attention would be on other riders, the terrain, and obstacles. Additionally, because
of the disturbed nature of the site, it would not be anticipated that viewers would have high
expectations regarding visual resources on the site. Therefore, viewer sensitivity for the primary
viewer groups is considered low.
3.4.2 Regulatory Setting
This section describes additional planning information related to visual resources to supplement
information provided in Section 2.7, “Planning Influences,” of the Clay Pit SVRA General Plan.
No federal or state plans, policies, regulations, or laws apply to visual resources at Clay Pit SVRA.
Because the SVRA is owned by the State of California, it is not subject to compliance with Butte
County policies or ordinances. However, it is the intent of the OHMVR Division to develop the
SVRA in a manner compatible with the values expressed by the surrounding community. Although
these policies and ordinances were not used as thresholds of significance, they were considered
during this environmental evaluation. The Conservation and Open Space Element of the Butte
County General Plan 2030, adopted October 26, 2010, contains goals and policies that address
scenic resources in the county. The intent of the goals and policies is to maintain views of Butte
County’s scenic resources, including water features, unique geologic features, wildlife habitat
areas, and ridgelines (Goal COS‐17, Policies COS‐P17.1, COS‐P17.2). Additionally, the Conservation
and Open Space Element identifies scenic corridors with the aim of protecting scenic areas visible
from highways (Goal COS‐18, Policy COS‐P18.1) (Butte County 2010:263‐266). One scenic
Clay Pit State Vehicular Recreation Area
February 2012 3.4-2 Draft EIR