SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WETLANDS RECOVERY PROJECT 2014 WORK PLAN REPORT November 20, 2014 Board of Governors Meeting OVERVIEW At every Board of Governors meeting of the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project (WRP) the board adopts a Work Plan that lists priority wetland acquisition, restoration, and enhancement projects for Southern California coastal wetlands and watersheds. Annually, this Work Plan is updated to include community-based restoration projects of the WRP Community Wetland Restoration Grant Program (CWRGP). The adopted Work Plan is a valuable tool for communicating regional priorities and funding needs and for facilitating WRP partner agency collaboration. The Board of Governors at its last meeting, held on November 7, 2013, adopted 12 projects for addition to the Work Plan. Following the meeting, in March 2014, 9 new Community Wetland Restoration Grant Program projects were added to the Work Plan. On October 21, 2014, the WRP received two applications for out-of-cycle additions to the Work Plan. Members of the Wetlands Manager Group reviewed the applications and selected one acquisition project based on the WRP Project Evaluation Criteria (see Attachment 1: WRP Project Evaluation Criteria) for an out-of-cycle addition to the Work Plan. Also, since the last Board of Governors meeting, 10 projects have been completed. Over the past 15 years WRP projects have acquired 8,246 acres of wetlands and associated habitat and restored 4,884 acres. More than $631 million dollars has been spent on the 95 completed Work Plan projects. This includes $2,500,000 spent on 121 CWRGP projects. The State of California has contributed more than half of that funding. THE WORK PLAN The Board of Governors has adopted each of the previous Work Plans. The WRP Wetlands Managers Group is submitting this 2014 Work Plan to the WRP Board of Governors for adoption. Projects on the Work Plan were chosen to help achieve the WRP’s six Regional Goals: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Preserve and restore coastal wetland ecosystems Preserve and restore stream corridors and wetland ecosystems in coastal watersheds Recover native habitat and species diversity Integrate wetlands recovery with other public objectives Promote education and compatible access related to coastal wetlands and watersheds Advance the science of wetlands restoration and management in Southern California The Work Plan is not a grant program. However, it is used by some agencies to guide project funding decisions. The Coastal Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Board and other WRP partner agencies use the Work Plan to identify priority projects for funding within the region. The new project recommended for an out-of-cycle addition to the Work Plan and projects completed or removed from the Work Plan are presented in the tables below. The project tables are organized by county and then from north to south. NEW PROJECTS TO BE ADDED THE WORK PLAN IN 2014 Table 1: Recommended projects to add to the Work Plan Project Name Description Estimated Cost County MacHutchin Property Acquisition Acquire the 3.54 acre MacHutchin property at the Buena Vista Lagoon. $1,550,000 San Diego Project Classification Acquisition Habitat type Wetland Project Lead Buena Vista Audubon Society WORK PLAN ACCOMPLISHMENTS WRP Work Plan Newly Funded Projects At the November 2013 WRP Board of Governors meeting 12 new projects were added to the Work Plan. Following adoption of the Work Plan, site tours of each of the twelve project sites were arranged. Interested WRP member agency staff toured the project sites and reviewed the project scope, design, and budget and answered any questions about the project that came out of the on-the-ground discussion. After the site tours, member agencies caucused to determine which might have a suitable funding source or grant program to fund the projects in whole or in part. This resulted in 6 of the 12 projects being funded or near to being funded as of November 2014. One additional project already on the Work Plan also is set to receive funding for the next phase of restoration. The table below provides a summary of those projects newly funded. Table 2: Newly funded Work Plan projects Project Name Mission Bay Wetlands Conceptual Plan TETRP II (Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program II) Aliso Creek Estuary Conceptual Plan Newport Valley Atascadero and Maria Ygnacio Steelhead Restoration Design Maria Ygnacio Ajian Barrier Removal Project Description Develop a conceptual plan to restore 40-acres of tidal wetlands in Mission Bay. Estimated Cost $460,000 Funder USFWS & SCC Funding Gap $0 County San Diego Project Classification Planning Timeline Approved May 2014 Final design and permitting for preferred alternative for restoration of 200 acres $1,500,000 WCB (amount TBD) $500,000 San Diego Planning Spring 2015 approval pending Develop a conceptual plan for the restoration of Aliso Creek Estuary $330,000 SCC $0 Orange Planning Approved October 2014 Invasive plant species removal and restoration of wetlands and coastal sage scrub brush habitat Develop engineering designs for six creek fish passage barriers along Maria Ygnacio Creek and on a portion of Atascadero Creek at the confluence with Maria Ygnacio Creek Removal of a concrete road crossing along with 3egarding and restoration of a more natural stream bed to increase steelhead access to 0.42 miles of habitat. Remove the final fish passage barrier in Carpinteria Creek to support steelhead recovery $381,000 WCB USFWS $0 Orange Restoration $309,000 NFWF $0 Santa Barbara Planning November 2014 approval pending Approval pending November 2014 $757,018 CDF&W ($732,018) $0 Santa Barbara Restoration Approved spring 2014 USFWS ($25,000) Carpinteria $820,000 WCB $0 Santa Restoration Approval Creek Barbara pending Restoration February Project: Circle 2015 G Construction CDF&W: CA Department of Fish and Wildlife, NFWF: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, SCC: State Coastal Conservancy, USFWS: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, WCB: Wildlife Conservation Board WRP Work Plan Highlights November 2013- November 2014 WRP partners have made significant progress in implementing projects on the WRP Work Plan over the past year and a half. The following represents a sample of major accomplishments and project highlights since adoption of the last WRP Work Plan. The Mission Creek Fish Passage Project in Santa Barbara County was completed in late 2013. The project improved fish passage in lower Mission Creek by modifying the lower concrete flood control channel. This improved conditions for Southern California steelhead to migrate upstream to access year-round water with suitable spawning habitat in the upper watershed and eventually restore a healthy population of steelhead in the creek. The project created both a low flow channel (fishway) and resting areas within the bed of the channel and slowed down water flow and increased water depth within the channel. This opened up 3.9 miles of riparian habitat for steelhead, including approximately two miles of moderate- to high-quality spawning habitat. The Matilija Dam Removal project in Ventura County is on schedule to have a group of studies completed by the project consultants. These studies explore four dam removal and sediment transport scenarios. From this process two preferred alternatives will be chosen for more complete analysis requiring another round of studies anticipated to cost $500,000 to $600,000. The Ventura River Parkway project completed the Hatton property land acquisition in September 2014. A total of 29 acres were acquired with 6 of those to be sold and the remaining 23 acres consisting of river floodplain. The acquisition added 22 acres to the Ventura River Preserve at a cost of $810,000. The Taylor Yard Acquisition project in Los Angeles County completed a draft of a MND environmental review. The comment period ended in late summer 2014 and the City of Los Angeles hopes to complete the acquisition by the end of 2015. Through the support of the NOAA Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration National and Regional Partnership Grants program the WRP realized progress on several of its projects. These included the San Diego Bay Native Oyster Restoration project, Upper Newport Bay Eelgrass Restoration project, Carpinteria Creek Circle G Fish Passage Design project, Carpinteria Creek Pinkham Fish Passage Restoration project, Alamitos Bay Olympia Oyster Restoration project and the above mentioned Mission Creek Fish Passage project. Many of these projects are on a timeline to be completed in the next year except for the Carpinteria Creek Pinkham and Mission Creek Fish Passage projects which have already been completed in the last year. In addition, 9 Community Wetland Restoration Grant Program projects were completed in the last year. Through these projects, community organizations and volunteers were able to join in Southern California wetlands restoration efforts. Participants were able to remove invasive plant species, replant areas with native wetland and transitional vegetation and join in the experience of renewing our wetlands landscape for the benefit of humans and other species. These projects are listed in Table 3 below. Completed & Removed Projects A total of 10 WRP projects were completed since the last Board of Governors meeting in November 2013. Table 2 below lists those projects completed during this time period. The full list of all WRP completed projects can be found in Attachment 2: Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project Completed Projects. Table 3: Completed WRP Work Plan and Community Wetland Restoration Grant Program Projects November 2013 - November 2014 Project Name Mission Creek Fish Passage Enhancement Project Goleta Slough Urban Interface Restoration Project Devereux Slough Margin Enhancement Lower Topanga Creek Restoration Project Bolsa Chica Dune Habitat Enhancement Initiative Citizens Restoring Coastal Habitat Watershed Avengers at Swan Canyon Description This project installed a fishway in lower Mission Creek opening up passage to 3.9 miles of habitat for spawning and rearing of steelhead trout. This project involved students and volunteers in the hands-on restoration of a 5-acre portion of Goleta Slough, providing practical educational workshops. The restoration helped reverse wetland degradation and symptoms of urban development through weed removal and re-vegetation, enhanced the rare species plant population within the airport property, and banked wetland habitat against the possibility of future climate change induced sea-level rise. Enhanced the slough margin at Coal Oil Point Reserve by removing invasive plant species, primarily Ice plant and New Zealand spinach, from approximately 8 acres, and intensive revegetation of two of the Ice plant removal sites, approximately 0.6 acres in size. Tree People lead volunteers to remove invasive species and plant native trees, plants, and shrubs in a filter strip riparian zone along Topanga Creek in Topanga State Park. Expanded dune habitat at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, including the rare dune plant Coastal Wooly Head. In addition, increased nesting and foraging areas for the endangered California Least Terns, threatened Western Snowy Plovers and other migrating resident shorebirds and waterfowl. The project engaged the community by holding 18 monthly events aimed at restoring 10 acres of critical habitat for listed species, training and educating the community members on the benefits of controlling invasive plants without the use of herbicides and restoration of the native plant community. Watershed Avengers improved habitat quality, transforming degraded canyons into healthy places while protecting local downstream wetlands habitats. This project restored 4.87 acres in Swan Canyon and utilized volunteer work from the local community. Estimated Cost County Type of Project Status $4,202,000 Santa Barbara Restoration Complete $19,800 Santa Barbara CWRGP Complete $24,400 Santa Barbara CWRGP Complete $17,200 Los Angeles CWRGP Complete $30,000 San Diego CWRGP Complete $19,080 San Diego CWRGP Complete $30,000 San Diego CWRGP Complete Project Name Once Upon a Watershed Ventura River Upper Estuary Volunteer Restoration and Wetland Education Program Santiago Park Nature Reserve Restoration Description The project provided restoration, handson watershed education, and stewardship experiences to over 600 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students for a year along the Ventura River Watershed. The project is correlated with the California Science Content Standards and will facilitate comprehensive, tangible and meaningful experiences planting acorns, restoring native plants, and trash removal activities. The project utilized relationships with other conservation and educational organizations in the local area. The project built the capacity of the project lead’s volunteer restoration and wetland education program by promoting hands-on community involvement in monthly volunteer restoration activities and service learning opportunities at Willoughby Preserve at the Ventura River upper estuary. Through these volunteer opportunities, in-class wetland education presentations, and river field trips for predominantly minority, lowincome, and underserved students the project reconnected Ventura to a largely forgotten and previously neglected river. The project completed a service learning habitat restoration program for one year at Santiago Park Nature Reserve. Monthly volunteer events were held at the Reserve, at which local students and community members will remove invasive, non-native species, seed and plant appropriate native plant species, and monitor the habitat. Estimated Cost County Type of Project Status Ventura CWRGP Complete $30,000 Ventura CWRGP Complete $30,000 Orange CWRGP Complete $29,550 CWRGP: Community Wetland Restoration Grant Program SUMMARY OF WRP WORK PLAN 2014 Upon its adoption by the Board of Governors, the 2014 WRP Work Plan will comprise 54 priority projects. These include 9 acquisition, 28 restoration and 17 planning projects. Table 2 below lists projects recommended for inclusion on the 2014 WRP Work Plan. Full project descriptions and funding details are available at www.scwrp.org Table 4: WRP Work Plan 2014 No. Project Name Description 1 Gaviota State Park Watershed Restoration and Enhancement Plan Develop a plan to restore the Gaviota Creek wetlands and watershed. Includes planning for a vehicle stream crossing, berm removal, sediment control and campground relocation 2 Atascadero and Maria Ygnacio Steelhead Restoration Design Develop engineering designs for six major fish passage barriers along Maria Ygnacio Creek. 3 Maria Ygnacio Aijian Barrier Removal 4 Arroyo Burro Creek Arundo Removal Project 5 Arroyo Burro Restoration at Las Positas 6 Devereux Slough Restoration 7 Devereux Slough: Ocean Meadows Restoration 8 Mission Lagoon and Laguna Creek Restoration Project 9 Carpinteria Creek Restoration Project 10 Matilija Dam Removal: Engineering and Design and Acquisition 11 Stewart Canyon Creek Remove a concrete stream crossing that acts as a barrier to the upstream migration of steelhead trout Remove non-native invasive weed, Arundo donax, from the bed, banks, and overbanks of Arroyo Burro Creek and its tributaries. Develop a riparian restoration plan for approximately 2,000 feet of Arroyo Burro Creek in the City of Santa Barbara. Restore 50 acres of coastal habitats at the UC Reserve's Coal Oil Point property and support recovery of rare plants and threatened and endangered bird species. Restoration of 57 acres of wetland habitat, including 24 acres of intermittently tidal estuarine wetlands and six acres of upland and transitional habitat. Complete the design, planning, and permitting phases for the Mission Lagoon and Laguna Creek Restoration Project. Remove seven steelhead passage barriers and enhance riparian habitat along Carpinteria Creek. Estimated Cost $665,000 $339,000 $773,000 County Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Project classification Planning Habitat/ project type Riparian Planning Fish Passage Restoration Fish Passage $99,930 Santa Barbara Restoration $270,000 Santa Barbara Planning $412,000 Santa Barbara Restoration Coastal Wetlands $9,458,580 Santa Barbara Restoration Coastal Wetlands $850,000 Santa Barbara Planning $5,200,000 Santa Barbara Restoration Preliminary engineering and design for the removal of Matilija Dam on the Ventura River. $21,325,000 Ventura Planning and Acquisition Restore the riparian ecosystem of the lower Stewart Canyon Creek, starting at Fox Canyon Barranca to its confluence with San Antonio Creek $588,000 Ventura Restoration Invasives Riparian Coastal Wetlands Fish Passage Fish Passage Riparian 12 Ventura River Parkway 13 Santa Clara River Parkway Acquisitions 14 Santa Clara River Estuary McGrath State Beach Create a River Parkway along the lower 15 miles of the Ventura River to protect habitat, create wildlife linkages, reconnect the river to its floodplain and create recreational opportunities. Acquire fee title and conservation easements along the lower 15 miles of the Santa Clara River for inclusion in the Santa Clara River Parkway. $8,000,000 Ventura Acquisition $14,669,411 Ventura Acquisition Restore coastal salt marsh and riparian forest habitats at the Santa Clara River Estuary at McGrath State Beach. $204,900 Ventura Planning Coastal Wetlands Acquire the privately owned portions of the Ormond Beach wetlands. $48,000,000 Ventura Acquisition Coastal Wetlands Prepare restoration plan for the 900acre Ormond Beach wetlands area. $600,000 Ventura Planning Coastal Wetlands 17 Arundo Removal North San Fernando Valley Remove Arundo donax from five canyons that drain to the Los Angeles River in the north San Fernando Valley $110,000 Los Angeles Restoration 18 Sepulveda Basin Plan Restoration planning and design for a mile of bioengineered bank stabilization of the Los Angeles River within the Sepulveda Basin. $485,000 Los Angeles Planning 19 Solstice Canyon Acquisitions Acquire 428 acres in the upper Solstice Canyon watershed of the Santa Monica Mountains $9,050,800 Los Angeles Acquisition 20 Upper Malibu Creek Feasibility Study (Rindge Dam) $3,900,000 Los Angeles Planning Fish Passage 21 Malibu Creek Comprehensive Restoration $350,000 Los Angeles Restoration Riparian 22 Cold Creek Riparian Acquisitions, Part 2 $5,000,000 Los Angeles Acquisition 23 Topanga Creek and Lagoon Restoration Program $4,215,630 Los Angeles Planning 24 Los Angeles River Taylor Yard Acquisition $25,000,000 Los Angeles Acquisition Riparian & Wetlands 25 Ballona Wetlands Restoration Planning $10,400,000 Los Angeles Planning Coastal Wetlands 26 Deforest Wetlands Restoration $6,791,482 Los Angeles Construction Riparian & Wetlands 27 San Gabriel River Arundo Removal $978,004 Los Angeles Restoration Invasives 15 16 Ormond Beach Wetlands: Acquisition, Part 2 Ormond Beach Wetlands Restoration Plan Conduct USACOE feasibility study for restoration of the Upper Malibu Creek watershed. Implement recommendations from the Lower Malibu Creek and Lagoon Resource Enhancement Study through enhancement of riparian corridor in the Malibu Creek Watershed. Acquire an additional 40 acres of riparian and upland habitat along Cold Creek, a perennial tributary to Malibu Creek, for inclusion in the 1319-acre Cold Creek Preserve. Restore riparian and lagoon habitats and improve fish passage in Topanga Creek and Lagoon. Acquire the 42.6 acre Taylor Yard property adjacent to the Los Angeles River in the City of Los Angeles for the purpose of ecological restoration. Identify, evaluate and design restoration alternatives for Ballona Wetlands. Development of a two-mile long 39 acre riverfront park with wetlands, upland habitat, interpretive displays and public access trails. Remove 80 net acres of Arundo donax from the San Gabriel River and Rio Hondo at Whittier Narrows. Riparian Riparian Invasives Riparian Riparian Riparian Fish Passage & Riparian 28 Alamitos Bay Oyster Restoration Project Restore oyster beds in Alamitos Bay. $89,100 Los Angeles Restoration 29 Los Cerritos Wetlands Conceptual Restoration Plan Prepare a conceptual restoration plan for the Los Cerritos Wetlands. $500,000 Los Angeles Planning Coastal Wetlands Acquire 100 acres of the Hellman property in Seal Beach for the purpose of wetland restoration. confidential Los Angeles Acquisition Coastal Wetlands $245,000 Orange Restoration Invasives Riparian $601,326 Orange Restoration Invasives $300,000 Orange Planning Coastal Wetlands $2,390,766 Orange Restoration $492,600 Orange Restoration $25,000,000 Orange Planning Stabilize the creek beds and banks, restore riparian habitat, and reduce sediment loadings to Newport Bay. $2,000,000 Orange Planning Enhance approximately 120 acres of perennial marsh. $3,700,000 Orange Restoration Coastal Wetlands Restore eelgrass beds in Upper Newport Bay. $156,000 Orange Restoration Coastal Wetlands $45,000,000 Orange Restoration 30 31 Los Cerritos Wetlands Acquisitions Riparian Enhancement at Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary 32 Newport Valley Habitat Restoration 33 Aliso Creek Estuary Restoration 34 Santiago Creek Arundo Control and Habitat Restoration 35 Santa Ana River, Featherly Regional Park Restoration 36 Orange Coast River Park 37 38 39 Serrano Creek Stabilization and Restoration Phase II, Reach 2 & 3 San Joaquin Marsh Enhancement Phase II Implementation Upper Newport Bay Eelgrass Restoration Project Removal of 11 acres of non-native periwinkle and 125 acres of nonnative olive trees along Bell Creek Use volunteers to restore 15 acres of riparian and coastal sage scrub habitat in a drainage that flows directly into the Upper Newport Bay. Develop a conceptual restoration plan to restore coastal wetland habitats to Aliso Estuary Remove approximately 140 acres of Arundo donax and associated invasives to recover native habitat and wildlife. Complete the removal of the remaining 20 acres of Arundo donax from Featherly Regional Park. Develop and implement an action strategy for the Orange Coast River Park, a 1,000 acre mosaic of wetland, riparian, and upland habitats along the lower three miles of the Santa Ana River. Estuarine Invasives Invasives Coastal Wetlands & Riparian Riparian 40 Aliso Creek Mainstem Riparian Restoration Ecosystem restoration in a sevenmile reach of Aliso Creek and 1,000 feet of the Wood Canyon tributary. 41 San Juan and Trabuco Creek Steelhead Recovery Watershed Management Plan Implement the San Juan and Trabuco Creeks Watershed Steelhead Recovery Plan $25,000,000 Orange Restoration 42 Trabuco Creek Fish Passage Project Planning and design of a fish ladder under Highway I5 along Trabuco Creek. $1,875,000 Orange Planning Fish Passage 43 Buena Vista Lagoon Restoration Plan Preliminary Engineering and EIR/S Prepare a joint CEQA/NEPA document for restoration of Buena Vista Lagoon and preliminary engineering plans for the restoration. $1,700,000 San Diego Planning Coastal Wetlands Riparian Fish Passage & Riparian & Coastal Wetlands Remove exotics and revegetate approximately 16 acres of wetland and upland habitat adjacent to Batiquitos Lagoon. Develop restoration alternatives through preliminary engineering to protect diversity and quality of habitats through restoration of tidal circulation and ecological functions at San Elijo Lagoon. Produce Canyon Enhancement Action Plans for 1,234 canyon acres (wetlands and upland slopes) and 15.6 miles of stream corridor in 9 urban canyons. Develop conceptual plans to protect and improve core functions of 40 acres of existing tidal wetland habitat in the Kendall Frost/Northern Wildlife Preserve. 44 Batiquitos Lagoon Exotics Removal and Revegetation 45 San Elijo Lagoon Restoration Planning and Engineering 46 San Diego Canyon Wetlands Restoration Project 47 Mission Bay Gateway Conceptual Plan 48 San Dieguito Watershed Invasive Species Control and Re-vegetation 49 Rose Creek Watershed Opportunities Assessment Implementation 50 San Diego River Watershed Riparian Restoration Program 51 Famosa Slough Acquisition 52 Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program 53 MacHutchin Property Acquisition Acquire the 3.54 acre MacHutchin property at the Buena Vista Lagoon. 54 WRP Community Wetland Restoration Grants Program Provide grants up to $30,000 for restoration and enhancement projects consistent with the goals of the Wetlands Recovery Project. Restore 874 acres of riparian and marsh habitat in the San Dieguito Watershed in northern San Diego County. Implement recommendations of the Rose Creek Watershed Opportunities Assessment, including completing a watershed-wide hydrologic study; planning for creation of wetlands at the mouth of Rose Creek; and designing trail linkages. Implement a watershed-based invasive, non-native plant control program in the San Diego River Watershed. Acquire 10 real estate parcels totaling approximately 0.9 acres of privately held property adjacent to Famosa Slough. Final design, engineering and permitting for the Tijuana Estuary Tidal Restoration Program $350,000 San Diego Restoration $1,590,000 San Diego Planning $320,380 San Diego $430,000 San Diego Planning $4,766,000 San Diego Restoration $1,165,000 San Diego Restoration $5,000,000 San Diego Restoration $950,000 San Diego Acquisition San Diego Planning Coastal Wetlands $1,550,000 San Diego Acquisition Coastal Wetlands $630,000 Regional Restoration $2,000,000 Planning Coastal Wetlands & Invasives Coastal Wetlands Coastal Wetlands Riparian Coastal Wetlands Invasives & Coastal Wetlands Riparian Riparian Coastal Wetlands Riparian, Invasives, Coastal Wetlands