Last April, the Point Reyes National Seashore received $2.44 million in federal funding to conduct the Drakes Estero Coastal Watershed Restoration Project. The project includes a number of specific physical treatments within five coastal watersheds, all draining into the Drakes Estero system, the centerpiece of Point Reyes National Seashore, and one of the most ecologically significant estuarine areas in the state of California. The project area lies within the Central California Coast Evolutionarily Significant Unit for the federally listed coho salmon and steelhead trout and contains habitat critical to these species' survival.
Due to this work, Mt. Vision Road will be closed between Aug. 20, 2007 and Oct. 15, 2007. This closure will allow the replacement of the culvert at the intersection with Sir Francis Drake Blvd with a fish friendly bottomless arch culvert. In addition, Estero Trailhead and access road will be closed between Aug. 27, 2007 and Oct. 15, 2007 to replace a culvert with a fish friendly stream crossing. Road closure signs will be appropriately place on-site to guide park visitors.
The project will remove or replace nine fish passage impediments currently in various states of disrepair and restore natural conditions and increase estuarine and stream habitat. The project will reduce the maintenance demands at Point Reyes National Seashore, eliminate the risk of catastrophic failure of culverts and dams, and increase sustainability, both operationally and ecologically, within these small coastal watersheds. Overall, the project will restore fish access to 20 miles of streams.
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Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
