The Coastal Watershed Restoration Program will restore five coastal watersheds within Point Reyes National Seashore’s wilderness area. The objective is to remove and restore physical impediments and correct abandoned roads associated with past land-use practices which are known to pose major ecological threats. These facilities were the centerpiece of coastal development activities that threatened the area in the late 1950s and led directly to the Congressional establishment of the Seashore on September 13, 1962 “to save and preserve, for the purpose of public recreation, benefit, and inspiration, a portion of the diminishing seashore of the United States that remains undeveloped (PL 87-657).” The project includes a number of specific physical treatments within the five coastal watersheds, all draining into the Drakes Estero system. This project intends to remove facilities from wilderness and estuarine areas, and replace existing road crossings with structures that allow for natural hydrologic process and fish passage for anadromous salmonids (two federally listed threatened species, coho salmon and steelhead trout) and other aquatic species.
Did You Know?
A 1-foot sea level rise can lead to shorelines eroding back 100 feet, and increase the chances of a 100-year flood event in low coastal areas to once every 10 years.
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