Restoration Projects Funded Under
the ERA
Previously Funded Projects
The Army Corps has traditionally been the only agency to receive funding for project implementation under the ERA. In the 2007 ERA Amendments, all five ERA agencies are now authorized to receive appropriations to carry out restoration projects. In fiscal year 2009 NOAA received appropriated funds and was able support one project.
Funded 2011 projects include:
Corps
- Riverside Ranch Restoration Project, Ferndale Quad, Eureka, CA, Ducks Unlimited will restore 356 acres of estuarine juvenile rearing habitat in the Salt River delta on the Riverside Ranch. They will breach two levees, create channels for tidal flow, fill ditches, and enhance 50 acres of existing marshes. The Riverside Ranch Restoration Project is a vital activity to recover federally listed Coho salmon (threatened), chinook salmon (threatened), and steelhead trout (threatened) stocks in the Salt River watershed, and provide habitat for the tidewater goby (endangered). The project will provide valuable estuarine and floodplain habitat for smolting salmonids and resting habitat for returning salmon and steelhead, and other species. The project will restore tidal wetlands so that they will be self-sustaining in the face of climate change, specifically sea level rise.
- Sears Point Tidal Restoration Project, San Pablo Bay and Tolay Creek Watersheds near Petaluma, CA, Ducks Unlimited will restore 960 acres of diked agricultural baylands at Sears Point to productive estuarine habitat. They will also excavate approximately 10 miles of tidal channel habitat. The project will restore estuarine habitat to the site, providing the last link to form a large continuous band of tidal marsh along the bayfront between Petaluma River and Tolay Creek. It will also benefit Federal Trust species (Central California Coast steelhead, Central Valley chinook salmon, Sacramento River chinook salmon, green sturgeon, salt marsh harvest mouse, and California clapper rail), as well as other at risk fish and wildlife species. This action will provide a major step towards uniting the pre-historic Petaluma Marsh, the largest intact (undiked) tidal marsh in the San Francisco Estuary, with the large tracts of recently restored marsh along Sonoma Creek and the Napa River. A dual function flood control and habitat levee will be constructed at the northern edge of the site to protect existing infrastructure and residences. Project implementation will improve regional resilience to climate change by restoring marsh in a sediment-rich environment, where sufficient sediment sources exist to help natural marsh building processes keep pace with seal level rise associated with climate change.
- Elkhorn Slough Tidal Marsh Restoration: Building Resilience with the Beneficial Reuse of Sediment, Monterey County, CA, Elkhorn Slough Foundation will add sediment to sunken historic marshes in Elkhorn Slough to restore 21 acres of salt marsh. The restored salt marsh will help improve water quality by filtering pollutants from the water. The project will likely benefit the federally threatened Southern sea otter, harbor seals, starry flounder, leopard shark, shiner surfperch, and California halibut. This project will also create a three-acre native grass buffer to improve surface water quality by intercepting stormwater runoff. By increasing the sediment availability in Elkhorn Slough, marsh habitats will be more resilient to climate change, particularly sea level rise. Additional sediment will increase the extent and sustainability of the tidal marsh previously eroded due to changes in water volume and currents within the slough.
- Humboldt Estuarine Complex Intertidal Habitat Restoration and Climate Change Adaptation, Humboldt Bay and Eel River Estuary, Humboldt County, California, Ducks Unlimited will restore more than 50 acres of intertidal habitat by removing invasive eelgrass using traditional and innovative techniques. The project will utilize new methods of eradicating the invasive species. One will sterilize the plant and seedbank with heat cartridges facilitating the eradication of large areas in a short time and the other will cover the perimeter of large patches. These methods will be monitored to evaluate their success. Protected species that will benefit from this project include tidewater goby, Coho salmon, steelhead trout, chinook salmon, and green sturgeon. Removal of the invasive eelgrass is critical to the ability of this ecosystem to adapt to seal level rise, since it impedes the ability of native eelgrass to expand to higher intertidal areas and continue to support the mudflat foodweb.
- Little Oyster Creek Sanctuary Project, Lower Neuse River in Pamlico Sound, Pamlico County, NC, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources will restore 10 acres of unproductive soft bottom habitat, turning it into a protected oyster reef sanctuary within the estuary of the Neuse River, Pamlico Sound. The sanctuary is located as far upstream as possible to increase the resiliency of healthy oyster reef development in the face of climate change, specifically sea level rise. This 10-acre site will incorporate a new reef building technique in the state that could significantly reduce restoration costs and increase the surface area available for oyster recruitment and growth. The project will enhance the productivity of the state’s primary and secondary fish nursery areas and will benefit recreationally and commercially important finfish species. Establishing this reef will also help to foster naturally occurring oyster reefs by protecting the oysters that recruit there.
- Salt Creek Estuary Reconnection Project, Salt Creek Watershed, Clallam County, Washington, The North Olympic Salmon Coalition will significantly enhance tidal and stream hydrology to 22.5 acres of salt marsh, which will return the salt marsh to its historic size of 77 acres. The project will remove two dams to reclaim habitat for Endangered Species Act-listed chinook salmon and steelhead, as well as other migratory fish species. Through the installation of two bridges, tidal hydrology, fish passage, nutrient cycling, and natural tidal channel formation will be restored to the isolated marsh and the benefits should be self-sustainable into the future. Bridge openings will allow adequate tidal flow, and the influx of salt water will promote the growth of native vegetation. Regular tidal flooding of the existing marsh surface will maintain constructed tidal channels and increase their complexity. This will allow the area to adjust naturally to climate change by increasing accretion to allow the marsh surface to keep up with sea level rise or transition to mudflats that are also well utilized by target project species.
NOAA
- Green Gulch Creek Stream Restoration Project, Redwood Creek Watershed in Marin County, CA, The San Francisco Zen Center will restore 1.5 acres of riparian and stream habitat in Green Gulch Creek, located in Marin County, California near Muir Woods National Monument by rehabilitating a one-third mile section of highly-modified, straightened, and downcut channel with concrete lining and 10 small, failing concrete check dams, averaging 2-3 feet tall. This project will reconnect Green Gulch Creek with the Redwood Creek/Big Lagoon Estuary to provide valuable spawning and over-winter habitat for endangered Coho salmon and steelhead. The small dams create barriers for juvenile and adult salmonids looking to access and benefit from this important habitat. This project will also widen the current stream and riparian corridors; replace a bridge on the farm access road; and plant the riparian corridor. This project will also enhance habitat for federally threatened California red-legged frogs and many other native riparian and aquatic wildlife. These improvements will restore the stream and estuary ecosystems’ functionality making the systems more resilient in the face of climate change and show the commensurate benefits of working together with the agricultural community.
- Habitat Restoration in Kaneohe Bay, Kaneohe Bay, County of Honolulu, Hawaii, The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources will restore 13 acres of coral reefs and create increased habitat for coral recruitment. It will also address the expanding distribution of non-native algae in Kaneohe Bay. They will remove invasive algae via an underwater vacuum called the “Super Sucker,” coupled with an increase in native herbivores via a release of sea urchins. By removing algae from the system, the area will be able to slowly shift back to a coral-dominated system. This project will assist in the management of these reefs in the face of climate change by restoring healthy reefs to the Bay.
- St. Lucie River Oyster Reef Habitat Restoration Project, St. Lucie Estuary, Martin County, FL, The Martin County Board of County Commissioners will continue ongoing efforts to restore and monitor approximately two acres of historical oyster reef in the St. Lucie Estuary. The St. Lucie Estuary and adjacent terrestrial ecosystems provide habitat for more than 4,300 species of plants and animals, including more than 30 threatened and endangered species (manatee, wood stork, sandhill crane, and peregrine falcon). Currently, no oyster harvest is allowed in the estuary. These restoration efforts include direct placement of cultch material in the estuary, and the restoration and stabilization of adjacent shoreline using ecologically sound restoration techniques. The project will provide habitat for approximately 3 million oysters, which improve water quality and provide shoreline protection. Coupled with shoreline restoration, this project will improve the ecosystem’s resiliency in the face of sea level rise and climate change by stabilizing shoreline sediments, increasing habitat and, ultimately, the species richness.
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