GLENBROOK GULCH ANADROMOUS FISH HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT SUMMARY Applicant Organization: California Department of Parks and Recreation Project Title: Glenbrook Gulch Anadromous Fish Habitat Restoration Site Location: The project is located in the Glenbrook Gulch watershed, approximately 9 km northeast of the town of Albion, Mendocino County. The project site follows the remnants of the old logging road starting at the confluence of Glenbrook Gulch and the Albion River, approximately 8.5 stream miles from the mouth of the Albion River, and ending at Comptche-Ukiah Road, approximately 7.2 miles from Highway 1 (NAD 83, Latitude 39.2632, Longitude -123.67056 to Latitude 39.2688, Longitude -123.66713). Barrier and/or Adjacent Landowner – Barrier and adjacent land owned by California Department of Parks and Recreation, contact Marilyn Murphy, Mendocino District Superintendent (707-937-5804). On-the-Ground Implementation Start Date – December 15, 2008 NOAA Trust Resources to benefit from the project - The primary project benefit will be the removal of a barrier that prevents the passage of two ESA-listed salmonid species, coho salmon (Central California Coast ESU - Endangered) and steelhead (Northern California ESU – Threatened), to approximately 3,500 feet of suitable spawning and rearing habitat located on State Park property. Project Scope - Project will remove a dam that forms a complete barrier to coho and steelhead passage, restore instream habitat with the placement of large woody debris and the re-establishment of hydrologic connectivity, remove unstable road fill and decommission sections of road to prevent sediment delivery to the stream channel. Heavy equipment will be used to remove the dam and associated road-related work. Equipment and hand labor will be used to place large woody debris, and install erosion control features. Revegetation will be conducted by park staff and volunteers. Monitoring will include pre- and post-project aquatic species surveys and channel characterization profiles. Project Outputs/Outcomes - Approximately 0.66 miles (3,500 feet) of Glenbrook Gulch will be made accessible to anadromous fish, and one dam that currently prevents fish passage will be removed. Other benefits include the removal of approximately 5,020 cubic yards of excess earth materials associated with the dam, the immediately adjacent section of abandoned logging road that constricts the channel, and the oversteepened fill along the former access logging road. The project will also result in ecological benefits to the Albion River (listed under the Clean Water Act as impaired for sediments) by removing the poised sediments in Glenbrook Gulch that would otherwise flow directly downstream to the Albion. A final benefit of this work is the elimination of a Project Summary - Glenbrook Gulch Anadromous Fish Habitat Restoration 1 nuisance road that is contributing additional sedimentation due to illegal off-road vehicle use. Implementation of the proposed project will also contribute toward the State’s obligation to manage the property as required under the Agreement of Terms and Conditions for acquisition, as directed under State Park resource management policies and directives, and as expected by the public. Numerous entities donated toward, and actively supported the purchase of the Big River Property from the Campbell-Hawthorne Company with the expectation that the land would be protected and restored. Donors included the Wildlife Conservation Board, the California Coastal Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Trust for Wildland Communities, Save-the-Redwoods League, the Mendocino Land Trust, and thousands of private citizens. In addition, the project will lead toward State Park’s goal to reduce excessive sediment production to meet established TMDLs in compliance with the Clean Water Act. Project Time Line – State environmental approvals were completed through the California Department of Fish and Game Fisheries Restoration Grant Program (approved as matching funds for the project) in mid-2008. Federal Army Corps of Engineers 404 approval will be completed by spring, 2009. Construction contracts will be completed by August, 2009. Construction will begin following contract approval and will continue through October 2010. Revegetation will be implemented in the winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11. Initial monitoring surveys will be conducted the winter prior to construction; post-project implementation monitoring will begin following construction and continue through June 2011. Final fish surveys will be completed in the winter of 2010/2011. Permits - Work proposed for this project will follow the California Salmonid Stream Habitat Restoration Manual, 3rd Edition (California Department of Fish and Game), thus the CDFG Mitigated Negative Declaration to be prepared for the approved Fisheries Restoration Grant Program projects will be appropriate for CEQA and NEPA compliance. State Parks has already conducted a preliminary plant survey and completed an archaeological review of the site. No sensitive plants or cultural resources were detected. State Parks will be responsible for completing a DFG/CNPS protocol plant survey of the site prior to construction to ensure CEQA compliance regarding rare plants. Permits required will include Section 1602 (DFG), Section 401 (Army Corps), Section 404 (Regional Water Quality Control Board). Federal Funds Requested & Non-Federal Match Anticipated – Requested: $247,444.42 Non-Federal Match: $231,635.96 Overall Project Cost - $479,080.38 Partner and Volunteer Support Anticipated – 240 hours Big River Stewards volunteer hours in plant propagule collection, propagation, and revegetation, public outreach and education. Letters of Support - Mendocino Land Trust Project Summary - Glenbrook Gulch Anadromous Fish Habitat Restoration 2 GLENBROOK GULCH ANADROMOUS FISH HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT NARRATIVE Importance and Applicability of Proposal The primary project benefit will be the removal of a dam on Glenbrook Gulch that prevents the passage of two ESA-listed salmonid species, coho salmon (Central California Coast ESU - Endangered) and steelhead (Northern California ESU – Threatened). Approximately 3,500 feet (0.66 miles) of suitable spawning and rearing habitat will be made accessible to anadromous fish as a result. Other fish and aquatic species such as prickly sculpin, Pacific lamprey, Pacific giant salamanders and red- legged frogs will also be able to freely migrate up and down the restored stream corridor. The project will also restore instream habitat with the placement of large woody debris and the re-establishment of hydrologic connectivity. The project will result in long- term ecological benefits to the Albion River (listed under the Clean Water Act as impaired for sediments) by removing poised sediments in Glenbrook Gulch that would otherwise flow directly downstream to the Albion. A total of approximately 5,020 cubic yards of excess earth materials associated with the dam, the immediately adjacent section of abandoned logging road that constricts the channel, and the oversteepened fill along the former access logging road will be removed. A final benefit of this work is the elimination of a nuisance road that is contributing additional sedimentation due to illegal off-road vehicle use. A number of limiting factors to anadromous salmonids identified by the NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) in Chapter 3 of the 2006 Report to Congress, Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund FY 2000–2005 will be remediated by the proposed project. These factors include: water quality (temperature, chemistry, turbidity), excessive sediment yield (pool and gravel quality), spawning requirements (gravel, resting areas-pools), rearing requirements (velocity, lack of shelter, pools), and fish passage. Implementation of the proposed project will also contribute toward the State’s obligation to manage the property as required under the Agreement of Terms and Conditions for acquisition, as directed under State Park resource management policies and directives, and as expected by the public. Numerous entities donated toward, and actively supported the purchase of the Big River Property from the Campbell-Hawthorne Company with the expectation that the land would be protected and restored. Donors included the Wildlife Conservation Board, the California Coastal Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Trust for Wildland Communities, Save-the-Redwoods League, the Mendocino Land Trust, and thousands of private citizens. In addition, the project will lead toward State Park’s goal to reduce excessive sediment production to meet established TMDLs in compliance with the Clean Water Act. Project Narrative - Glenbrook Gulch Anadromous Fish Habitat Restoration 1 BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION: In 2002, California State Parks acquired 7,334 acres of former timberland from the Campbell Timberland Management/Hawthorne Timber Company. The acquisition, referred to as the “Big River Property”, is located primarily within the lower Big River watershed, with an approximate 500 acre section draining into the Albion River. Since the mid-1800s and prior to park acquisition, the property was managed predominately by large corporate timber companies. A cultural resource review of the project site was conducted by Thad Van Buren, Consulting Archaeologist in 2006. Based on information gathered during this review, Mr. Van Buren concluded that the dam is not an historic feature. The dam is not shown