Ranchlands Restored along Estero Americano
Projects on three Sonoma County ranches, to begin this fall, will improve water quality and restore habitat in the upper watershed of the Estero Americano. The Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District (RCD) will use $250,000 awarded by the Conservancy to remove old tires, grade gullies and install riprap and other erosion control devices, install livestock exclusion fences, remove invasive species, and plant native grasses, shrubs, and trees. The work will affect about 750 acres near the town of Valley Ford. The RCD has been granted access to the ranches and the landowners have agreed to maintain the improvements.

Estero Americano, an estuary that flows into the ocean a few miles south of Bodega Bay, is one of the most naturally diverse areas on the northern California coast, rich in wildlife, migratory waterfowl, and wetland habitats. The Estero watershed is bordered by ranchland on both sides and suffers from erosion and sedimentation caused by livestock and ranch operations over the years. Restoration projects affecting 5,100 acres on eight other area ranches were funded by the Conservancy in 2002.

Wetlands Restoration, Improved Access for Humboldt Bay Area
The Conservancy has approved four grants, totaling $2,446,000, to acquire and restore wetlands in Humboldt Bay's Arcata Baylands, purchase two properties on the North Spit, and close a gap in the Coastal Trail north of the bay.

The Conservancy and the City of Arcata have worked together for many years to preserve and restore wetlands along Humboldt Bay, which is renowned for supporting many bird species and is one of California's most important stopovers for migratory shorebirds and waterfowl. Arcata Baylands, a 557-acre expanse along the northern shore of the bay, contains five creeks and two estuarine sloughs that provide habitat for tidewater goby and coho, chinook, and steelhead salmon, all federally listed species. The Baylands area is zoned for agricultural use but is increasingly coming under development pressure.

With $921,000 approved by the Conservancy in June, the City will acquire 68 acres in the Jacoby Creek/Gannon Slough and McDaniel Slough areas of the Baylands, adding to the 489 acres already purchased. A portion of the funds will be used to restore or enhance 82 acres, both on the newly acquired lands and on existing City lands. Estuary channels will be expanded and reestablished via tidegate removal or modification, levees will be removed to restore floodplain and riparian forest, livestock will be fenced out and native plants installed, and ponds for waterfowl will be created. The City plans to develop guided walks, birding opportunities, photography, and nature study projects in these areas.

This purchase will bring the total acreage protected by local, state, or federal agencies in and around Humboldt Bay to more than 1,300 acres, greatly increasing habitat connectivity.

Two more Conservancy grants approved in June, totaling $825,000, will help preserve public access and restore dune-plant habitat on two pieces of property on the North Spit of Humboldt Bay. Friends of the Dunes received $525,000 to buy 38 acres of the 59-acre Stamps property in the town of Manila, south of the Ma-l'el Dunes, which were acquired by the Center for Natural Lands Management in 2003 with Conservancy funds and later transferred to the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This property provides convenient access to the beach on the North Spit. The purchase includes the Stamps family's main residence, which Friends of the Dunes plans to convert to a visitor and interpretive center.

The other grant, $300,000 for North Spit land acquisition, went to the Manila Community Services District to purchase the 54-acre Celestre property. The land will be added to the Manila Dunes Recreation Area, immediately to the south, bringing a total of 155 acres of dunes under protection for public access. The property is part of the North Spit's ancient dune system and includes open dunes, a remnant dune forest, and dune hollow wetlands. It has never been developed for residential use, but eight acres might have served an industrial function at some point. The District plans to build a trail system from the recreation area onto the Celestre property and to the ocean.

In the fourth project approved in June, the Redwood Community Action Agency will fill a gap of nearly a half-mile in the Coastal Trail just north of Humboldt Bay with the help of $700,000 from the Conservancy. The project will connect two segments of the Hammond Trail, closing the so-called “Hole in the Hammond” by constructing two new trails: a riparian interpretive path for pedestrians only along Widow White Creek, and a paved year-round trail that bypasses the creek, for bicyclists and horseback riders as well as hikers.