News Release
Service Releases Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report on Proposed Cullinan Ranch Restoration Project
2009-05-20 00:00:00.0
Refuge Manager Christy Smith, 707-769-4200
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released the final abbreviated Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the Cullinan Ranch Restoration Project at San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in Solano County, California. A notice of availability of the final document was published in today’s Federal Register and can be viewed on the Internet at: http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/E9-11778.html .
The Service and the California Department of Fish and Game are proposing the project, which will restore habitat for fish, wildlife and birds on 1,500 acres of former hayfield farmland on the northern shore of San Pablo Bay. The Cullinan Ranch Unit was acquired by San Pablo NWR in 1991 as a refuge for the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse and California clapper rail. The unit is bordered on the west by lands managed for wildlife by the California Department of Fish and Game. The refuge plans to restore most of the former hayfield farm to tidal marsh habitats for waterfowl, waterbirds and several endangered fish and bird species. Plans also include increased public access to wildlife resources in San Pablo Bay while minimizing project-induced flood impacts to Highway 37.
The public comment period for the draft EIS/EIR opened on May 2, 2008, and closed on June 17, 2008. The draft EIS/EIR identified and evaluated three alternatives for restoration. The Service’s preferred action alternative calls for complete restoration of the 1,500 acre site.
The Service received seven comment letters on the draft EIS/EIR during the comment period and the abbreviated final EIS/R responds to those comments. The Service will select its management alternative for the inan Ranch Project in approximately 30 days.
• San Pablo Bay NWR Headquarters Office, 2100 Highway 37, Petaluma, CA 94954.
• San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, 9500 Thornton Avenue, Newark, CA 94560.
John F. Kennedy Public Library, 505 Santa Clara, Vallejo, CA 94590.
More information about San Pablo Bay NWR and the Cullinan Ranch Restoration Project is available from Refuge Manager Christy Smith at 707-769-4200 or christy_smith@fws.gov.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen in California, Nevada and the Klamath Basin, visit www.fws.gov/cno .