Sacramento—The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released a Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) for the University of California at Santa Barbara’s North Campus Open Space Restoration Project.
The California State Coastal Conservancy will use funding received from National Coastal Wetland Conservation grants from the Service’s Wildlife and Restoration Program to help fund the implementation of the UCSB North Campus Open Space Restoration Project. The project has been proposed by UCSB to restore and enhance tidal and freshwater wetlands and associated upland habitats at Devereux Slough on their campus and to provide public access to the restored habitat by a system of walking trails.
The proposed project will restore and provide public access to the 136-acre North Campus Open Space, which includes the former Ocean Meadows Golf Course. The project has been designed to restore the tidal connection to the upper slough and establish saltwater and freshwater wetlands, all of which were eliminated when the Ocean Meadows Golf Course was constructed in 1965.
The project is grant funded in collaboration with the State Coastal Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, County of Santa Barbara, Caltrans, California Department of Water Resources, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Wildlife Conservation Board, California Ocean Protection Commission and the Service.
The Service is opening a 30-day comment period to allow interested parties to provide feedback on the draft environmental assessment prior to releasing final funding for the project. Comments will be accepted until August 1, 2016. The full text of the DEA is available for public review at: https://www.fws.gov/cno/conservation/wsfr.html
You may submit comments to:
Email: Lawrence_riley@fws.gov
U.S. Mail postmarked no later than 5:00 p.m., August 1, 2016: Lawrence Riley, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 2800 Cottage Way, W-1729, Sacramento, CA 95825.
Implementation of the project will require excavation and placement of fill in waters of the United States under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps is evaluating the issuance of a Clean Water Act permit for these activities on approximately thirteen acres of jurisdictional wetlands. A public notice was recently issued by the Corps requesting public comments on the proposed restoration action (SPL-2016-00339-TS).
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, visit http://www.fws.gov/cno. Connect with our Facebook page, follow our tweets, watch our YouTube Channel, and download photos from our Flickr page.
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