The Montrose Settlements Restoration Program (MSRP) announced today the release of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the San Nicolas Seabird Restoration Project.
Navy-owned San Nicolas is located off the coast of southern California and provides vital nesting habitat for numerous native seabirds and shorebirds, including western gulls, Brandts cormorants and the federally threatened western snowy plover. The is also home to the night lizard which is federally listed as threatened and the fox which is listed by the State of California as a threatened species.
Non-native feral cats are impacting native species by preying on adult seabirds and their young and on night lizards. The cats also prey on the native deer mouse, a staple of the foxs diet. The EA outlines the positive and potential adverse impacts associated with the removal of feral cats in order to benefit native wildlife.
A public open house regarding the project will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on June 4, 2008, in Room 202 at Ventura City Hall, 501 Poli St., Ventura, CA, 93001. Representatives from the MSRP and the U.S. Navy will be available at the open house to answer questions about the seabird restoration project.
Copies of the EA and other information about the project are available on the Internet at www.montroserestoration.gov">. Comments will be accepted through June 17, 2008, and may submitted in writing to Jane Hendron, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6010 Hidden Valley Road, Carlsbad, CA, 92011. Comments may also be submitted electronically to fw8cfwocomments@fws.gov">.
The MSRP is a multi-agency effort to restore resources injured by past DDT and PCB releases. The program oversees bald eagle, seabird, and peregrine falcon restoration projects, as well as projects to restore fishing and fish habitats. Further information on the MSRP can be found at: www.montroserestoration.gov.
