Fish Habitat Restoration at Liberty Island
Wildlands has announced the completion of habitat restoration at the Liberty Island Conservation Bank in Yolo County, California. The completion of construction caps a three year entitlement and permitting process with federal, state and local agencies in one of the most complex restoration projects in Wildlands 20-year history, says the company.
The 186-acre restoration project focused on tidal aquatic habitat suitable for special-status fish species. The Liberty Island Conservation Bank is a collaborative effort between Wildlands, California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and will mitigate permitted impacts to fisheries habitat throughout the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
[ Also Read: Grand Canyon Threatened by Mining Claims ]The Bank is protected with a permanent conservation easement and a non-wasting long-term endowment to manage the property in perpetuity.
The development of the project comes at a crucial time when varied environmental and water interests throughout California debate the current health and long term future of the Delta.
All parties can agree that projects like Liberty Island are critical to the sustainability of the Delta as both an ecosystem and an economic engine for the State.
[ Announcement: Thought Leaders Invited to Write for RMN News Site ]“There is a lot of attention being focused on habitat restoration in the Delta. Wildlands is proud to actually be implementing a needed restoration project in an area most agree is critically important to the continued survival of listed fish species like salmon, longfin smelt and Delta smelt,” said Steve Morgan, Wildlands CEO.
Restoration at Liberty Island called for developing a mosaic of habitats beneficial to Delta native fish species. The construction included creating open water channels, tidal emergent marsh, seasonally inundated floodplain habitats and removing levees which impeded tidal and flood flow. In all over 190,000 cubic yards of material was moved to complete the project.
Wildlands, Inc., a private mitigation and conservation banking firm based in Rocklin, CA, has been in business since 1991.
