|
|
|
|
Point Reyes National Seashore
Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project: Phase II Construction Updates
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Welcome to the Public Information Site for the Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project Phase II (2008)
|
|
NOTICE: CONSTRUCTION UPDATE – Giacomini Wetland Restoration Project Phase II - Updated June 21, 2008
As part of initial preparation for the beginning of restoration work, the Seashore is planning to conduct mowing operations during the week of June 23-27, 2008, in the southern portion of the East Pasture of the Giacomini Ranch. Mowing will be conducted in areas of the pasture where clearing and grubbing of vegetation will need to be conducted in order to allow for scraping or excavation of restoration components. Mowed material will be subsequently baled and hauled off-site. Mowing of selected pasture areas will help to ensure that restoration can be completed by the fall deadline and potentially decrease the amount of material that would be off-hauled to the quarries. The Seashore has conducted environmental surveys to ensure that mowing would not pose a risk to nesting birds, and buffers have been established to reduce potential impacts to avian and other wildlife species to the maximum extent practicable.
The National Park Service (Park Service) and Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA) are in the process of selecting a contractor and securing permits for construction of Phase II. Point Reyes National Seashore and the California State Lands Commission hope to begin construction in July 2008, should the permit be approved, and coonstruction will continue through November 30, 2008, except for revegetation, which will extend into December 2008.
We wish to thank the local community and park visitors for their support of our project and their patience during construction. While construction does cause some impacts to residents and visitors, we are hoping that you will find the results of our efforts worthwhile, particularly after we finish construction of Phase II in 2008. We also hope that you become part of the restoration project by joining one of our drop-in community or organized group planting days this fall.
Our goal is to effectively disseminate information to the public so that the community residents and visitors know what to expect during construction. Lessons learned from Phase I are being incorporated into Phase II in terms of how to minimize impacts for residents and visitors. Once the construction schedule and specifications are finalized, the Park Service and PRNSA will release information to the public about the anticipated construction schedule; construction and hauling routes; any anticipated traffic delays from construction, and schedule for temporary or permanent closures of trails. The public outreach effort will include regular updates of this website, as well as other means such as flyers, meetings, press releases, and knocking on doors.
PRNSA helped to raise most of the monies for this project and is managing the construction portion in collaboration with the Park Service. PRNSA has engaged Winzler & Kelly (Santa Rosa, Calif.) to manage construction during Phase II. The Park Service will provide environmental monitoring during the project to ensure that impacts to valuable natural resources such as wetlands, riparian habitat, and special status species are minimized to the extent possible.
Top of Page
Phase II of the project will include the following components:
|
- Removal of the remainder of the levees in the East and West Pastures of the Giacomini Ranch, except for areas where sections will be retained as high tide refugia for rails.
- Further lowering of the levee in the southern portion of the East Pasture that was removed last year.
- Creek bank stabilization activities such as removal of riprap, laying back of vertical creek banks, and creation of floodplain terraces along the southern portion of the East Pasture Lagunitas Creek Bank.
|
- Removal of remaining agricultural infrastructure and conditions such as drainage ditches, pumphouse, culverts, bridges, irrigation pipes, fencing, and equipment.
Top of Page
|
- Creation of tidal channels in the East and West Pastures.
- Removal of culverts and tidegates on the diked East Pasture Old Slough and Fish Hatchery Creek.
- Removal of the West Pasture North Levee and borrow ditch used to create the levee.
|
- Enhancement of special status species habitat through retention or creation of topographically elevated berms as high tide refugia for state-listed threatened California black and endangered clapper rails and muted tidal impounded areas for federally listed endangered tidewater goby.
|
|
| High tide refugia for rails. |
|
|
Top of Page
- Lowering topographically elevated areas in the southwestern portion of the East Pasture to increase hydrologic connectivity of the marshplain with a created tidal channel.
- Minor relocation of the Lagunitas Creek spur trail in the southern portion of the East Pasture slightly away from the creek bank to increase the buffer for the creek as mandated by many regulatory agencies and allow for reestablishment of healthy riparian habitat.
- Grading in the southern portion of the East Pasture to improve floodplain processes.
|
- Grading in the southern portion of the East Pasture to improve floodplain processes.
- Removal of a portion of the berm along the Bear Valley Creek channel in Olema Marsh to slightly decrease water levels within this impounded system and improve hydraulic connectivity with Lagunitas Creek.
|
 |
| Marin Conservation Corps installing native wetland plants at Tomasini Triangle freshwater marsh |
 |
- Revegetation and invasive plant removal in both the East and West Pastures to jumpstart plant establishment in certain portions of the Project Area and/or to remove invasive plant species that have the potential to spread without further management.
|
|
Top of Page
Where will excavated sediments be disposed of?
Unlike most of the wetland restoration projects in San Francisco Bay where there is a deficit of sediment, this restoration project must contend with the fact that the Giacomini Ranch has an excess of sediment and is topographically higher in elevation than it was historically. Therefore, sediment must be excavated in order to achieve some of the restoration goals. Throughout the planning for Phase II, the Park Service, PRNSA, and its consultants have strived very hard to minimize the amount of off-hauling of sediment from the project site. Many of the soils retained on-site are being used for final grading of the Park Service-owned portions of the Dairy Mesa, filling of drainage ditches, and creation of special status species habitat.
|
|
Some soils will still need to be hauled off-site during construction. These soils are being hauled to quarries on the Tomales Point portion of the Point Reyes Peninsula. The Park Service administratively closed quarries in the Seashore in 1991. Since then, the Seashore has been interested in restoring the quarries to a more natural appearance characteristic of this coastal prairie landscape, but the soils needed to restore the natural contours of this hillside quarries have not been available. The Giacomini project provides some soils to be used as a base for restoring the hillslope. A native topsoil layer is being placed on top of the imported soils to maintain ecological integrity and allow for appropriate native plant restoration over the next few years.
Top of Page
|
|
How can I be part of the restoration process?
Come be part of the restoration process by helping us plant wetlands!
|
 |
| Volunteers planting native wetland plants at Olema Creek Frog Ponds. |
|
Several of the Phase II restoration areas will be actively revegetated this fall. This includes riparian, salt marsh, and upland ecotone or grassland areas. Community drop-in planting days will be announced in early fall. The Park Service is also organizing volunteer planting days for local schools, community groups, universities, and other interested organizations on these and other days by prior arrangement. Please contact Lorraine Parsons by email or by phone at 415-464-5193 to become involved.
In addition to planting, there may be other opportunities this summer to help with restoration, including salvaging of plant materials or even assisting with monitoring. Again, please contact us if you are interested.
Come be an active part of this project, which will help to transform Tomales Bay!
Top of Page
|
|
What to expect during construction:
Noise and What’s Being Done to Minimize Noise Impacts: Construction equipment will generate noise that may be audible to adjacent residents and park visitors. Construction activities will include soil excavation, rough and fine grading, and demolition of concrete, metal, and other non-soil materials. In addition, some portion of soil and non-soil materials will be hauled off-site, which will also generate noise along local roadways. Off-haul material will be transported to regional landfills, recycling facilities, and sites designated by the Park Service (off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Pierce Point Road on the Point Reyes Peninsula). Potential noise impacts may occur during construction on 4th Street, 5th Street, C Street, B Street, Mesa Road, State Route 1, Levee Road, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, and Pierce Point Road.
|
|
To minimize impacts to residents and visitors from noise, construction hours have been shortened. Work at the site will occur between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The Contractor and crew will not enter the site prior to 7:00 AM or leave the site after 7:00 PM, and no equipment engines or other noise generating activities will start prior to 7:45 AM or continue past 6:15 PM.
In addition, the Park Service and PRNSA will work with the contractor to minimize the number of days in which materials are hauled. The number of daily truck roundtrips will typically be limited to 40. Intermittent hauling of demolition debris to recycling centers or landfills will occur through the end of November. Hauling will only occur on weekends under special circumstances.
Lastly, the Park Service and PRNSA will encourage the selected contractor to utilize newer model dump trucks for hauling that are less noisy.
Dust and What’s Being Done to Minimize Dust Impacts: In addition to noise, construction equipment can generate dust that could potentially impact adjacent residences and businesses. The Park Service and PRNSA will require that contractors install wind screen fencing along the construction entrance at C Street to minimize airborne dust from reaching residential and commercial areas. The contractor will also be required to frequently water construction areas and to sweep streets in the vicinity of site access locations. Dust generation will also be reduced by requiring the contractor to wash tires of trucks prior to leaving the site. Hauling trucks will be required to have two feet of freeboard or space between the top of the load and top of the truck or to be tarped to minimize accidental spilling of dirt onto local roadways.
Top of Page
Traffic and What’s Being Done to Minimize Impacts on Traffic and Roads: The Park Service, PRNSA, and its contractors do not anticipate that construction will result in any road closures or traffic detours. However, there could be temporary traffic delays as equipment move on and off the site, particularly along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Inverness Park. Traffic delays will involve flagmen stopping traffic in one or both directions as trucks and other equipment enter or exit the West Pasture and the quarries. This should generally cause no more than a 5-minute traffic delay.
As noted earlier, every effort will be made to minimize the total number of days of hauling. The number of daily truck roundtrips will generally be limited to 40. Hauling will be permitted on weekends only under special circumstances.
Prior to the start of construction, the Construction Manager will document the existing condition of roadways, many of which were repaved last year. Contractors will be required to ensure that loads in hauling trucks do not exceed the legal limit.
The primary construction entrance to the eastern portion of the Project Area (East Pasture) will be from a temporary construction access road off of 5th and C Streets in Point Reyes Station. Hauling in Point Reyes Station is anticipated to occur on both 4th and 5th Streets, as well as B Street, during Phase II. As with Phase I, hauling traffic will be routed so that trucks entering the site come down 5th Street and trucks exiting the site come down 4th Street. From these streets, trucks will either head north or south on State Route 1. There may also be some construction traffic on Mesa Road. Materials being hauled to quarries on the Point Reyes Peninsula will utilize Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, including the section known as Levee Road, and Pierce Point Road.
The primary construction entrance to the western portion of the Project Area (West Pasture) will be at the southern end of the East Pasture. From here, trucks hauling sediment will turn right and head north on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard through Inverness Park and Inverness to one of quarries designated for closure this year. Another entrance that may be used during construction is the current trailhead for the spur trail on the West Pasture North Levee, particularly during the final stages of construction.
The primary construction entrance for Olema Marsh will be the existing entrance off Bear Valley Road near Limantour Road. From here, trucks will turn right on Bear Valley Road and continue onto Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. At this time, no off-hauling of sediment is anticipated from Olema Marsh.
Top of Page
Temporary and Permanent Trail Closures and What’s Being Done to Minimize Impacts to Residents and Visitors: During construction, some of the local trails may be closed temporarily to ensure that public safety is not endangered by hazardous conditions that can occur during construction. The Park Service, PRNSA, and contractors request that visitors and residents strictly adhere to trail closure signs, because these are active construction areas and not safe for public visitation. Information about trail and parking lot closures will be posted prior to closure on this website, given to Interpretative Staff at the Bear Valley Visitor Center, and posted on signs at trail and road entrances. While construction schedules do not always allow for substantial notice, the Park Service will strive to give at least 7 days notice prior to trail closure. The Park Service will strive to ensure that trails are closed for the minimal time necessary to complete construction.
|
 |
| Lagunitas Creek Spur Trail |
|
Temporary Trail Closures: The Lagunitas Creek spur trail (Giacomin Ranch East Pasture) and Olema Marsh Trail (east side of Olema Marsh) will be temporarily closed during some portions of construction. The Lagunitas Creek spur trail will also be rerouted slightly during the construction process.
Permanent Trail Closures: Starting September 1, the informal path along the West Pasture North Levee will be closed to allow removal of the levee, adjacent borrow ditch, and the tidegates/culverts on Fish Hatchery Creek. This trail will not reopen after construction. The Park Service will build an overlook area at the former trailhead entrance to allow visitors and residents to watch the restoration process from this vantage point.
Top of Page
|
|
Where can we view the restoration area?
The restoration project area can be viewed from several vantage points in the Point Reyes-Inverness area. Some of the existing trails may be temporarily or permanently closed during construction, however, most trails will be reopened once construction is completed. Trails and viewing points include:
- Lagunitas Creek spur trail: Southern portion of East Pasture adjacent to Point Reyes Station. Trail can be accessed from entrance to Green Bridge County park along State Route 1 just east of the Green Bridge. This trail winds through riparian habitat in the Green Bridge County park and then follows the edge of Lagunitas Creek out towards White House Pool area. During construction, this trail will be temporarily closed, and it will be rerouted slightly as part of Phase II work.
|
- White House Pool County park: On the south side of Lagunitas Creek, the County of Marin Parks and Open Space District manages a small park on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard (Levee Road) that has a path that winds through riparian habitat as it follows the edge of Lagunitas Creek. Parking may be found at an on-site parking lot. This park provides several locations to view the restoration project area across the creek.
- Olema Marsh Trail: On the opposite of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard or Levee Road is Olema Marsh. A trail starts in the parking lot from Olema Marsh and crosses the top of the shutter ridge as it follows the east side of the marsh, eventually ending at Levee Road. Olema Marsh is one of the areas that will be restored as part of Phase II. The trail will be closed temporarily during the construction period.
- Tomales Bay Trail: For those wanting a longer walk and grander vistas of the restoration project area and Tomales Bay, the Tomales Bay Trail provides beautiful views of much of the Tomales Bay watershed. The trailhead is located off State Route 1 just north of Point Reyes Station. There is a small parking lot. The trail is approximately 1 -1.3 miles long. In future years, this spur trail will be extended to provide better views of some of the northern portions of the East Pasture and the shallowly flooded flats that attract hundreds of shorebirds and waterfowl in the fall and winter.
- West Pasture North Levee path (Temporary): The northern portion of the West Pasture and adjacent undiked marsh can currently be viewed at a small informal spur trail that occurs on the West Pasture North off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. This path will be closed during construction starting September 1 and will not be reopened. In the future, the Park Service will develop a viewing overlook area to enable residents and visitors to view the newly restored marsh.
Top of Page
|
|
|
|
|
|
