PROJECT INFO:
OWNER:
Agriculture and Land Based Training Association
PROJECT CONTRACTOR:
Ecological Concerns Inc
ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNER & LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT:
Dense Duffy and Associates along with Ecological Concerns Inc
PROJECT GOALS:
Improve and Maintain Habitat for Threatened and Endangered Species; Improve Water Quality; Monitor and Record Data; Reconnect Historic Water Passages; Restore Native Plant Community
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
A collaborative effort on the part of the Agriculture and Land Based Training Association (ALBA), Ecological Concerns Incorporated and other organizations resulted in the successful restoration of 40 acres of wetlands on the Triple M Ranch in the Upper Elkhorn Slough watershed. The restoration included returning retired farmland to its historically conditions of native wetland and floodplain habitats. ALBA was awarded a grant from the US EPA because of the species involved and ALBA’s participation as an educational institution. The important species were three federally listed Threatened and Endangered amphibians; the California tiger salamander, Santa Cruz long toed salamander, and the California red legged frog. ECI designed and managed the construction of 17 ponds. After the ponds were built, ECI planted over 50,000 plugs that had been propagated and grown by Central Coast Wilds Nursery. The installation was complete in March 2013 and monitoring will continue by the Coastal Watershed Council.
