California Allots $1.4 Million for Novato Wetlands Restoration
A new habitat project intends to create workforce training and education for Marin County residents.
The California Coastal Conservancy backed the project this month with a more than $1.4 million allocation of Proposition 68 funds.
This is part of the larger Hamilton Wetlands Restoration Project, a project at the former Hamilton Air Force Base site and adjacent Bel Marin Keys shoreline, in Marin County, California.
After the project completes restoration of 2,600 acres of wetland and tideland marsh habitat near Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys, work will still need to continue, according to the Marin Independent Journal.
Novato Baylands Stewards plan to use the funds to restore 177 acres of wetland habitat near Hamilton and Bel Marin Keys. Other funding for the project comes from Save the Bay, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and pending funding from the California Conservation Corps.
The program will be monitoring and doing adaptive management of seasonal wetlands. Creating seasonal wetland habitat is crucial for shorebirds, according to the Marin Independent Journal.
The program will focus on: invasive plant removal, as well as training about 36 Conservation Corps North Bay members, 12 Americorps National Civilian Community Corps members, students and community volunteers in ecological restoration skills and environmental stewardship.
Construction on the largest component of this project, which is to restore 1,600 acres of habitat surrounding Bel Marin Keys, began last year.
The grant funds will be used to host five public tours per year, added the Marin Independent Journal.
