We are excited to share with you that the SF Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (SF Bay NERR) grant application has received funding to continue the planning of a sea level rise adaptation for the China Camp Road (San Pedro Road thru China Camp) following on efforts from 2018 and 2019.
The project, “Respecting the Past, Planning for the Future: Assessing Cultural Resources and Watershed Connectivity Associated with a Proposed China Camp State Park Road Modification Project”, was recommended to receive $525,000 over three years by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Science Collaborative. The funding will help address sea-level rise impacts on the roadway. As sea level rises, the shoreline road through China Camp floods several times a year on higher high tides, and will flood more often, longer, and deeper, and will impose limits on hydrologic connectivity to inland marshes.
The three-page fact sheet below describes the previously completed work. This second grant will be used to focus on tribal (cultural) use of the area (known to be important but not geographically explicit), and hydrological and sediment linkages between the watersheds and Baylands. Both issues are important unknowns for designing a future road modification at the site. The grant will thus provide a unique opportunity for increased participation of the Coast Miwok peoples (represented by the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria) on cultural resources vulnerability assessment and adaptation of options that support the tribe’s ongoing participation as well as moving the project forward with the community to a selected project alternative. The NERR will also be working with Marin County to seek the needed engineering design funds to work in parallel to the new grant work, which will allow the project to get its permit and construction funding.
Congratulations to Stuart Siegel and Aimee Good of the SF Bay NERR, the community and the team who worked to secure this funding opportunity. The team received 20 letters of support (including one from the Coalition) clearly indicating that this is a very important project for a wide range of constituents.
If you have any questions, concerns or other input for this project, please contact Kati Miller, our Board representative on this ongoing effort.